Re: Need Info on spam blocking app for cell phones

<sam@invalid.com> wrote:

What is the app many people have on their cell phones that requires a
caller to tap in two numbers in order to have the other party answer?

You sure you aren't asking about call screening which is a feature of
the telco/cellular service provider?

You didn't mention which phone app you use, or which phone you have.

https://support.google.com/phoneapp/answer/9118387?hl=en
https://www.zdnet.com/article/how-to-screen-calls-on-your-android-phone-and-stop-the-spam-deluge/

That's discussing Google's Phone app, but we don't know if you're using
a Google phone, or something else but installed Google's Phone app.

I don't have a Google phone nor use Google's Phone app.  I do use Google
Voice to call all my phones when callers call my published phone number.
Google Voice lets me screen calls.  If the caller is no in my Contacts,
they are prompted to say their name to announce who they are.  When my
phone rings, I can hear what they said, and press 1 to accept the call,
or decline or let it go to voicemail.  This setup has *me* decide when
my phone rings for a non-contact caller.  An unknown caller doesn't get
to decide if and when my phone rings.  Google Voice has spam filtering.
I rarely get spam calls.  I mostly get wrong-number callers, but often
they hear the call screen prompt to leave their name and then they
leave, or they get moved to voicemail, hear the outgoing message, and
hang up without even saying Sorry.

Other than your carrier providing a call screening option, and perhaps
with spam filtering, looks like you'd be looking at alternate
phone/dialer apps since those are what pickup the call on your phone.
There's Google's at:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.dialer