Unwanted and unsolicited phone calls, text messages, and FaceTime calls are not only frustrating and annoying, but they can also carry security risks in terms of spam and potential viruses. To help combat this, iOS 26 introduced a range of call screening options for the Phone, Messages, and FaceTime apps on your iPhone to give you more peace, and peace of mind.

Screening phone calls
To use the call screening options for phone calls:

1)  Access Settings > Apps and tap once on the Phone option: 

2)  Tap once on one of the options for screening unknown callers – i.e. ones whose details have not been added to the Contacts app. Tap once on Ask Reason for Calling to hold the call and ask the caller for their name and why they are calling:

3)  The Screening Call panel indicates the action that is being taken for an unknown caller:

If you select Never in Step 2, unknown calls will ring in the normal way and be displayed on the Recents list of calls in the Phone app. If you select Silence, unknown calls will not ring, and the call will be sent directly to voicemail. The call will also be displayed in the Recents list.

Screening text messages
To use the call screening options for text messages:

1)  Access Settings > Apps and tap once on the Messages option:   

2)  Drag the buttons On or Off for Screen Unknown Senders and Filter Spam, as required:

3)  In the Messages app, tap once on the menu button at the top of the main window to access options for viewing items that have been place in Unknown Senders and Spam 

If there are any messages from Unknown Senders this is indicated by a number in brackets. Tap once on this option to view the messages. Tap once on the menu button and then the Messages option to return to the main message window.

Screening FaceTime calls
To use the call screening options for FaceTime calls:

1)  During a call, tap once on the Set Up Filtering button if this panel appears:

2)  Tap once on the Turn On Filtering button

The call filtering options for FaceTime can also be accessed from Settings > Apps > FaceTime.

This is an extract from
iPhone for Seniors in easy steps

192 pages / By: Nick Vandome
ISBN: 9781787910461

£11.99 paperback / £9.99 ebook