Is Verizon Call Filter Worth It

This is something of an "on one hand, on the other manus" story. I'chiliad going to start by heaping faint praise on Verizon, but I'll end past scolding them. Are you surprised? Of course not.

We all get spam calls, scam calls, and robocalls. According to the US Federal Merchandise Commission Report on Robocalls CG Docket No. 17-59 , nearly half of all calls fabricated to cell phones in 2019 will be robocalls. Additionally, there are human-driven spam and scam calls that will add to that call volume.

Also: Scam alarm: Identifying and blocking "Google" robocall spam

Terminal year, I decided to wait into one of the more common spam calls I regularly got: The "your local Google representative" calls. I reached out to Google and was told that Google does not robocall. I later wrote about a bunch of means you can report calls you consider spam.

Only what if you just plain don't desire your phone to ring? At that place are a agglomeration of third-party addition apps that work past phone call forwarding all your calls to their service, and they then forward what they consider legitimate calls back to you. Information technology'due south a hack, and according to my former ZDNet buddy Zack Whittaker, who's now writing for TechCrunch, they're stealing your data and sending information technology on to marketing companies without your permission.

In other words, while they're blocking some calls, many of these services are harvesting your data to sell so you get more than calls. Lovely, correct?

The carrier-based solution

There is, however, one solution worth considering. The telephone call-blocking or call-filtering service offered by your phone's carrier. I use Verizon, so in this article, I'thousand going to talk about Verizon's service. If you utilise another carrier's service, delight study on your experiences in the comments department at the cease of this article.

I'thousand willing to apply a carrier-based service where I'thou not willing to use a third-party service for one simple reason: my carrier knows everything, anyhow. Since all my calls go through Verizon, either they're going to protect my privacy, or they're not. At that place's nothing I can practise about it. So I might as well avail myself of an boosted service from them that tin can brand my life easier.

Verizon offers a call filtering service. It'southward a little difficult to find at the bottom of the My Verizon folio, just it'due south there. For convenience, here'south the link for you to follow without doing any digging.

Verizon offers two versions of their Phone call Filter service, a free option and i where you pay iii bucks a month, or viii dollars for upwardly to three lines. I signed up for the free service considering it offended me to be asked to pay for an improver service that should be provided for free.

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After all, if Verizon has the technology to cake spam calls, letting them become through is not simply annoying to their customers but plush to every telecommunications partner in the phone call chain. Verizon is actively withholding a skillful public service merely for an actress three bucks a month. Seems heinous to me (yes, I said "heinous," because information technology really does grind my grits).

In whatever case, I enabled the free service, which works relatively well.

To go the process started, you'll need to download an app from the App Store. For iPhones, Verizon provides a download link.

For Android phones, Verizon claims the app is generally pre-installed. I went looking on the Google Play Shop for a Verizon Call Filter app and did not find one. I recommend yous cheque with Verizon directly. Given Zack'due south warning about scammers, don't merely download an app that looks like it'll do the job. Check specifically with Verizon support to get the right matter for your Android phone.

How well does it work?

At its best, a notification (you tin can silence it via a setting in the app) appears on my home screen letting me know that a phone call has been blocked.

I get relatively few of these, simply anytime Verizon blocks a call I don't need to have, I consider it a small win.

More oft than not, though, I get calls that band through, but are listed as "Potential Spam." These I silence past pressing one of the volume control buttons on my phone, figuring that if it's important the caller will go out a voicemail.

As the screenshot on the right shows, over the form of a specially quiet five-day period, almost a 3rd of my calls were caught equally potential spam, another tertiary of the calls got through (and were spam), and I had two legitimate calls.

The results aren't every bit skillful as I'd like. I'd prefer never to get a ring from Potential Spam calls. I'd also prefer Verizon blocked the other spam calls that it's missing. I practice wonder whether I'd get ameliorate results if I paid the three bucks a month, simply darn it, you have to make a stand somewhere, and I can't bring myself to reward Verizon with actress cash for doing something they should be doing anyway.

In whatever instance, enabling costless service seems to be a no brainer. Information technology helps. It's piece of cake. It's gratuitous. I recommend yous do it today.

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