To silence unknown callers on iPhone, open Settings, tap Apps › Phone, scroll to Screen Unknown Callers, and choose Silence. Calls from numbers that aren’t in your contacts are silenced, sent to voicemail and still show in your call list. Choose Ask Reason for Calling instead if you want unknown callers screened before your iPhone rings.
This guide covers each Screen Unknown Callers option, filtering unknown and spam calls into their own lists, marking a number as known, blocking specific callers, and doing the same for FaceTime. The steps follow Apple’s Manage unknown callers on iPhone article and its Screen and block calls guide.
How to Silence Unknown Callers on iPhone
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap Apps, then tap Phone.
- Scroll to Screen Unknown Callers.
- Choose Silence.
Result: Calls from unsaved numbers don’t ring. Apple says they’re silenced, sent to voicemail and listed in Recents, so you can still call back. If you call back and hang up before they answer, your call details show a canceled call, which is explained in what Canceled Call means on iPhone.
What each option does
- Never: call screening is off, and calls from unsaved numbers ring like any other call. If they still stay quiet, see how to unsilence calls on iPhone.
- Ask Reason for Calling: your iPhone answers the call first and asks who’s calling and why. After the caller responds, your iPhone rings and shows what they said so you can decide whether to pick up.
- Silence: calls from unsaved numbers are silenced and sent straight to voicemail.
Apple notes that standard calling and data rates may apply with call screening, that calls aren’t screened while you’re roaming, and that screening turns off for 24 hours after you call emergency services. On versions earlier than iOS 17, Live Voicemail must be on to use call screening.
How to Filter Unknown and Spam Calls
- Go to Settings › Apps › Phone.
- Scroll to Call Filtering.
- Turn on Unknown Callers to move missed calls and voicemails from unknown numbers into their own list.
- Turn on the Spam filter to silence calls your carrier identifies as potential spam or fraud.
Result: Your main call list only shows calls from people you know. For more ways to cut down unwanted calls, see how to turn off spam calls on iPhone. To see the others, open the Phone app, tap the Filter button in Recents (Classic layout) or Calls (Unified layout), then tap Unknown Callers or Spam.
Mark a number as known
If a legitimate caller keeps landing in Unknown Callers, open the Phone app, tap the Filter button, tap Unknown Callers, and tap Mark as Known next to the call. Apple says future calls from that number stay out of the Unknown Callers list. To undo it, tap the number and choose Mark as Unknown.
How to Block a Specific Caller
- Open the Phone app.
- Tap Contacts and tap the contact. For a number in your call list, tap the info button next to it.
- Tap Block Contact or Block this Caller.
Result: That number can no longer reach you. To unblock it, go to Settings › Apps › Phone › Blocked Contacts, tap Edit, and remove it. To review the whole list first, see how to see blocked numbers on iPhone.
How to Silence Unknown Callers on FaceTime
Go to Settings › Apps › FaceTime and turn on Silence Unknown Callers. Apple says FaceTime calls from unknown numbers are then silenced and sent to voicemail. The Call Filtering options for Unknown Callers and Spam are available there too.
Before You Turn It On
- Add important numbers to Contacts, such as family, your child’s school and your doctor’s office. Apple recommends this so those calls always come through.
- Expect deliveries, appointment reminders and first-time callers to go to voicemail. Check Recents or Unknown Callers regularly.
- Turn on Business Call Identification in Settings › Apps › Phone › Call Blocking & Identification so iPhone can name more business callers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do silenced callers know they were silenced?
No. With Silence, the call just goes to voicemail. With Ask Reason for Calling, the caller hears a request to say who they are.
Will I miss calls from numbers I’ve texted?
Apple’s rule is based on saved contacts, so save any number you want to ring through rather than relying on recent activity.
More iPhone Guides
Matthew Burleigh has been writing tech tutorials since 2008. His writing has appeared on dozens of different websites and been read hundreds of millions of times.
After receiving his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science he spent several years working in IT management for small businesses. However, he now works full time writing content online and creating websites.
His main writing topics include iPhones, Microsoft Office, Google Apps, Android, and Photoshop, but he has also written about many other tech topics as well.