Hiya Spam Blocker identifies and blocks calls based on each number's reputation, and a few can still get through. Here's why:
Spammers spoof and rotate numbers. They fake a new number for almost every call, so a number may not be known as spam the first time it reaches you.
Brand-new spam numbers aren't flagged yet. Once people report a number, Spam Blocker can block it — reporting the calls you get helps it catch them faster.
Withheld or "private" numbers hide their caller ID, so they can't be identified or blocked one by one.
Some blocking features require a Premium subscription. Automatic blocking of certain categories requires a Premium subscription. See What's the difference between free and Premium?.
The rest of this guide shows how to turn on everything that cuts these calls down, so the fewest possible get through.
On iPhone, three things work together to protect you from unwanted calls. Turn on all of them.
Open the iOS Settings app, tap Phone, then tap Call Blocking & Identification.
Turn on every Hiya switch (you'll see up to three). If any are off, blocking and caller ID stop working. If the switches are missing, see "Call Blocking & Identification" toggles missing in iOS Settings.
Open Hiya Spam Blocker, go to the Blocking tab, and under Protection Level set Scam Calls and Nuisance Calls to Block (not Warn me). If Spoofed Calls appears, set it to Block and add your number when asked.
If an unwanted call reaches your phone, add the caller to your block list. See Add, remove, or import numbers on your block list.
For the strongest protection, Premium subscribers can enable Call Screener. It handles unknown and declined calls and unlocks blocking by area code or number prefix. Learn more about Call Screener.
On your Android device, set Hiya Spam Blocker as the app allowed to block calls, then apply the strongest spam blocking settings in the Spam Blocker app.
Set Hiya as your Default Caller ID & spam app so it can block scam and spam calls silently. See How to set up Hiya on Android.
Open Hiya Spam Blocker and go to the Call Blocking screen.
Set Scam Calls and Nuisance Calls to Block (not Warn me). Auto-blocking these categories requires a Premium subscription — see What's the difference between free and Premium?.
Set Private numbers to Block to stop calls that hide their number.
Add unwanted callers and unwanted area codes to your block list. See Add, remove, or import numbers on your block list.
Keep in mind that all callers from blocked area codes will be blocked, even callers that may be legitimate.
Want to block everything except your saved contacts? Turn on Contacts only in Spam Blocker's app settings. This blocks all calls from numbers that aren't in your contacts, so use it only if you're comfortable with that level of protection.
These two settings decide what Spam Blocker does with a flagged call, and picking the wrong one is a common reason calls still ring.
Warn me — the call still rings your phone, but Spam Blocker labels it (for example, "Suspected Spam") so you can decide whether to answer.
Block — Spam Blocker hangs up the call automatically, before your phone rings.
To actually stop unwanted calls rather than just label them, choose Block for each category you want to fully block. For Android devices, blocking Scam Calls and Nuisance Calls requires a Premium subscription; Warn me labeling is available on all versions. iPhone users can choose to block caller categories on the Blocking tab.
You can block one number or a whole range that starts with the same digits (a prefix), which is useful against neighbor-spoofing from your own area code.
On iPhone: open the Blocking tab, tap Block List, then choose Blocked Numbers to add one number, or Prefix Blocking to block a range. Prefix blocking requires that Call Screener is enabled, in order to analyze the phone number before the phone rings.
On Android: open your block list, tap Add, and choose Numbers that start with for a prefix, or add a full number. Turn on Allow contacts through so that your contacts whose numbers match a prefix will still reach you. See Block calls from a specific area code or number prefix.
Spam call still get through after following the above instructions: report each one so Spam Blocker can block it for you and others, and check your setup with Hiya Spam Blocker isn't blocking spam calls — what to check (iPhone) or Hiya Spam Blocker isn't blocking spam calls on Android.
Legitimate calls are being blocked: save the caller to your contacts. On Android, turn on Allow contacts through if you use prefix blocking. Update category blocking to Warn me instead of Block if the caller may fit into a blocked category.
Blocked calls still go to voicemail: this is a limitation of your device and apps cannot affect it. See Why blocked calls still go to voicemail for more information.
