Call centers and spam calls are one of the curses of our modern times, turning the magical device that connects us with friends and family into a burden. While I have nothing against people trying to sell something over the phone, I personally know individuals who have been scammed through such calls.
Normally, I avoid answering unknown numbers, but since I’m currently job hunting, I have to pick up every call. For the first time in a while, I found myself envying an Android feature (though I’m not sure if all Android phones have it). A few days ago, I watched my girlfriend’s Android phone screen turn red as a suspected spam call came through.
I’m aware that there are third-party iOS apps that offer similar functionality, but it’s not the same. Firstly, these apps suffer from the same problem that new social networks do: they only work effectively if most people use them, a phenomenon known as the network effect. Secondly, many of these apps are subscription-based, and while I wouldn’t mind paying if they actually worked well, their effectiveness is often questionable. Lastly, there’s the issue of privacy. For these apps to function, they need to scan every call I receive. What happens to the data from my call logs?
Apple Could Be the Solution
Apple should seriously consider embedding a spam screening feature directly into the Phone app. There are several compelling reasons for this:
With Apple holding 40-80 percent of the phone market in the U.S. and Europe, enabling this feature by default would immediately solve the network effect issue, benefiting millions of users.
A system-level integration, either as a free feature or as part of an iCloud+ subscription, could attract new customers and reduce user churn. It would be a seamless addition that enhances the overall user experience.
Moreover, being developed by Apple—a company that prides itself on its commitment to user privacy—such a feature could be designed to protect user data without compromising privacy. Since Apple already handles caller information, it could implement spam filtering without collecting additional data, ensuring user trust.
By introducing this functionality, Apple could tackle a widespread issue, potentially putting a significant dent in the spam call industry and offering a much-needed solution to its user base.
How Should It Work
The year 2024 is all about AI, but I believe this feature could be implemented without relying heavily on machine learning. Spam calls have several recognizable characteristics:
- The caller is not in my address book.
- Spam calls typically last only a few seconds, just long enough for me to hang up.
- Sometimes, when you answer, there’s either silence or a robotic voice.
- Spammers call persistently, so many iPhone users might receive calls from the same number within a short time span.
We already have effective spam detection systems for emails—especially with large providers like Google’s Gmail—so I don’t see why a similar approach couldn't be applied to iOS.
Architecture
An on-device algorithm could be developed to detect suspected spam calls. If a call is flagged, the device would report the number, the timestamp of the call (for server-side frequency analysis), and a few other details to Apple—but not the user’s phone number. If the system is uncertain whether a call is spam (a rare occurrence once the feature matures beyond beta), a simple yes/no prompt could be displayed to the user.
The feature’s behavior could be customized through the Settings app. Users would have the option to:
- Decide whether to see the call.
- Choose whether the phone should ring (potentially integrating with the Focus mode feature).
- Automatically reject suspected spam calls.
- Receive a notification when a number is reported.
Users could also manually flag numbers as spam or mark false positives (which would be useful for whitelisting legitimate numbers, such as those from hospitals). This functionality could be added to the “Recent Calls” view in the Phone app.
This straightforward system could significantly reduce the number of spam calls users receive, leveraging existing technology and Apple’s commitment to privacy and user experience.
Conclusion
While I’m unsure how this feature would impact legitimate salespeople who rely on phone calls, I believe Apple should implement an effective, privacy-conscious spam filtering feature—especially considering that competitors have already integrated similar capabilities into Android. Such a feature would not only reinforce Apple’s reputation for prioritizing privacy and security but, more importantly, would free users from unwanted calls, making it a joy to receive phone calls again.