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Last night I got a telemarketing call on my Verizon Droid X. I was horrified, to say the least. I absolutely do NOT want telemarketers wasting my time and minutes with their B.S.

I looked into screening blocking calls through Verizon, but it seems Verizon only lets you block a total of FIVE numbers. I think this is unacceptable.

I went to the app store and there are a number of such applications available. From reviews and comments it's really hard to choose.

Is there a way to solve this problem? An app? A procedure? Something within the phone itself?

I'm using the soak release of Gingerbread, 2.3.3. I don't care about price. I just want something that is fast and effective.

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    Not an answer, but are you on the Do Not Call list? I hear it's effective in the US, as opposed to Canada where telemarketers use it as a phonebook.
    – Matthew Read
    Jun 2, 2011 at 14:57

5 Answers 5

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I don't use an app.

What I do is have a "Spammer" record in my Contacts. Whenever I receive a telemarketing call, I add that phone number to the Spammer contact.

I give out my Google Voice number exclusively. Within GV I have that contact blocked, so any calls from one of those numbers receives the "ding-ding-ding This number is not in service" message.

In those rare cases where the call is to my actual cell phone number, it quite obviously displays "Spammer" on the screen and I simply slide to ignore the call.

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  • That's pretty clever.
    – Matthew Read
    Jun 2, 2011 at 18:14
  • How about for SMS?
    – Robusto
    Jun 2, 2011 at 18:44
  • I don't do much SMS so can't really speak to that. GV blocks those, too.
    – ale
    Jun 2, 2011 at 20:33
  • This was my approach, but instead of using my Google Voice number to dump the calls, I just checked the "All calls to voicemail" for the contact (I have this option on ICS - not sure if earlier versions have it). Occasionally, a call will still slip through without immediately going to voicemail, but I can still see the caller is "Phone Spam" and ignore it.
    – Neal S.
    Jul 12, 2012 at 16:49
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If you are in the US, I would highly recommend getting a Google Voice number. Anytime a form asks for your phone number, give it your Google Voice number instead of your real phone number. This way you can screen calls or block calls inside of Google Voice, along with other benefits such as transcribing your voicemails and unlimited texting.

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  • Does this prevent callers who dial your cell # from a brute-force call center (i.e. dialing all possible number combinations one by one, incrementing digits)?
    – Robusto
    Jun 2, 2011 at 18:46
  • @Robusto: No. Do place your phone number on the do-not-call registry, though.
    – Daenyth
    Jun 2, 2011 at 19:08
  • If you use google voice as your voicemail provider, you can make it screen your calls by number. You make a contact for the # then under the settings for that contact you turn on call screening options.
    – Greg
    Jun 2, 2011 at 21:04
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Root Call Blocker seems to fit the bill perfectly. As the name implies though, it requires the handset to be rooted. I use it personally and so far it's been doing its job well.

There are plenty of alternatives on the Market for you to try.

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  • Thank you. I checked it out, but couldn't tell from the information whether it will work on Droid X (Gingerbread).
    – Robusto
    Jun 2, 2011 at 18:45
  • I would try contacting the developer and asking if it's compatible with your handset and OS version: fahrbotmobile.blogspot.com
    – Chahk
    Jun 2, 2011 at 18:57
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I would recommend two apps. Call Blocker, which works really fine and blocks calls as well as inconvenient text messages, and Tasker -- a very powerful tool that does a lot of things besides blocking undesired calls.

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A new app in the Play Store: WhoAreYou

Completely FREE Visual Caller ID, Call Blocker, and Text Blocker. Know exactly who is calling or texting you - even when they’re not in your address book. WhoAreYou is a completely FREE visual Caller ID, Call Blocker, and Text Blocker.

  • See a name, visual picture, city and state on almost every call and text.
  • Use it as a call filter and call blocker to effortlessly block calls from telemarketers, spammers, and ex’s from ringing your phone.
  • Also use it as a text filter and text blocker to get rid of those unwanted, annoying text messages. Block SMS / TXT messages with ease!
  • Reverse lookup any number in the US or Canada

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