AT&T customers now have another way to fight against spam calls.
This week, AT&T revealed a new service that automatically blocks robocalls and identifies other suspicious spam calls for users on a voice and data contract with a smartphone that supports HD Voice.
The free service, Call Protect, comes with a companion mobile app for iOS (free) and Android that lets users setup temporary call blocking and get notifications about what’s been auto-blocked. AT&T’s Call Protect blocks spam calls at the network-level before reaching customer’s phones.
In addition to auto-blocking spam calls, Call Protect can also gives users a warning regarding calls coming from a “suspected spam source,” giving them the option to answer. AT&T customers who are eligible for the service have to opt-in by going to their myAT&T online account or by installing Call Protect on their device.
“Nuisance calls are an industry-wide problem that unfortunately affect many people,” Jeff Bradley, senior VP of Device and Network Services Marketing at AT&T, said in a statement. “We’ve listened to our customers and know they want a network that provides tools to proactively assist in blocking nuisance calls. AT&T Call Protect, along with others, will help put customers more in control of the calls they receive.”
If Call Protect accidentally blocks a wanted call, you can go to the mobile app and whitelist the number. The app also lets you temporarily block numbers for 30 days.
Author: Oscar Raymundo, Staff Writer
Oscar writes about iOS, mobile culture and digital music. He also hosts 'The iPhone Show' from Macworld's San Francisco HQ.