Block Unwanted Calls On Your Android Phone :
The Simple, Free Way
Did you know Android already contains a built-in facility for filtering calls? Let’s say you’ve got an evil troll on your address book; someone whom you never want to speak to. To block all calls from this contact, fire up the Contacts app, go to the contact, and press Menu:
Now, tap Options:
And add a check next to “Incoming calls“. This way, all calls from this contact will be sent directly to voicemail.
This method has the advantages of being free, easy to use, and requiring no extra software. However, it also has some drawbacks. What if it’s someone you don’t want to always block, but only sometimes? And what if you’re trying to block all calls from unknown callers (i.e, “hidden numbers”)? These guys don’t have entries in your address book, so you can’t use this method at all. In that case, it’s time to kick things up a notch.
The Sophisticated, Tasker-Based Way
If you don’t know Tasker, you should read my introduction to Tasker, as well as Angela’sTasker GPS tutorial. Both of these show some of the magical stuff that can be done with this app, which is, by the way, leaps and bounds beyond anything you can do with an iPhone, including iOS 5. iPhone bashing aside, we’re now going to look at how you can set up a Tasker profile to block unwanted calls, and then set up a widget for toggling this profile on and off.
First, run Tasker and hit the + button for adding a new context:
Select Event > Phone > Phone Ringing:
Under “Caller”, put the number of the caller you’re trying to block. Since we’re trying to block all unidentified calls, we need to enter “0″ here. Now hit the OK button.
Next, it’s time to select a task that would be executed when this context becomes active. As in what is your phone going to do when you get a call from a hidden number? You can select from any existing task, but you’re probably going to have to press New Task:
Next, hit the + button on the bottom-left:
When an unknown caller calls, we just want the phone to send them to voicemail, i.e, hang up the call. So go to Phone > End Call:
Your finished profile should look like this:
Okay, that was part one. You now have a profile that blocks all incoming calls from hidden numbers. Now let’s create a widget for toggling this profile on and off. Begin by noting the name of your blocking profile (here, called “Block hidden numbers” – we’ll be using this name later), and then toggle it off. Just tap the check-mark on the right. Next, long-tap your home screen, and add a Tasker task widget:
Select New Task and give it a name. Next, configure the task to look like this:
And there’s also step 6, which didn’t fit on my screen for the screenshot:
I know this might look a bit complex, so let’s break it down a little bit. The first thing we do is add a variable called %TOGGLE, and assign it a value of 1 and a “Wrap Around” value of 2. This means that %TOGGLE “wraps around” to 0 as soon as it reaches 2. In simple terms, it starts at 0, increments to 1, then goes back to 0 again. It looks like this:
Next, we toggle the “Block hidden numbers” profile. This is step 2, and it looks like this:
In step 3, we set the widget icon to a green “picked up phone” icon (i.e, “not blocking”), if%TOGGLE equals 1. It looks like this:
Step 4 sets a different icon (a red “bounced call” icon) if %TOGGLE equals 0:
Steps 5 and 6 do exactly the same things as steps 3 and 4, but set the widget label rather than the icon. I’ll just show you step 5:
Obviously, make sure you pick the correct label to go with each icon: The red icon, shown when %BLOCKING = 0 gets “Blocking” while the green one, shown when %BLOCKING =1, gets “Available”.
If you’ve done everything correctly, you should end up with something like this:
Which after a single tap, would change to this:
You can then go into your Tasker task list and see that the blocking profile is indeed toggled on.
Caveats
The first caveat is that this isn’t the simplest Tasker setup ever. If it’s your first one, you may need to fiddle with it a little bit until you get it to work. If things don’t work, drop me a comment below and I’ll try to help.
The next thing you should know is that Tasker provides a lot of other ways to toggle a profile on and off. For example, you may decide you wish to toggle the “Block hidden calls” profile according to the time of day, or your location. If you do that, the widget you created can easily go out of sync with the actual state of the profile. That can still be fixed, but it would involve a more complex setup which goes beyond the scope of this post.
The Better Way :
The application is called Root Call Blocker, and it’s offered as a free version, as well as a paid versionwhich costs $7 and is worth every penny (in my opinion, at least). I will be reviewing the paid version.
It’s In The Name: Your Phone Must Be Rooted.
Profiles and Settings
Root Call Blocker recognizes you may not want to block the same set of people all the time. While you’re at work, you probably want to accept calls from colleagues. On the weekend, maybe not so much. To this end, you can configure several separate profiles, each with its own blocked numbers, and even have Root Call Blocker switch between them automatically, according to a schedule.
Each profile lets you set either a black list (anybody can call you except for the people listed) or a white list (nobody can call you except for the people listed). For each number, you can set whether you want to block calls only, text messages, or both:
The pixelated part on the left is a list of numbers I am blocking. The first icon lets you control logging options for the call: You can log the call and get a notification it was received, log without a notification, or not log it at all (so it’s just like it never happened). The next icon controls call blocking – as you can see, that’s activated for all of those numbers. The third icon controls texts from those numbers – most of them can text me, but some have bugged me too much, so they may not.
One important entry I did not blur in the list above is Private & withheld numbers. This option alone saves me from numerous telemarketers, survey companies, and other annoyances.
What Happens When Somebody Calls You
Filtering calls is sometimes considered bad manners, mostly because people know when you’re screening them. Nobody likes to call someone and hear that abrupt click letting them know they’ve just been screened. Thankfully, Root Call Blocker offers a wide array of screening methods. The first is just a standard reject, which definitely sends a hint to the other party (it’s like manual filtering). But my favorite option, “Don’t answer,” does just that. The other party thinks you’re just not around, as the phone keeps ringing indefinitely. Eventually whoever is bugging you will get the hint, or not.
On your side, when a blocked number is calling you, absolutely nothing happens. The phone doesn’t ring, nor does it vibrate, not even for a fraction of a second. If you configured Root Call Blocker to notify you of blocked calls, you will get a discrete notification in the notification bar (at the top of the screen), which you can browse at your leisure. The phone won’t beep for the notification. You can have it vibrate, but you must set that explicitly.
Hidden Mode
Blocking calls is a sensitive subject, so Root Call Blocker lets you hide the entire app from the phone. Personally, I think if you need to go for such extreme measures just to protect your right to block unwanted phone calls, this indicates a bigger issues you might want to address with your work environment or relationships. Still, the option is there if you want it.
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