Whether it's a former boyfriend, girlfriend or a persistent telemarketer, unwanted calls and texts can be a pain, and depending on your cellphone plan, an added expense. Thankfully, there are ways to block these calls or at least find out who is pestering you. The following apps and services will help limit the ringing of your cellphone. Availability may vary according to your cellphone model and carrier. donotcall.jpg
National Do Not Call Registry The first thing you should do is register your cellphone (and home phone if you have a landline) at donotcall.gov. Registration is simple: enter your phone numbers (up to three) and your email address. Once submitted, you will receive an email with a link to click on to complete your registration. Most telemarketers should not call your number once it has been on the registry for 31 days. If they do, you can file a complaint on the website. And as of 2007, your registration will not expire, so you'll only have to do this once.
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TrapCall (Android; BlackBerry, iPhone; pricing varies) TrapCall doesn't block calls, but it unmasks blocked caller IDs. This way, at least will know the number behind the call. You can then add that number to your "blacklist" and every time you ignore a call from a blacklisted caller, they'll hear a message telling them your number has been disconnected. Additional features include call recording, voicemail transcriptions, and more. It's a pay-as-you-go service, with rates ranging from $3.71 to $24.95 per month. TrapCall currently supports AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless, Sprint, US Cellular, and MetroPCS in the US. Set-up varies depending on the carrier. There are apps for BlackBerry and Android, while iPhone users must sign up at TrapCall's website.
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Call Control (Android, BlackBerry; free) Call Control allows you to block unwanted calls and text messages by creating black and white lists; there is a three number limit in the lite version of the app. The Pro version, which costs $7.99, gives you unlimited blacklist entries. In both versions you can access the Community Black List, which blocks calls reported by the Call Control user community. In addition to blocking calls, the app can also send blocked numbers to voicemail or disconnect the call.
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Google Voice (online; requires Google account) Google Voice has numerous features, from voicemail transcription to conference calls to number porting. With respect to blocking calls, you can block certain callers directly from your Google Voice inbox by clicking on the "more" link underneath the number (you'll have to add the number to your contacts). The blocked caller will then hear a canned message saying that this number has been disconnected or is no longer in service. You can also create personalized greetings for certain numbers. Just go to the Contacts tab and choose an existing recorded message or record one right there and then.
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iBlacklist ($12; iPhone -- jailbroken only) Despite the countless features of the iPhone, there is no way to block unwanted calls, out of the box. When you receive an incoming call with iOS 6, you will have four options: accept the call, decline it, hang up and reply with a text message or hang up and be reminded later of the caller. If you want to block unwanted calls on your iPhone, you will first need to jailbreak it. (Note: jailbreaking your phone breaks the warranty). Then, you can install apps such as iBlacklist, which allows you to block calls and texts, set up SMS auto replies, manage parental controls and more.
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Carrier-specific services Last but not least, there are some carrier-specific services. AT&T, for example, has a Smart Limits for Wireless ($4.99 per month) program that allows you to block up to 30 numbers. Sprint users can go to Sprint.com to block calls under the My Sprint->My preferences->block voice tab. Verizon users can similarly use the Call Block option to reject calls from phone numbers on a list you establish. Depending on your region, this list may be limited to either 6 or 12 numbers. You can also always try calling your provider and asking them to block the number for you.
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