Latest news with #CallScreening
Phone Arena
12-06-2025
- Phone Arena
iOS 26 takes the fight to voicemail spam – one report at a time
iOS 26 brings some useful updates to its Phone app, including two notable features, Hold Assist and Call Screening. Alongside the new design, there are plenty of little updates here and there that Apple didn't talk about during the WWDC 2025 keynote. One of those is a new feature to the Phone app which allows you to flag spam voicemails. There's a new "Report Spam" button when you tap into a voicemail from an unknown number in iOS 26 . If it was a spam call, you can report it from there. When you tap this option, the voicemail is sent to Apple, and you can either report the message as spam and keep it or report it and delete it. It is not clear what Apple does with the spam voicemails once they've been reported. However, the company has a similar reporting process for spam messages, and it's been around for quite some time now. It's possible that these reported spam messages are used for building the spam filtering functionality that iOS 26 adds. Just like with iMessage, if you report a voicemail as spam, the sender doesn't automatically get blocked. You need to block them separately if you wish to do that. The new report spam for voicemails. | Image Credit – MacRumors Apple has been putting effort into making features that cut out spammers from your life as much as possible. The new Call Screening feature in iOS 26 works on calls that are not coming from your contact and then asks the caller for more information before forwarding the call to you. Meanwhile, the Messages app also has refined spam reporting capabilities with the new OS update. The messages detected as spam are sent to a specific Spam folder, which is now different from the Unknown Senders folder. Now, messages from people who aren't in your contact list (including two-factor authentication messages) go to Unknown Senders, and scam messages go to the spam folder. Understandably, if you see a spam message that didn't get categorized properly, you can tap on the "Report Spam" option. Both these categories (spam messages and messages from unknown senders) are silenced, so they won't bother you with a notification. You'll only see a badge at the top of the Messages app. These features can be disabled from Settings, then Messages, if you wish to do so, but I'd recommend you leave them on. For now, there's no automatic filtering of spam voicemails thought. But by how things are looking, Apple could use the reported voicemails for such a filtering option in the future. iOS 26 is now in developer beta and will launch officially in the fall. If you wish to try it out beforehand, you can do so when the public beta launches in July as well. I find these new anti-spam features very useful. There are periods when my iPhone receives a lot of scammy and spammy messages, so the filtering is great and needed. Although I don't get a lot of spam voicemails (thankfully), I'm still glad we'll be able to report those as well.
TechCrunch
11-06-2025
- TechCrunch
All of the new features coming to Apple's iOS apps
At WWDC 2025 on Monday, Apple unveiled a series of new features that will launch with iOS 26 this fall across its apps. These include significant updates like Call Screening, more travel-friendly features in Wallet, and highly-requested group chat features in Messages. Some of these updates include Apple Intelligence, like Live Translation. Others, like Apple bringing back tabs in the Photos app, just make devices a bit easier to use. We'll update this post as new features come out. Phone Call Screening lets you determine what a call is about before picking it up. When you get a call from an unknown number, Call Screening will automatically answer silently in the background. When the caller shares their name and the reason for their call, the iPhone will ring, and you can view their response before deciding whether to pick up or ignore it. Image Credits:Apple Hold Assist will detect hold music and stay on the line for you until a live agent is available, and Live Translation will translate conversations on the fly. Your words will be translated as you talk, and the translation is spoken out loud via an AI voice for the call recipient. As the person you're speaking to responds in their own language, you'll hear a spoken translation of their voice. Messages Members in groups chat on Messages can now create polls to better plan events and make quick decisions. Apple Intelligence will also detect when a poll might be useful and suggest that users start one. Plus, group chats can now create custom backgrounds for chats and see typing indicators, and you can now request, send, and receive Apple Cash in group chats. Image Credits:Apple The app now also lets you screen messages from unknown senders. Messages from unknown senders will appear in a dedicated folder where you can mark the number as known, ask for more information, or delete the message. Apple notes that these messages will remain silenced until a user accepts them. Live Translation is also coming to Messages. The feature will automatically translate text for you as you type and deliver it in your preferred language. When the person you're texting responds, their message will be translated for you. Techcrunch event Save $200+ on your TechCrunch All Stage pass Build smarter. Scale faster. Connect deeper. Join visionaries from Precursor Ventures, NEA, Index Ventures, Underscore VC, and beyond for a day packed with strategies, workshops, and meaningful connections. Save $200+ on your TechCrunch All Stage pass Build smarter. Scale faster. Connect deeper. Join visionaries from Precursor Ventures, NEA, Index Ventures, Underscore VC, and beyond for a day packed with strategies, workshops, and meaningful connections. Boston, MA | REGISTER NOW Apple Music Apple Music users will get access to a Lyrics Translation feature to help them understand the words in their favorite songs in other languages. A new Lyrics Pronunciation feature will display phonetic lyrics so that listeners can sing along in a different language. Image Credits:Apple The app is also adding an AudioMix feature that will transition from one song to the next using time stretching and beat matching like a DJ to deliver continuous playback. The feature could be seen as a competitor to Spotify's AI DJ feature. Apple is also introducing a karaoke feature that will turn your iPhone into a handheld microphone for Apple TV. The feature will amplify your voice as you belt your favorite songs, as real-time lyrics and visuals appear on the TV screen. You can also pin your favorite music to the top of your Library in Apple Music to allow for easier access. Apple Maps Apple Maps is going to get better at understanding your daily commute. It will now use on-device intelligence to start showing you preferred routes when headed home or to the office. The app will notify you of delays and offer alternative routes, too. Image Credits:Apple Apple Maps is also getting a new Visited Places feature that will help you remember the places you've been. You can choose to have your iPhone detect when you're at a restaurant or shop, and view all of your Visited Places in Maps. Apple notes that Visited Places are protected with end-to-end encryption and that it cannot access them. Apple Wallet Apple Wallet is introducing the ability for people to store a digital version of their passport, called a Digital ID. The tech giant notes that this won't be a replacement for your actual passport, but it can be used in apps that need to verify age and identity, and at supported TSA checkpoints. With REAL ID implementation in effect, Digital ID will give you another way to present an ID in person during domestic travel. Image Credits:Apple In addition, another feature will let you present your driver's license or state ID in Wallet to websites for age and identity verification, starting with Chime, Turo, Uber Eats, and U.S. Bank, as well as the Arizona MVD, Georgia DDS, and Maryland MVA. Apple is also refreshing its boarding pass experience in Wallet. You'll now get real-time updates about flights with Live Activities. You can also share your flight's Live Activities with others so they can remain updated on your travels. Image Credits:Apple You'll now be able to access Maps from your boarding pass in Wallet to navigate to the airport. You can also use Find My to track items and report lost baggage from the boarding pass, and also view key services on an airline's app, such as seat upgrades and standby lists. Apple also announced that Wallet now uses Apple Intelligence to automatically summarize and display order tracking details from emails sent from merchants or delivery carriers. FaceTime Like Phone and Messages, FaceTime will leverage Live Translation to let people communicate with each other in different languages. When you're talking to someone in a different language, FaceTime will display translated captions so that the two of you can understand each other. Image Credits:Apple Photos After receiving significant user backlash for its Photos app redesign in iOS 18, Apple is bringing back a tabbed interface to Photos. In Collections, you'll find your favorites, albums, and the ability to search across your library. The Library tab makes it easier to scroll through recent photos. Image Credits:Apple The Photos app is also able to transform your 2D photos into 3D spatial photos. Camera The iPhone's Camera app will showcase the two capture modes you use most on the main screen: photo and video. To reveal additional modes, like Portrait Mode and Cinematic Mode, you can swipe your finger left or right. Image Credits:Apple To access other settings, such as flash, timer, aperture, and more, you'll now swipe up from the bottom of the screen. You can also change formats with a tap, which can be helpful when switching between HD and 4K resolution or adjusting the frame rate on video. Apple Podcasts Apple Podcasts is getting a new customized playback experience that will allow you to choose speed options, from 0.5x and 3x. The feature will bring listening experience on Apple Podcasts more in line with Spotify, which already lets you choose playback speed for podcasts. Image Credits:Apple Plus, Apple Podcasts is getting an 'Enhance Dialogue' feature that will use audio processing and machine learning to make speech more clear over background sounds. Image Playground Image Credits:Apple Apple is adding a ChatGPT integration to supercharge Image Playground. You'll be able to access new styles, such as vector art or an oil painting. Plus, you'll be able to tap the 'Any Style' option to describe exactly what you want. Image Playground will send the description or photo to ChatGPT to create a unique image.
The Sun
10-06-2025
- The Sun
Sneaky new iPhone trick saves you from bank-emptying phone calls by letting scam-busting ‘robot' answer for you
Sean Keach, Head of Technology and Science Published: Invalid Date, A TIME-SAVING (and wallet-rescuing) new iPhone feature lets a robot "screen" your calls for you. How many times have you answered the phone only to be met with silence, a spammer, or a sinister scammer? Probably too many to count. 7 7 This age-old problem is a nightmare for anyone with a phone – and that's pretty much everyone. So Apple has come up with a solution for iPhone owners called Call Screening. It comes out in the upcoming iOS 26 update, which is expected to land on millions of iPhone models for free in September this year. The feature works like Live Voicemail, a 2024 feature that transcribes voicemails in real time – giving you a chance to answer them. Call Screening will answer the phone for you, and then use a robot voice to speak to the caller automatically. It'll ask the caller for their name and reason for calling – and then relay it to you. You can then view the reply and answer, or ignore the call completely. This means you can easily verify whether a call is worth taking or not. It also prevents scammers from being able to hear your voice and then clone it. Crooks can record you saying certain phrases, and even create AI "fakes" of your voice to use for future scams. iPhone 16e review – I've secretly tested Apple's cheapest mobile and I love the new button but that's not the best bit But this feature puts a stop to that scam, because you no longer have to answer the phone to see if the caller is a crook. The Phone app is also getting a revamp to have a new "unified" layout. This means you can have a combined tab with Favourites, Recents and Voicemail all in one place. The change is optional, so you don't have to accept it if you don't want to. And there's a new Hold Assistant function that will "hold" phone calls for you while you wait for a human to answer – and alert you once the customer service agent actually picks up. IOS 26 SUPPORTED DEVICES – THE FULL LIST Here are the iOS 26 supported devices... iPhone 16e iPhone 16 iPhone 16 Plus iPhone 16 Pro iPhone 16 Pro Max iPhone 15 iPhone 15 Plus iPhone 15 Pro iPhone 15 Pro Max iPhone 14 iPhone 14 Plus iPhone 14 Pro iPhone 14 Pro Max iPhone 13 iPhone 13 mini iPhone 13 Pro iPhone 13 Pro Max iPhone 12 iPhone 12 mini iPhone 12 Pro iPhone 12 Pro Max iPhone 11 iPhone 11 Pro iPhone 11 Pro Max iPhone SE (3rd gen) iPhone SE (2nd gen) Picture Credit: Apple GET THE MESSAGE Apple is also doing some work to clean up your Messages inbox too. After all, scammers and spammers don't just target you over the phone – they'll send you texts too. Thankfully Apple is now making it possible to easily screen texts sent by strangers. Apple explains: "In Messages, users can now screen messages from unknown senders, giving them more control over who appears in their conversation list. 7 "Messages from unknown senders will appear in a dedicated folder where users can then mark the number as known, ask for more information, or delete. "These messages will remain silenced until a user accepts them." To find the menu once you have iOS 26 installed, just tap on the filter icon in the top-right corner of your chat list. Then you'll see an option for Unknown Senders. Tap that and you'll be taken to the dedicated window that lets you choose whether to accept or reject the messages. The Messages app also received a couple of other tweaks. It's now possible to send polls to pals in Messages – just like on WhatsApp. And you can also set custom backgrounds for your chats, and they'll sync with the contacts in those conversations too.
Android Authority
09-06-2025
- Android Authority
Pixel did it first: Call Screening and Hold Assist now come to iPhones
Ryan Haines / Android Authority TL;DR Apple is rolling out 'Call Screening' with iOS 26. Call Screening gathers information from the caller and gives you the details to help you decide whether to answer the call. A 'Hold Assist' feature is also coming. It's not uncommon for Apple to take inspiration from Android. Of course, this happens the other way around as well. The latest instance of this comes in the form of Call Screening with iOS 26. During its WWDC event, Apple revealed that iPhone users will soon get a feature to help them determine if they should answer a call. Called 'Call Screening,' this feature will be a part of iOS 26. As the Cupertino firm explained, Call Screening will gather information from the caller and present those details to you, so you can decide to ignore or answer. If this sounds familiar, it's because Android has had this same feature since the Pixel 3. Call Screening is a pretty handy tool to help you avoid telemarketers and other spam. Despite clearly copying Google here, it's nice to see those on the other side of the aisle finally get a feature they should've had long ago. Along with Call Screening, it looks like iPhone users are also getting a feature called 'Hold Assist.' If an iPhone user is calling a business and is put on hold, they'll now be able to get a notification when a live agent is available. Hold Assist just happens to be another feature Android users have been enjoying for years, called Hold for Me. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
