Spam calls have indeed become a huge problem these days. Almost every day, we tend to get calls from telemarketers, bots, and companies trying to sell some of their product or services like insurance, credit cards, and more. And then, there are automated calls from politicians asking for votes during elections.
Now, this often leads to a waste of time and annoyance, especially when you leave an important work to pick up the call and it turns out to be spam.
So, how to get rid of this problem? Well, don’t worry, we’ve got your back. Here’s a simple guide on how to block spam calls on Airtel, Vodafone-Idea, Jio and more.
Block Spam calls on Airtel, Vodafone-Idea, Jio
Activate DND
One of the ways you can block spam calls on your number is by activating DND services. For those unaware, DND or Do Not Disturb is a service employed by TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) to prevent telecom companies from sending you marketing calls and messages without your consent.
By activating DND, you imply that you don’t want to receive any kinds of unsolicited commercial communication on your number. And it would be illegal for telemarketers to send any sort of unsolicited SMS or calls on your number. That being said, one can use a number of methods to activate DND, mentioned below.
Using SMS
- Open the Messaging app on your phone.
- Tap on create a new SMS.
- Type “START 0” and send it to 1909.
Note that 0 here stands for the fully blocked category. However, if you only want to block spam calls and SMS from a specific category, replace 0 with the number based on the preferences given below:
START 1 – only allow calls and messages related to Banking/ Insurance/ Financial Products/ Credit Cards.
START 2 – only allow calls and messages related to Real Estate.
START 3 – only allow calls and messages related to Education.
START 4 – only allow calls and messages related to Health.
START 5 – only allow calls and messages related to Consumer Goods and Automobiles.
START 6 – only allow calls and messages related to Communication/ broadcasting/ entertainment/ IT.
START 7 – only allow calls and messages related to Tourism and Leisure.
Using the IVRS (Interactive Voice Response System)
- Open the dialer app on your phone.
- Give a call to 1909.
- Follow the voice instructions to turn on DND services.
Using TRAI’s DND app
TRAI has also launched an app dubbed as DND 2.0 using which users can report spam calls and messages, and change the status of DND service. You just need to download the app (Android/ iOS) and enter mobile numbers of the sim cards being used on the phone.
After that, you can file UCC complaint against numbers, mark calls/ SMS as spam, check your complaint status, and change DND preferences. Besides, the app will automatically detect possible spam, suggesting you to report the same in Report Voice UCC section.
In case you wish to de-activate DND services in the future, simply send SMS by typing “STOP” to 1909. Alternatively, you can do the same by calling IVRS or using the DND app.
Use third-party apps like Truecaller
Amongst apps that help protect against spam, Truecaller is one of the reliable options using which you can block spam calls and messages without any hassle. Just download the app and grant necessary permissions, then activate protection against spam and you’re good to go.
Evidently, Truecaller is a community-driven app that gets a massive database of spam numbers through a chain of contacts, followed by most blocked numbers in your area. So, the next time you get a spam call, it’s automatically identified as spam in real-time, and you can reject without even picking it up. Additionally, you can also auto-block the call by using block spam calls option in Truecaller settings.
Interestingly, even Google’s stock Phone app can now automatically filter out calls that it detects to be spam. So once you’ve enabled “Filter spam calls” in settings, your phone won’t ring, and you won’t even get a missed call notification for any calls chopped off by Google.
Wrapping Up
So this was a simple and easy guide on how you can block spam calls on Airtel, Jio, Vodafone-Idea or any operator for that matter. By the way, what do you prefer using for blocking spam? Let us know in the comments below. Also, feel free to reach us in case of any doubts or queries.
For those who specifically want to get rid of spam messages can read our article on How To Block Spam SMS? Three Ways To Block Spam SMS.
