How to Use iOS 27 Call Screening to Stop Unknown and Spam Calls on iPhone

On an iPhone running the current iOS 27 interface, go to Settings → Apps → Phone → Screen Unknown Callers, then choose Ask Reason for Calling.

When an unsaved number calls, Call Screening answers without interrupting you and asks the caller for their name and reason for calling. Your iPhone then rings and shows the caller’s response so you can decide whether to answer.

If you want unknown numbers sent straight to voicemail instead, choose Silence. Choose Never to turn Call Screening off.

Apple introduced Call Screening with iOS 26. The feature remains part of the Phone experience in iOS 27, and Apple’s current iPhone guide still documents the same three choices: Never, Ask Reason for Calling and Silence.

That distinction matters because many people are now searching for “iOS 27 Call Screening” after updating their phones. The feature is not a brand-new iOS 27 invention, but the settings path and behavior described here are verified against Apple’s current iOS 27 documentation.

Apple also notes that features can vary by iPhone model, region, language and carrier. If the exact option does not appear on your device, use the troubleshooting section below instead of assuming the menu has simply moved.

The two options solve different problems.

Call Screening with Ask Reason for Calling is designed to preserve useful unknown calls. A delivery driver, doctor’s office, school, recruiter, repair service or new client can identify themselves before you decide whether to answer.

Silence is more aggressive. Unsaved numbers do not ring and go to voicemail. This is useful if nearly all of your important callers are already in Contacts, but it can also hide legitimate first-time calls.

For most people, Ask Reason for Calling is the better default because it reduces interruption without automatically treating every unknown caller as unwanted.

One reason iPhone call settings are confusing is that Apple separates screening, filtering and spam handling.

Screening decides what happens before an unknown call rings. Filtering changes where unknown calls appear in your Phone app. Spam filtering uses carrier identification to silence calls identified as potential spam or fraud.

To enable the additional filters:

1. Go to Settings → Apps → Phone.
2. Scroll to Call Filtering.
3. Turn on Unknown Callers if you want unknown calls moved out of the main Recents view.
4. Turn on Spam if available to silence calls your carrier identifies as potential spam or fraud.

Apple says filtered unknown calls move to an Unknown Callers list, while carrier-identified spam can be silenced, sent to voicemail and moved to a separate Spam list.

If you think a legitimate call disappeared from your normal call history, open the Phone app and use the Filter button.

• With Apple’s Unified Phone layout, open Calls, then tap the Filter button.
• With the Classic layout, open Recents, then tap the Filter button.
• Choose Unknown Callers or Spam.

This is important if you use aggressive filtering. A screened or filtered call may still exist; it is simply organized outside the main list.

Apple’s current Call Screening instructions do not list Apple Intelligence as a requirement for the basic Screen Unknown Callers feature. In Apple’s Phone documentation, Call Screening is described separately from Apple Intelligence-specific features such as certain voicemail suggestions and Call Context capabilities.

That said, Apple repeatedly notes that software features can vary by model, language, region and carrier. The safest test is the settings path itself: if Settings → Apps → Phone → Screen Unknown Callers is present, your device exposes the feature.

No. Call Screening is a triage tool, not a guarantee that a caller is legitimate.

A scammer can still provide a believable name or reason. The feature is most useful because it forces unknown callers to provide context before they interrupt you. Carrier spam identification adds another layer, but caller ID can still be spoofed and fraudsters can impersonate real organizations.

For banking, account-security, government or payment requests, do not rely on the caller’s explanation alone. End the call and use an official number from the organization’s website, app, bank card or statement if you need to verify the request.

1. Confirm your iOS version. Install the current stable iOS update available for your device.
2. Use the current settings path. Look under Settings → Apps → Phone rather than searching older tutorials that use pre-iOS-18 menu layouts.
3. Check whether you are roaming. Apple says calls are not screened while roaming.
4. Restart the iPhone. This is a reasonable first step after an update or settings migration.
5. Check region, language and carrier availability. Apple says some software features vary by these factors.
6. Do not confuse Call Screening with Spam or Unknown Callers filtering. Those controls live in the same general Phone settings area but perform different jobs.

If your iPhone has other post-update behavior problems, DPB’s iOS 27 touchscreen troubleshooting guide covers a separate issue without mixing it into call settings.