Are you wondering how to turn off international calls on iPhone? Voice calling has made our life easier. This feature literally allows you to connect to everyone from the comfort of your home.
However, the voice calling feature means both national and international calls. While some phone calls are useful, others are just wasting your precious time.
For instance, international calls are usually some kind of advertisement or a cyber-attack.
So, it’s rational to ask how to turn off incoming and outgoing international calls on iPhone?
To turn off international calls on your phone, you have several options. You can either use an unknown silence caller or block unknown numbers to reduce the risk of scams. Furthermore, your device also comes with a “Contact Calls only‘ feature that will completely turn off the international call on your smartphone.
But first let’s delve into why you should turn off international calls.
Why You Should Turn Off International Calls
Let’s start with the most basic question, why should you turn off international calls?
Well, you should avoid these phone calls because they do more harm than good.
Here are some of the most common reasons why you should turn off international calls on your smartphone:
1. Cyber-Criminals
Imagine you picked up an international call, and all your personal data on your iPhone get hacked within minutes.
Most scammers out there use international numbers to attack your data management systems.
2. Waste of Time
Most companies use pre-recording calls or robocalls to target more clients.
These international calls just advertise a specific product that can take away your precious time from your busy schedule.
3. Costly Service
An outgoing international call can cost you a lot of bucks. Even a few seconds of these phone calls can fire up your phone bills.
Now that you know the common reasons why you should turn off international calls on your phone, it’s time to learn different methods to avoid these calls.
How to Turn Off International Calls on iPhone – Methods
While some international calls are productive and can offer helpful opportunities, others might be fraudulent.
In case you attend a fraudulent phone call, you might lose your valuable data and personal information. Plus, most scammers use international phone calls to threaten you.
Therefore, to help you out in this regard, below, we have mentioned some of the most effective methods to turn off international calls on iPhone:
Method #1 Turn on Silence Unknown Caller
If you are wondering how to turn off incoming international calls on your iPhone, this method is the best pick for you.
With iOS 13 and later, Apple has introduced a new feature known as Silence Unknown Caller.
The most significant benefit of this feature is that it eliminates all unknown and scam calls on iPhone.
To turn on Unknown Silence Caller on iPhone, follow these steps:
- Go to the “Settings” app
- Select “Phone”
- Tap on “Silence Unknown Caller”
- Toggle it ON
That’s it.
With these simple and easy steps, you will be able to turn off international calls on your iPhone. With this approach, you’ll be able to receive phone calls from Siri suggestions, recent calls list, and contacts list.
Furthermore, this feature also allows you to receive international calls from your text messages and email contacts.
It’s worth taking into note that you are expecting an emergency call; this feature will automatically turn off for 24h, allowing you to get any necessary phone calls.
Note: Silence Unknown Caller silences all the incoming international calls and sends them to voicemail. With this method, you won’t be losing any of your important phone calls, just the scam ones.
Method #2 Block Unknown Numbers
If you don’t have Silence Unknown Caller on your phone, you don’t have to give up.
The second-best option you have is to block unknown numbers on your phone. If you get an unwelcomed phone call, you can simply add it to your block list.
This method is perfect for you if you don’t want to be disturbed in the future by the same number.
For instance, if a scammer is persistent, you can simply block an international phone number to avoid disturbance in the future.
Follow these steps to block unknown numbers on iPhone:
- Go to the “Settings” app
- Open “Phone” settings
- Click on “Blocked Contacts”
- Tap “Edit”
- Add “International Number” that you want to block
This feature is truly amazing. Once you add a number to the blocklist, your phone will automatically eliminate any calls from that specific number.
Plus, you won’t be getting any notifications or anything. So, you can move on with your life without worrying about the caller.
Method #3 Allow Contact Calls Only
If you are getting international calls from multiple phone numbers, you can simply activate the “contacts calls only” feature on your smartphone.
With this setting, you won’t be disturbed or notified when you get a phone call from an unknown caller.
To activate the “Contact Calls Only” feature on iPhone, follow these steps:
- Open “Settings” on iPhone
- Scroll down and click on “Do Not Disturb”
- Toggle it ON
- Scroll down and select “Allow Calls From”
- Select “All Contacts”
That’s it. Once you select contacts only as your “Allow calls from” option, you won’t get any calls from unknown numbers. This step will terminate all international calls that are not made by people in your contacts list.
Method #4 Use Third-Party Apps
If the “Unknown Silence Caller” is not effective on your iOS device, you can use third-party apps to turn off international calls on your iPhone.
There are numerous third-party software’s available in the “App Store” that you can use to turn off the international calls on iPhone.
Here are some of the most popular third-party apps for iPhone to block international calls:
- Robo Shield
- TrueCaller
- Nomorobo Robocall Blocking
- YouMail Voicemail & Spam Blocker
- Robokiller
Note: All these third-party apps come with a voicemail option. Thanks to the voicemail feature, you can listen to important calls at the end of the day.
So, you won’t miss any important international calls on your iPhone.
Always use the “Silence Unknown Caller” feature on your iPhone or use third-party apps to turn off international calls. Furthermore, you can also block that certain number or use the “Contact Only” feature on your phone.
Read Next: Why is Text Message Stuck on Sending(iOS)?
Final Thoughts
You may receive that call from Europe or Asia from a long-lost friend or a business opportunity. Such calls are often expected and sometimes scheduled.
However, most random international calls are used to scam you or waste your time. Therefore, you must know how to turn off international calls on iPhone.
Always be vigilant and extremely cautious of malicious callers who claim to know you and want more information from you.
Such calls come from throw-away phone numbers and once you lose your valuables it will be very difficult for law enforcement to track the culprits.
Finn Wheatley holds a Master’s Degree in Computer Science from UCL, London. He helped small data science consultancy firms, helping large corporations to grow their data capabilities, deploy advanced machine learning-based analytics and troubleshoot tech-related issues. Check out more about him here.