How to Turn Off iPhone Call Screening: Stop Blocking Important Calls in iOS 26

iPhone’s call screening feature automatically filters unknown calls, but recent iOS 26 updates have changed how this works—and many users don’t realize they’ve enabled settings that silence calls from job recruiters, doctors, and other important contacts. Here’s exactly how to regain control of your incoming calls.

What is iPhone Call Screening?

Call Screening is iPhone’s built-in privacy feature that helps manage incoming calls from unknown numbers. In iOS 26 (released September 15, 2025), Apple consolidated this into a single ‘Screen Unknown Callers’ setting with three options: Never (calls ring normally), Ask Reason for Calling (the phone automatically answers and asks the caller to identify themselves before your phone rings, showing you a transcript), or Silence (sends unknown calls to voicemail without ringing).

If you’re using an older iPhone with iOS 13-25, you have ‘Silence Unknown Callers’—a simpler toggle that silences calls from unsaved numbers. This feature is designed to reduce spam and unwanted interruptions, but it can accidentally block legitimate calls you actually want to receive.

[Current as of: iOS 26 - September 2025]

Why Use Call Screening?

• Reduces spam calls: Automatically filters out unsolicited marketing and scam calls
• Quieter phone experience: Stops your device ringing for unknown callers, letting you check messages at your own pace
• Saves time with Call Screening transcripts (iOS 26): The ‘Ask Reason for Calling’ option shows you a transcript of why someone is calling before you answer—perfect for screening important calls
• Maintains access to saved contacts: Calls from people in your contacts always ring through normally, regardless of settings

Things to Consider Before Enabling Call Screening

• You might miss important calls: Doctors, recruiters, insurance companies, and other legitimate callers may go straight to voicemail if they’re not in your contacts
• Language and regional limitations: Voicemail transcription (which converts voicemail audio to text) only works in English (US and Canadian English), and requires Siri to be set to ‘English (United States)’ on your phone. Call Screening itself is available in 20+ countries, but with varying language support—it’s not available in some EU countries like Italy
• Carrier and device requirements: Some features require an active internet connection and certain carriers. Live Voicemail (which shows transcripts in real-time during calls) is not available in all regions

How to Control Call Screening on iOS 26 and Older Versions

For iOS 26 users (September 2025 and later):

1. Open the Settings app on your home screen (the grey gear icon)

2. Scroll down and tap Apps, then select Phone

3. Tap Screen Unknown Callers (it’s in the Phone settings, near the top of the Calls section)

4. Choose your preference from the dropdown:

   • Never: Calls from unknown numbers ring your phone normally
   • Ask Reason for Calling: iPhone answers automatically, asks who’s calling and why, then shows you a transcript before ringing
   • Silence: Unknown calls go straight to voicemail without ringing

   Select Never if you want to turn off all call screening features

5. Exit Settings. Your changes take effect immediately—test by having someone call from an unfamiliar number

For iOS 13-25 users (older iPhones):

1. Open Settings and scroll down to tap Phone

2. Tap Call Screening (or Silence Unknown Callers depending on your iOS version)

3. Toggle the switch to OFF (it will turn white/grey instead of green)

4. Exit Settings and test with a call from an unknown number—it should ring immediately

Pro tip: Your saved contacts always bypass call screening regardless of your settings, so emergency contacts and frequently-called numbers will always ring through. If you call emergency services (911 in the US, 999 in the UK), Call Screening automatically disables for 24 hours to ensure emergency responders can reach you.

Whether you’re using iOS 26’s new unified Screen Unknown Callers feature or an older version with Silence Unknown Callers, controlling this setting takes less than a minute. If you’re missing important calls, setting Call Screening to ‘Never’ (iOS 26) or toggling it OFF (older versions) ensures your phone rings normally for all incoming calls—while you can still manually silence annoying callers when needed.