Mobile
Google Voice Global Spam Filter Ends Unwanted Calls
Are you sick of calls from “Cardholder Services” and other spam phone calls? We’re not talking about the average telemarketer that plays by the rules, but the overnight shops that plague you with false promises and annoys you with robocalls.
If you have Google Voice, you can send these calls, texts and voicemail direct to the Spam folder so you don’t have to deal with them.
The Global Spam filter for phone calls is such a great idea I’m upset that Verizon, Sprint, AT&T and home phone providers haven’t allowed me to tap into this type of service before.
To turn on Global Spam Filtering on your Google Voice number, follow these directions.
- Log into Google Voice
- Click the Settings cog
- Click Voice Settings
- Click the Call tab
- Check next to Global Spam Filtering
From now on, known spam numbers will go straight to the Spam folder. If a number is incorrectly marked, you can click Not Spam, to keep it in your inbox.
In addition to the global spam filter, you can individually filter calls from unwanted numbers. You can block these numbers or mark them as spam.
For this, you have several settings.
- Send to Voicemail – No phones will ring, but the caller can leave you a voicemail.
- Spam – The caller will hear rings and can leave a voicemail, but it all goes to Spam.
- Block Caller – The caller will get a ‘Number not in service’ message.
Here’s a short video from Google Voice, which explains the Block Caller features of the service.