How to Only Allow Calls From Contacts on an iPhone

Lee Stanton January 4, 2023

Have you ever received a phone call from a number you didn’t recognize, only to be greeted by a sales pitch or worse? If you’re looking for a way to reduce the number of unwanted calls you receive, you can change your iPhone’s settings to only allow calls from your contacts.

How to Only Allow Calls From Contacts on an iPhone

In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to go about it.

How to Only Allow Calls From Contacts on iPhone

Most people are aware that you can block individual callers on your iPhone. This is known as blacklisting, and it essentially means that you agree to receive calls from everyone except a few specific individuals.

But what do you do if you receive a high volume of calls from unfamiliar numbers? You will quickly get sick and tired of hitting the block button for one caller, only to be ambushed by another ring from yet another unknown number moments later.

“But is it that bad?” you might ask.

In 2019, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released a report detailing the prevalence of scam phone calls in the United States. The report found that 44.6% of all mobile phone calls would be scams by the end of the year. And judging by the trend in the past few years, it’s safe to assume the percentage of scam phone calls today is much higher than that.

It’s true that not every unknown caller is a scammer. Some may be people you actually know but don’t want to talk to. Others could be people you’ve met in the past but who have since drifted outside your circle. But too many calls can be a huge distraction. There’s no surefire way to tell if an unknown caller is someone worth talking to.

Fortunately, there is a way to put an end to this harassment. By taking advantage of the call-blocking features built into your iPhone’s operating system, you can effectively block all unknown numbers from calling you. This will stop the endless stream of calls from unknown numbers and give you some much-needed peace and quiet.

The Do Not Disturb Mode on iPhone

The Do Not Disturb mode on iPhone is a great way to prevent yourself from being disturbed by notifications, phone calls, and messages when you don’t want to be. You can schedule Do Not Disturb mode to turn on and off automatically, or you can turn it on manually whenever you need it.

Perhaps the most important feature of this setting is that it has an “Allow Calls From” section where you can specify the people you don’t want to block. It’s essentially a Do Not Disturb exemption list. You can direct your phone to only allow calls from certain people, or all your contacts.

Here’s how it works.

Open the “Settings” app on your iPhone.
Scroll down the settings menu and tap “Do Not Disturb.”
Tap “Allow Calls From” and select “All Contacts” from the options listed.
If you want to filter unknown callers 24/7, tap the “Always” button under the Do Not Disturb menu. Otherwise, tap the “Scheduled” button when you want to block unknown callers only within a specified period of the day.

When the Do Not Disturb mode is turned on, all unknown incoming calls will go straight to voicemail and you won’t receive any notifications or messages. This is a great way to make sure you’re not interrupted when you’re trying to focus on something important or when you’re trying to get some rest.

You can still use your iPhone while this setting is turned on, but it’s a good way to make sure you’re not disturbed by anything that isn’t absolutely necessary.

The Silence Unknown Callers Feature in iOS 13

If your iPhone is running on iOS 13, you’re in luck.

The new Silence Unknown Callers feature in iOS 13 is a great way to block unwanted calls and protect your privacy. When activated, all calls from numbers not stored in your contacts will be sent straight to voicemail. That way, you’ll never have to worry about picking up a call from a telemarketer or some other unwanted caller.

Here’s how to activate this setting.

Open the “Settings” app on your iPhone and select “Phone” from the menu.
Scroll down and toggle the switch next to “Silence Unknown Callers” to the “ON” position.

With Silence Unknown Callers, you can have the best of both worlds: the ability to screen calls but without missing any that are actually important. You’ll still receive a silent notification that you missed a call, but you won’t be bothered by the actual call itself.

Only Accept Calls You’ve Approved Ahead of Time

If you’re tired of getting bothered by unknown callers, you can take steps to block them using the built-in tools on your iPhone. This will help you stay connected with the people who matter most without having to worry about unknown callers or spammy telemarketers.

Have you tried using these tips to block calls on your iPhone? Let us know in the comments section below.