How to Stop and Block Spam Calls on Android

Q: How do I stop spam calls on Android?

Open your Phone app, tap the three-dot menu, go to Settings and then Caller ID & spam, and turn on both caller and spam ID and the spam filter. Then ask your carrier to enable its call blocking, and set Do Not Disturb to allow calls from contacts. Blocking individual numbers handles callers you already know; these settings handle numbers you have never seen. Menu names vary by manufacturer and Android version.

Q: How do I block spam calls on Android?

Open the Phone app, tap Recents, tap the number you want to stop, and choose Block / report spam, then confirm. That blocks calls and usually texts from that one number. It does not cover the next number the same caller dials from.

Q: Where is the blocked numbers list on Android?

In the Phone app, open the three-dot menu, then Settings, then Blocked numbers. On Samsung phones the same list is usually under Settings and then Block numbers. You can remove a number from that screen if you blocked it by mistake.

By OsmO AI Team Updated September 1, 2026 7 min read

An Android phone screening an incoming spam call

Short answer: to block one spam call on Android, open Phone > Recents, tap the number, and choose Block / report spam. To stop the rest, open the Phone app's three-dot menu and go to Settings > Caller ID & spam, then turn on both the caller and spam ID option and the spam filter.

Those are two different jobs, and most guides run them together. Blocking shuts down a number you can already name. Stopping is about the numbers you have never seen — the ones that arrive from a new area code every week. This page covers both, plus where the setting hides on a Samsung, a Pixel and everything else.

If a caller is trying to take money or personal details from you, follow the separate phone scam response guide instead. This page is about unwanted and suspected-spam calls.

Block a spam number on Android in three taps

This is the fastest route, and it works from any number already in your call history.

Open Phone and tap Recents.
Tap the spam number (or press and hold it) to open its details.
Choose Block / report spam and confirm.

Reporting as well as blocking sends the number to Google's spam database, which is what makes the automatic filter in the next section better at catching it for other people. Blocking a number normally stops its calls and its texts.

Menu wording varies. Samsung's dialler says Block number; some manufacturers put the option behind an Add to block list item. The action is the same one everywhere: it applies to that number, not to the caller.

How to stop spam calls on Android: five settings that work

Work down this list in order. The first two take under a minute and cover most of what arrives on a normal week.

1. Turn on caller ID & spamIn the Phone app, open the three-dot menu, then Settings > Caller ID & spam. Turn on caller and spam ID, and turn on the option that filters suspected spam calls.

2. Use your carrier's blockingAsk your mobile carrier which call-labelling or blocking service is included with your plan. It filters upstream, before the call reaches your handset. Names and availability change.

3. Let only contacts ringSettings > Sound & vibration > Do Not Disturb > Calls can be set to contacts, starred contacts, or repeat callers. Blunt, but it makes unsaved numbers silent.

4. Screen on a PixelPixel phones have Call Screen in the Phone app's settings, which answers unknown calls and shows a live transcript. It is a Pixel feature, not an Android-wide one.

5. Register and reportAdd your number at DoNotCall.gov and report unwanted calls there. If you lost money or shared details, use ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Worth knowing: the registry reduces calls from businesses that follow the rules. Callers already breaking the law by spoofing caller ID have no reason to honour it, so treat step 5 as housekeeping rather than the fix.

Samsung, Pixel, OnePlus: where the setting actually lives

“Android” is not one dialler. If the path above did not match your screen, it is because your manufacturer ships its own Phone app. Here is where to look.

Phone	Block a number	Spam filtering
Pixel and other Google Phone app devices	Recents > number > Block / report spam	Settings > Caller ID & spam; Call Screen on Pixel
Samsung Galaxy	Phone > three-dot menu > Settings > Block numbers	Phone settings > Caller ID and spam protection
OnePlus, Oppo, Xiaomi, Motorola	Recents > number > Block, or a Blocklist item in Phone settings	Manufacturer spam setting, or install the Google Phone app where it is available

Labels move between Android versions and regional builds, so treat these as the neighbourhood rather than an exact address. If you cannot find the menu, searching your device's own Settings app for “block” or “spam” usually lands on it.

Blocking vs stopping: what each one actually does

People search for both phrasings, and the two are not the same task. Picking the wrong one is why a phone can have forty blocked numbers and still ring all afternoon.

What you want	The control	What it covers
Shut down one specific number	Block / report spam	That number only, until the caller switches
Fewer calls from strangers	Caller ID & spam filtering	Numbers already reported or flagged as spam
Calls stopped before your phone rings	Carrier call blocking	Numbers your network suspects, upstream
Total quiet from unsaved numbers	Do Not Disturb, contacts only	Everything not in your contacts, wanted or not
Someone to actually answer	An assistant on a forwarded line	Configured incoming calls, with a transcript

If you are blocking several numbers a week, that is the signal to move down a row. One-at-a-time blocking is a losing race against a dialler that rotates its caller ID.

See and edit your blocked numbers

Every number you block collects in one list: in the Phone app, open the three-dot menu, then Settings > Blocked numbers. On a Samsung the same list sits under Settings > Block numbers. Tap the number or the minus icon to remove it.

It is worth opening occasionally. A long list is not a problem by itself, but if it grows every week the numbers are being rotated and per-number blocking is no longer the right tool for the job.

What these settings cannot promise

No filter catches every unwanted call. A spam label is a signal, not proof the caller is fraudulent.
Caller ID can be spoofed. A local-looking number is not evidence of a local caller.
Blocking is number-specific. Your block list records callers you have already heard from; it does not describe the next one.
Contacts-only rules hide real calls too. A clinic on a new line, a delivery driver, a school — all unsaved, all silenced. Check voicemail and the filtered list.
Menus differ. Manufacturer, Android version, region and carrier all change what you see.

When you want something to answer instead

Everything above either silences a call or labels it. None of it tells you what the caller wanted — which is the part that matters when you cannot afford to ignore unknown numbers.

That is the gap an AI phone assistant fills. With call forwarding set up, OsmO answers the calls you do not pick up, asks who is calling and why, and sends you the caller's name, their reason, a summary and a transcript afterwards. A spam caller gets screened and documented. A delivery driver gets asked for the tracking number.

It runs on Android through standard call forwarding, so no Pixel is required and you keep your number. Android has Basic and Premium plans, with the current localised price and any introductory offer shown by Google Play before you buy. On a Verizon line, the exact codes are in the Verizon call forwarding guide. It cannot promise that every spam call will be identified, and it is one option among several — compare them in the Android spam-call blocker roundup and the Android call-screening app comparison.

Let something else pick up. OsmO answers unknown calls on Android, screens the spam, and sends you a summary of the ones that mattered.

Get it onGoogle Play

Frequently asked questions

How do I stop spam calls on Android?

Open your Phone app, tap the three-dot menu, go to Settings > Caller ID & spam, and turn on both caller and spam ID and the spam filter. Then ask your carrier to enable its call blocking, and set Do Not Disturb to allow calls from contacts. Blocking individual numbers handles callers you already know; these settings handle numbers you have never seen. Menu names vary by manufacturer and Android version.

How do I block spam calls on Android?

Open the Phone app, tap Recents, tap the number you want to stop, and choose Block / report spam, then confirm. That blocks calls and usually texts from that one number. It does not cover the next number the same caller dials from.

Where is the blocked numbers list on Android?

In the Phone app, open the three-dot menu, then Settings > Blocked numbers. On Samsung phones the same list is usually under Settings > Block numbers. You can remove a number from that screen if you blocked it by mistake.

How do I block spam calls on a Samsung phone?

Samsung ships its own dialler, so the path differs from stock Android. In the Samsung Phone app, open the three-dot menu, then Settings > Block numbers to block a specific number, and look under Phone settings for Caller ID and spam protection to turn on labelling for numbers you have not saved. Options depend on your region and carrier.

Does blocking a number stop spam calls for good?

No. Blocking is number by number, and callers can spoof caller ID or rotate through new numbers. A block list is a record of callers you have already heard from rather than a shield against the next one, which is why the filtering and screening settings matter more over time.

Can I block all unknown numbers on Android?

You can get close with Do Not Disturb set to allow calls from contacts only, or with a Phone app option to silence unknown callers where your device offers one. It is a blunt tool: a delivery driver, a clinic calling from a new line, or a school will be silenced too, so check voicemail and the filtered list.

Is Google Call Screen available on non-Pixel Android phones?

Call Screen is a Pixel feature and is not available across every Android device. On a Samsung, OnePlus, Xiaomi or Motorola phone you would use that manufacturer's own spam settings, your carrier's blocking, or an app that answers forwarded calls for you. There is a fuller side-by-side in our Google Call Screen comparison.