Using filtering algorithms and users’ spam feedback, Google Voice now intercepts and redirects known numbers directly to your spam folder. Starting today, Google Voice users will have access to settings that will allow them to automatically send calls, texts, and voicemails from any of the numbers in Google’s database out of sight and out of mind.
Beforehand, Google Voice gave users the option to use the “Report Spam” button within the Google Voice web app to thwart annoying telemarketers and ex-boyfriends, much like the Report Spam button in Gmail. This data was used for the Google Voice Spam filters project and now, similar to Gmail’s Spam filter options, Google Voice users can set annoying numbers for filtering.
So that friend’s friend of a friend who keeps calling you for your sweet ganja hook up from 2 years ago? As long as you gave him your Google Voice number, you can eliminate him from your telecom based life forever all within Google Voice.
To enable this feature, click the Calls tab of Google Voice settings (on the web app) by checking the very last option box marked Global Spam filtering (see picture below). If a number ends up incorrectly marked as spam, you can easily unblock it by selecting the message and clicking the “Not Spam” button in your spam folder.
Google’s Alexander Rybak, a Software Engineering Intern comments: With your continued help marking spammy numbers (and correcting mis-labeled spam), we can continue to refine our filter and prevent annoying unwanted calls from making it to other Google Voice users.
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This is yet another reason to start using Google Voice.
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