New iPhone And Android AI Tools Help Block Robocalls Automatically

Users can now access free call screening and robocall blocking tools through their iPhone and Android devices.

The system lets virtual assistants detect unfamiliar callers and stop potential scams from reaching your phone before it rings, as first reported by The New York Times.

Brian X. Chen, The Times’s lead consumer technology writer, said he tested Apple’s tool in iOS 26 and found it effective. “I didn’t have to pick up the phone to find out it was a robocaller impersonating a utility company with an offer to reduce my bill,” he wrote.

The AI assistant functions as a dual-purpose tool during the call by both recording the conversation and allowing users to submit new inquiries or end the call.

Android users with Google Pixel phones can do the same. The system detects unknown phone numbers automatically, and the assistant will ask for information from callers who also have the option to mark calls as spam. Google recently expanded this tool to more countries, including Australia, Canada, and Ireland.

The new call-screening tools improve on past solutions that relied on databases of known scam numbers, which scammers easily bypassed.

Chen explained, “Robocallers have used internet apps to ‘spoof’ calls, manipulating phone networks to place calls from numbers they weren’t really calling from.” Previous carrier attempts at stopping robocalls through Stir/Shaken verification of phone numbers failed to eliminate spoofed robocall problems.

The iPhone tool activation process begins with iOS 26 installation, followed by Settings > Phone selection, and then choosing “Ask Reason for Calling.” To activate automatic call screening on Android, users need to access the Phone app, then navigate to Settings > Call Screen and enable the feature.

The tools have certain restrictions according to Chen. Some real callers may be annoyed when a robot answers, but the moderate approach is useful for most people.

“Whenever Siri interrogated a person impersonating the Internal Revenue Service, Amazon, or Apple, the robocaller eventually hung up,” he said.

Both Apple and Google also filter scam text messages, moving them into a spam folder. Chen explained that this capability remains vital because scammers now use text messages to pretend to be bank representatives, recruiters, and delivery service personnel.