Do you want to know how to silence unknown callers on iPhone without blocking the number? The iPhone's Call Screening features are a great way to avoid robocalls without having to keep your iPhone on silent. Additionally, it can also keep you from having to answer strangers by directing them to your voicemail. That way, if they need to speak with you, they can leave a voicemail and you can decide whether to call them back later.

Why You'll Love This Tip

Avoid and block spam calls and telemarketers by enabling the Silence Unknown Callers feature.
Ward off calls from random numbers or people you don't know by having them immediately directed to voicemail.
Dodge calls from strangers without blocking them completely.

Silence Unknown Callers on iPhone

System Requirements

This tip was performed on an iPhone 15 Pro running iOS 26.1. Find out how to update to the latest version of iOS.

Finding this setting is simple, but it's easy to miss if you've never done it before. For more hidden iPhone tips and tricks, be sure to sign up for our free Tip of the Day newsletter. Now, here's how to enable Silence Unknown Callers on your iPhone:

Open the Settings app, and tap Apps.
Select Phone in the app list (or use the search bar).
Under Screen Unknown Callers, select either Ask Reason for Calling or Silence.
If your carrier supports it, you can also use Call Filtering. If you tap the toggle next to Unknown Callers, calls from unknown numbers will be filtered into a separate list.

That's how to stop unknown calls on iPhone. Now, instead of being interrupted by calls from unknown numbers, your iPhone will direct those calls to your voicemail for you to review later. If you want to know how to unsilence unknown numbers, simply follow the steps above again, but this time select Never to enable unknown callers on your iPhone. As a side note, if you have a contact who is no longer responding, you can also check these lesser-known signs to know if you're blocked on iPhone.