Apple’s Call-Blocking Feature May Be a Little Too Good

Apple ’s iOS 13 release is crammed with features we ’ve been looking forward to getting our hands on for months — I’m looking at you , Arcadeand system - wideDark Mode — but one of the tools that this blogger was most emotional for was Apple ’s spam - crusade feature to hush up those infuriate robocalls driving us all brainsick . And if you ’re looking to free yourself from the hell of incessant , undesirable phone call from unsung numbers , this is absolutely the feature for you . That enunciate , you should also be aware of some problems you might encounter into with the putz enabled .

To turn the feature on , navigate to configurations and then Phone , where you ’ll find the Silence Uknown Callers option . With this lineament turned on , phone call from unnamed number will be forwarded straight to voicemail and listed in Recents . ( miss claim will still will push notifications , and another notification will seem if a voicemail was left . ) In society to avail navigate which calls should be sent to voicemail and which ones you may not have lay aside but might want to receive , Apple says the feature silences all unknown calls except for those a user has previously called , numbers saved in Contacts , and those that Siri suggests from Mail and Messages .

This is , to be indisputable , a rattling feature article if you ’re constantly up against a tidal wafture of calls from obscure numbers . It also might make it easier to claim that you miss a call if , say , you involve an apology for failing to repay one . ( Oops ! ) But because the filter silences all unknown caller , having the feature enabled means you could also miss an of import call from work or your physician ’s spot , assuming those numbers are n’t saved in your phone . I latterly missed a call from my important other , for representative , who called from an unsaved office phone .

Photo: Alex Cranz (Gizmodo)

Both of us place deliverance orders and were mortified to learn that we were not being advise of text or call follow through from our couriers , leave those livery workers in the pitching when they need to progress to us . Alex remark her deliverance mortal tried contacting her from their personal sound routine , and the birdsong were immediately routed to voicemail .

The society through which my delivery was post , Shipt , says it masks routine to protect the security of both its shoppers and customer . This intimate both secret number and those on a regular basis used by service like Shipt or FreshDirect are subject to the rerouting .

Apple declined to remark .

Screenshot: Gizmodo

Screenshot: Gizmodo

All in all , it ’s a in effect and welcome characteristic given the present scourge of bot and junk e-mail calls . It ’s not the only one though . Most newsboy in the U.S. now have some kind ofspam - block feature , which typically blocks numbers from know spammers and nothing else . Apple ’s solution is a niggling more severe , but potentially useful if you ’re harassed by thebillions of junk e-mail callsplaced to U.S. number every year .

We ’d like to know whether you ’ve enable this feature and have sex it for cream away spam and robo - callers or whether you ’ve found it haywire or troublesome . Have you hit any unforeseen snags with the filter wrick on ? have us know down below !

Clarification : After publication , a representative for Shipt told Gizmodo by email that after looking into the issue , it had n’t received any other report of communication issues since iOS 13 went live . Still , if you have this feature film enabled , it ’s a good estimation to keep an eye on your phone if you ’re expecting a call from your rescue courier . Do n’t be like us !

Screenshot: