You can prevent someone from calling you without blocking them completely by using the “Do Not Disturb” mode on your phone. This mode allows you to silence calls and notifications from specific contacts or everyone except your favorites. Another option is to use call forwarding to redirect calls from specific contacts to voicemail or another number. Additionally, some phones offer the ability to schedule when calls are allowed or blocked, giving you more control over when you receive calls.
You can prevent someone from calling you without blocking them by utilizing certain settings and features on your phone. Examples include Airplane Mode and Call Barring, which can effectively prevent calls from specific contacts or all incoming calls. For further guidance, continue reading below.
Table of contents
01. Turning On DND
Enabling Do Not Disturb (DND) mode on your Android or iOS device is an effective method to silence incoming call alerts without blocking anyone. While it silences notifications, including calls, it allows you to see incoming calls on your device’s screen. Below are the steps to activate DND on both Android and iPhone devices:
On Android
Step 1: Pull down from the top of your Android device’s screen to open Quick Settings.
Step 2: Tap on the “Do not disturb” tile to enable DND.
On iPhone
Step 1: On your iPhone, pull down from the top-right corner of the screen to open Control Center. If your iPhone has a Home button, pull up from the bottom of the screen.
Step 2: Long-press on “Do Not Disturb” to open options.
Step 3: Tap on “Do Not Disturb.”
Wait for it to turn on. Once done, you can avoid calls without blocking on your iPhone. If you wish to receive calls or other notifications again, disable Do Not Disturb on your iPhone.
02. Turn off calls from Unkown Callers
Your mobile phone allows you to block calls from anyone not on your contact list. This can help filter spam calls without manually blocking calls from unknown numbers. However, note that you will still receive calls from people on your device’s contact list. Here’s how:
On Android:
Step 1: Open the Phone app and tap on “Keypad.”
Step 2: Then, tap on the three-dot icon and select “Settings.”
Step 3: Scroll down and tap on “Block numbers.”
Step 4: Turn on the toggle for ‘Block calls from unknown numbers’.
On iPhone
Step 1: Open Settings and tap on Phone.
Step 2: Here, tap on Silence Unknown Callers.
Step 3: Turn on the toggle for Silence Unknown Callers.
03. Use Airplane Mode
Once Airplane Mode is enabled, all radio communications on your Android or iOS device are effectively turned off. This should make your phone unreachable to anyone calling. However, you can manually enable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth services, but you won’t be able to use mobile data. When you disable Airplane Mode, all calls will appear normal again.
04. Use Call Barring on Android
Android users can utilize the Call Barring feature available on most devices to block incoming calls, including those received while roaming. This can help stop incoming calls without the need to individually block numbers. Here are the steps to do it:
Tip: iPhone users can utilize third-party apps like Truecaller Assistant to screen spam calls, as there’s no native Call Barring feature available on iOS.
Step 1: Open the Phone app and select Keypad.
Step 2: Tap on the three-dot icon in the top-right corner, then tap on Settings.
Step 3: Here, tap on Supplementary services. Then, tap on Call barring.
Step 4: Tap on Voice calls.
Step 5: Scroll down to the Incoming calls section and turn off the toggle for ‘All incoming calls when roaming’.
05. Set a Different Ringtone
If your current ringtone is too loud or distracting, it can cause disruptions when you’re working. To prevent this, change the ringtone for your incoming calls to something quiet. Once done, your calls will still flash, but they won’t disturb you. Here’s how.
On Android
Step 1: Open the Settings app and tap on Sounds and vibration.
Step 2: Tap on Ringtone.
Step 3: Here, select Silent or any other quieter ringtone if available.
On iPhone
Step 1: Open Settings and tap on Sounds & Haptics.
Step 2: Then, tap on Ringtone.
Step 3: Now, change the ringtone to another, quiet tone.
06. Enable Call Forwarding
While setting up call forwarding on your Android or iPhone won’t stop incoming calls, it will prevent the target device from ringing. This method is useful if you use the device as a secondary phone and only want to receive calls on one device. Calls to the secondary device will be redirected to the designated number, regardless of the number the caller is dialing.
07. Turn the Ringger Off
If you want to be informed about the caller but don’t want to be disturbed by untimely calls, you can turn off the ringer completely. To do this, lower the call volume or set it to silent, and disable vibration during calls on your mobile device. This way, incoming calls will still be indicated visually, but you won’t be notified audibly unless you check your phone. Here’s how to do it:
On Android
Step 1: Open Settings and tap on Sounds and vibration.
Step 2: Here, select Mute.
On iPhone
Step 1: On your iPhone, open the Settings app.
Step 2: Then, tap on Sounds & Haptics.
Step 3: Hold and move this slider all the way to the left. Then, tap on Haptics.
Step 4: Here, select Never Play.
This action will silence the volume for all incoming calls and alerts on your iPhone, ensuring that it doesn’t vibrate when set to silent.
08. Disable Calls through your Provider
To suspend call services for a specific number, contact your service provider and request to suspend calling facilities for that number. This action will prevent your phone from making or receiving calls on the designated number while keeping it active. If the number is not currently in use, you may also opt to temporarily suspend it.
Stop Incoming Calls Without Blocking
Blocking someone is a definitive method to prevent them from contacting you, but it could lead to tensions if the person discovers they’ve been blocked. Therefore, the methods outlined in this article offer alternatives to block calls without directly blocking the caller, potentially mitigating any potential conflicts. We hope this information has been helpful in assisting you with managing unwanted calls effectively.
