iOS 13 will let you automatically block spam calls and unknown numbers

With its iOS 13 update earlier this week, Apple introduced a bunch of privacy-focused features, including ‘Sign In with Apple‘ and limited location tracking. But I’m particularly excited about one that didn’t get much time in the spotlight during the WWDC keynote: the ability to filter out calls from numbers you don’t recognize.

Here’s what Apple has to say about the new feature on its iOS 13 page:

A new setting protects users from unknown and spam callers. When the setting is turned on, iOS uses Siri intelligence to allow calls to ring your phone from numbers in Contacts, Mail, and Messages. All other calls are automatically sent to voicemail.

Last year, Apple introduced the ability to report spam messages and calls through a third-party extension with iOS 12. As a result of that, India’s telco regulator released a much-awaited DND app last November.

Earlier, popular apps like Truecaller came to iOS users’ rescue when it came to identifying spam calls. However, there was no automatic ‘silencing’ of calls.

According to YouMail, a robocall blocking service, Americans received a whopping 4.9 billion robocalls just last month. In May, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) proposed to block robocalls by default. While that implementation may take some time, iOS 13’s new feature can help you avoid these annoying calls