Top 10 Call Screening Apps to Block Spam and Robocalls

A call screening app helps you take control of your incoming calls, protecting your time, privacy, and personal information from scammers, robocalls, and unwanted callers.

• Block Unwanted Calls: Identify and block unwanted calls and prevent interruptions from scammers, telemarketers, and robocallers.
• Enhance Privacy: Provides you with more control over your communication and protects your personal information from exposure to unknown or malicious callers.
• Save Time: Prioritize important calls and block irrelevant or spoof calls, saving you time dealing with them.
• Real-Time Information: Gain instant insights about callers, enabling you to decide whether to answer or not.
• Customizable Call Filters: Set your criteria for blocking or screening calls, such as unknown numbers or specific area codes.

With over 350 million active users, Truecaller is the leading call screening and call blocking app, supporting both iPhone and Android devices. The app offers a comprehensive suite of features that help you identify unknown callers, block spam, and manage SMS messages, all within a clean and intuitive interface.

Truecaller uses a color-coded system to identify calls at a glance: red for spam or scam calls, purple for verified business calls, and blue for regular or unknown callers. This helps users quickly decide which calls to answer or ignore.

Key Features:

• Spam Blocking: Identifies and blocks spam, scam, and robocalls.
• Truecaller Assistant: An AI-powered call screening feature that answers calls, screens them, and provides real-time updates to the users.
• SMS Filtering: Organizes SMS messages into categories such as transactions, promotions, and junk, ensuring that important messages remain visible.
• Verified Business Caller ID: Helps identify calls from legitimate businesses with verified names, logos, and categories.

TrapCall, a renowned call screening app developed by TelTech Systems, reveals the real identities behind blocked, private, no caller ID, and unknown callers. Unlike traditional call screening apps that rely on databases to identify and prevent robocalls or spam, TrapCall utilizes a patented system that unblocks hidden caller IDs.

When you receive a call from a restricted number and decline it, your phone forwards the call to TrapCall's system, which then unmasks the caller's information and sends it back to you as a new incoming call or notification. This feature is particularly beneficial for users who receive harassing or threatening calls from numbers that are masked.

Key Features:

• Spam Call Blocking: Automatically blocks spam, telemarketing, and robocalls from over 100,000 numbers.
• Blacklist Unwanted Callers: Allows users to add numbers to a blacklist, ensuring that harassing callers are permanently blocked.
• Call Recording: For Ultimate plan subscribers, TrapCall provides the ability to record incoming calls, which can be helpful for documentation and evidence purposes.
• Reverse Number Lookup: Users can look up the name and address associated with a phone number, providing more context about the caller.

Call Control is one of the top call screening applications praised for its effective call spam blocking and ease of use. Its CommunityIQ technology effectively blocks spam and robocalls by leveraging a large, constantly updated database built through a combination of user reports and official alerts from the FTC and FCC.

A notable feature of Call Control is its Smart Call Blocking, which automatically intercepts calls identified as spam before they reach the user. This functionality is enhanced by the app's ability to block calls labeled as "Spam Likely" and "Scam Likely," as well as other carrier-identified spam calls.

Key Features:

• CommunityIQ Spam Detection: Uses crowdsourced data and FTC/FCC complaints to block spam calls in real time.
• Smart Call Blocking: Automatically blocks known spam, scam, and robocalls before your phone rings.
• Personal Block/Allow Lists: Let's manually add numbers to block or allow for full customization.
• Reverse Number Lookup: Identifies unknown callers, allowing you to make informed decisions.

KONTXT is an advanced call screening application developed by RealNetworks, compatible with both Android and iOS devices. Utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, the software analyzes incoming calls in real-time to determine their legitimacy.

Additionally, KONTXT utilizes a patented voice fingerprinting solution that combines audio spectrum analysis with natural language processing (NLP) to identify and block spam and fraudulent voice calls.

Key Features:

• Customizable Greetings: Enables users to set personalized greetings that are played to callers, enhancing the user experience and providing context to incoming calls.
• Spam and Fraud Detection: Analyzes voice and message content to detect and block spam and fraudulent communications, protecting users from unwanted solicitations.
• Real-Time Notifications: Sends instant alerts to users about the status of incoming calls, including whether they are accepted, blocked, or flagged as spam.
• Privacy-Focused: Commits to user privacy by ensuring that data is not sold or misused.

YouMail is a comprehensive voicemail management and call screening app designed to protect users from robocalls, spam, and phone-based fraud. It uses an audio CAPTCHA system for unidentified callers. This requires unrecognized callers to complete a simple task, such as pressing specific keys, to verify they are human.

Additionally, if YouMail identifies a spam or scam call, it can play an out-of-service message to the caller. This tactic tricks automated systems into believing your number is inactive, reducing the likelihood of future spam calls. This feature, however, is only available to paid subscribers.

Key Features:

• Voicemail Transcription: Converts voicemail messages into text and delivers them via email, in-app, or SMS.
• Second Phone Number: Offers a virtual number that allows users to separate personal and professional calls, thereby enhancing their privacy. ​
• Auto Replies: Sends automatic text responses to missed calls, informing callers of your availability.
• Personalized Greetings: Enables users to set custom voicemail greetings for different contacts, enhancing personalization.

Pixel Call Assist is one of the leading call screening apps, recognized for its robust spam filtering and automated menu navigation. When an unknown call comes in, Google Assistant answers on your behalf, asking who is calling and why. You receive a real-time transcript of the caller's response, allowing you to decide whether to answer, decline, or send a quick reply.

Key Features:

• Call Screen: Screens unknown calls by having Google Assistant ask the caller their name and purpose, with a real-time transcript.
• Hold for Me: Waits on hold for you and notifies you when a representative is available.
• Real-time Transcripts: Transcribes the conversation between the Google Assistant and the caller, allowing you to decide whether to answer the call or not.
• Automated Menu Navigation: Interact with the computerized system to navigate the menu and find the correct department.
• Wait Times: Shows estimated wait times when calling businesses.

Robo Shield is regarded as one of the top call screening apps due to its AI-powered Call Assistant. When an unknown caller rings, the assistant picks up first, asks a few questions, and only lets the call through if it seems legit.

What sets Robo Shield apart is its frequent updates to its spam call database, which occur every six minutes. That means you’re always protected against the latest robocall threats. Plus, you get complete control over which incoming calls to block or leave unanswered.

Key Features:

• AI-Powered Call Assistant: Screens unknown calls by interacting with callers to determine their intent and purpose.
• Real-Time Spam Database: Updates every six minutes to provide up-to-date protection.
• Customizable Call Blocking: Filter calls by category, such as scams, telemarketing, political, etc.
• Spam-Free Voicemail: Transcribes messages and filters out spam content.

Whoscall is the top call screening application, featuring an extensive, AI-driven database and a proactive approach to fraud prevention. The app integrates data from global user reports, government collaborations, and AI prediction models to identify and block spam calls in real-time.

With a database encompassing over 2.6 billion phone numbers, Whoscall offers one of the most comprehensive caller identification systems. This vast database allows users to identify unknown callers instantly, reducing the risk of falling victim to scams or unwanted solicitations.

Key Features:

• Real-Time Caller Identification: Instantly identifies unknown callers using a vast, AI-powered database.
• Auto Spam Call Blocker: Automatically blocks frequently reported spam calls, minimizing interruptions.
• Auto-Update Number Database: Ensures the app stays current with the latest spam numbers through automatic updates.
• Web Checker: Scans and warns users about potentially malicious websites accessed through SMS links.

Hiya is an AI-powered spam protection and call screening app for Android and iPhone users. It employs advanced AI models trained to detect synthetic voices and deepfake scams in real-time. If such a voice is identified, the app alerts you with a clear on-screen warning, helping you stay ahead of sophisticated scam attempts. ​

Additionally, the app's transcription and summarization features ensure you have a clear record of essential calls, improving overall communication efficiency.​

Key Features:

• AI Call Assistant: Answers unknown calls, screens them, and only lets important ones through.
• Deepfake Detection: Identifies and blocks AI-generated scam voices in real time.
• Spam Call Blocking: Automatically blocks or flags known spam and robocall numbers.
• Call Transcription: Transcribes calls to text, allowing you to review what was said.

Robokiller is an ultimate call screening and spam-blocking application for iPhone and Android users. Utilizing its advanced AI and machine learning technologies, Robokiller identifies and blocks up to 99% of spam calls and texts, delivering users a more efficient and secure communication experience.​

Key Features:

• Spam Text Blocking: Blocks unwanted text messages, including spam and scam texts.
• Customizable Block and Allow Lists: Allows users to create custom filters to manage who can and can't reach them.
• RoboRadio: Allows users to listen to recordings of the Answer Bots' interactions with spam callers.
• AI-Powered Call Blocking: Utilizes audio fingerprinting technology to identify and block spam and robocalls in real-time.

Here’s a comparison table of the 10 best call screening apps for quick review.

Before selecting a call screening app, ensure it meets your privacy needs, is compatible with your device, and effectively blocks both spam calls and robocalls without affecting legitimate calls.

• Compatibility: Ensure the app is compatible with your device and operating system.
• Privacy: Check if the app shares your data with third parties and ensure it aligns with your privacy preferences.
• Spam Detection: Look for apps that utilize advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, to accurately identify spam and robocalls.
• Customization: Select apps that enable you to customize call blocking rules and filters according to your preferences.
• User Reviews: Check reviews and ratings to see how well the app performs in real-world conditions.
• Cost: Consider whether the app offers a free version or if its premium features justify the cost.

Ultimately, selecting the right call screening app depends on your specific needs, whether it’s for personal use or managing a busy business line. If you’re looking for an AI-driven solution, KONTXT offers real-time call screening with voice fingerprinting. YouMail offers spam blocking, voicemail transcription, and custom greetings. Hiya is great for spam detection and fraud prevention, while Robokiller wastes scammers' time with humorous responses.
 

Call screening apps use databases of known scam numbers, AI algorithms, and user-generated reports to detect and block spam calls.

Many call screening apps offer free versions with basic features, such as blocking known spam numbers and displaying caller ID. However, premium versions typically offer additional features, including advanced spam detection, call recording, and voicemail transcription.

RoboKiller is better for engaging and wasting scammers’ time with humorous responses, while Hiya excels in spam detection and fraud prevention, offering stronger privacy protection.

Yes, most call screening apps are compatible with both iPhone and Android devices. However, specific features may vary slightly depending on the operating systems, so it is essential to check the app's compatibility before installation.

Truecaller is one of the best apps for identifying unknown callers, providing accurate caller ID and spam detection features.