iOS · iPhone & iPad

Screen or Silence Unknown Callers on iPhone

Source-checked About 10 minutes

Answer

In Settings > Apps > Phone, choose how iPhone handles calls from unsaved numbers: Never, Ask Reason for Calling, or Silence. Silence sends unknown calls to voicemail and leaves them in Recents.

Guide steps4 steps
  1. Open the Phone settings
  2. Choose the unknown-caller action
  3. Keep essential numbers saved
  4. Verify the result
  5. If it still does not work

Open the Phone settings

Go to Settings > Apps > Phone.

Choose the unknown-caller action

Under Screen Unknown Callers, select Ask Reason for Calling to screen calls or Silence to send unsaved numbers to voicemail.

Open Apple unknown-caller guidance

Keep essential numbers saved

Add family, schools, medical providers, and other important numbers to Contacts so their calls continue to come through.

Verify the result

Call from a saved contact and an unsaved test number and verify the saved caller rings while the unknown caller follows the selected screening behavior.

Video walkthrough

If it does not work

  • If expected calls are missed, add important numbers to Contacts and review Focus, blocked contacts, carrier filtering, and call-forwarding settings before disabling protection entirely.
Sources and verification

Checked against official documentation on . Scope: iPhone & iPad.

Reviewed against the linked first-party guidance; interface labels can vary by current app, service, or operating-system version.

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