Today, no one will be surprised by answering machines for smartphones , which not only record the caller, but answer calls themselves and communicate with the person who dialed you. Anti-spam services that block calls in the background look much more valuable today, preventing those who initiate them from bothering you in the first place. Such solutions have been around for some time and generally perform quite well. However, there is still room to grow, and developers are trying to do everything possible to surpass the solutions of competitors. This is how the function of blocking spam calls in WhatsApp appeared .
How to block spam calls on Android
Few people know that Sberbank has its own anti-spam service for smartphones . It combines the functions of caller ID, answering machine and unwanted call blocker, which is very helpful because it does not allow advertising or fraudulent calls to pass through, but does not restrict calls from couriers and other socially important services and companies.
You can set up antispam from Sber using the Sberbank Online application:
- Download the latest version of Sberbank Online ;
- Launch the application and open the “Profile” section;
- Scroll to the “Settings” section and select “Security”;
- Open the “Manage incoming calls” tab;
- Click “Connect” and grant the necessary permissions;
- Select Sberbank as default caller ID and antispam.
If your goal is to limit unwanted phone calls , you can stop here and not enable anything else. Sber will automatically block them, so you won’t even know that spammers or scammers were trying to reach you. They won’t even show up in your call list. This is very convenient because you can constantly see notifications about missed calls and numbers highlighted in red whose calls you did not accept.
How to set up Sber answering machine on Android
An additional level of protection from Sber is an answering machine that will independently receive calls. Of course, this will not happen 100% of the time. You can set scenarios yourself, for example, instructing him to answer incoming calls only if you do not answer the phone, or if you are out of network coverage. The answering machine will answer the call , introduce itself and record everything the caller says, and then offer you a transcript of their conversation.
You can enable Sber’s autoresponder in the same settings section as antispam:
- Open the “Manage incoming calls” section;
- Scroll down to the “More for peace of mind” tab;
- Select “Smart Autoresponder” and click “Set up forwarding”;
- After redirecting to the assistant is enabled, go back a step and open the “Scripts” tab;
- Select for whom you want to set up the scenario (courier, organization or contact) and set the format in which the conversation will take place, or the phrase that Salute will have to convey to the caller.
I have not tested all autoresponders without exception, but in my memory only Sber allows you to configure scripts in this way. Moreover, it has a database of almost all organizations and delivery services so that you can assign your script to each specific company that may call you.
For example, I hate listening to VkusVill assemblers explain that something ordered is out of stock. Therefore, I taught Salute a universal phrase: “If a product is not available, replace it with a similar one at your discretion. If a product is nearing its expiration date and has a 40% discount, you can add it to your order.”
How to find out who is calling on WhatsApp and block the call
And now the most important and, it seems, unique thing is blocking calls on WhatsApp and Viber (yes, Sber even supports Viber):
Turn on the necessary blocking and, most importantly, “Calls in messengers”.
- Return to the “Security” section in your profile settings;
- Open the “Manage incoming calls” tab;
- Turn on “Caller ID in messengers”;
- If you want to block calls from unknown numbers, click Block.
Important clarification: blocking sets as unwanted calls from all numbers that are not added to your contact list and with whom you do not have chats. Therefore, you should use the WhatsApp call blocker carefully, since your acquaintances and real people will not be able to reach you if you have not previously written down their number.
How practical is this? Well, I suppose that’s pretty practical. Experience shows that most people today prefer not to speak by voice, even with close friends, choosing to correspond. Therefore, the very fact that Sber will block incoming calls on WhatsApp from potentially unknown users, even if they are not spammers, generally makes sense.
