Phone, Messages, and FaceTime
Silence Unknown Callers
Most people call this sending calls from strangers straight to voicemail.
Calls from numbers not in your contacts, recent outgoing calls or Siri suggestions are silenced and sent to voicemail.
This setting is present on your iPhone.
- We have this path on file but have not yet confirmed it against an official source.
Where to find it - iOS 18 and later
- Settings
- Apps
- Phone
- Silence Unknown Callers
What it does
The phone does not ring. The call appears in Recents and any voicemail is delivered normally. Emergency callbacks are still allowed through for a period after you call emergency services.
What changes
When it is on
Unknown numbers go to voicemail silently.
When it is off
Every call rings.
Should you turn it on?
Good reasons to turn it on
- Nuisance and scam calls stop interrupting you.
- Genuine callers can still leave a voicemail.
- Emergency callbacks still work.
Good reasons to turn it off
- A delivery driver, doctor or new contact will be silenced.
- You will miss calls you were waiting for from an unknown number.
Battery
No real change
Privacy
Helps
Performance
No real change
Cellular data
No real change
Storage
No real change
Out of the box: Off.
Worth reading first
What your iPhone needs
- Needs iOS 13 or later
Where this setting used to live
Apple moves settings between releases. This is every location we have on file.
-
iOS 18 and later
Settings > Apps > Phone > Silence Unknown Callers
-
iOS 13 to iOS 17
Settings > Phone > Silence Unknown Callers
Questions people actually ask
- How do I stop spam calls on my iPhone?
- Turn on Silence Unknown Callers under Settings, then Apps, then Phone. Calls from strangers go to voicemail.
- Will I miss important calls?
- Yes, if they come from a number not in your contacts. They will leave voicemail and appear in Recents.
If it is not working
- Add anyone you expect to hear from to Contacts first.
- Check Recents regularly, because silenced calls still appear there.
- Live Voicemail and Call Screening are gentler alternatives on supported models.