How to stop spam calls on Verizon
Verizon’s spam filter is Call Filter, free on standard monthly and prepaid plans with a compatible phone. Open the Verizon Protect app, go to Services, Call Filter, Manage, tap Spam & category filters, turn on Spam filter and pick which risk levels to block.
Verizon doesn’t promise to catch every spam call, and faked numbers still ring. Vicem is an AI on its own number: it answers the Verizon calls you miss, says it’s an AI, and turns scam callers away.
Updated Checked on October 14, 2026
How do I turn on Verizon Call Filter?
- Check you have it: Call Filter (free) comes with standard monthly and prepaid plans on a compatible phone.Verizon, Avoid unwanted calls with Verizon Call Filter FAQs
- Get the Verizon Protect app. It’s already on most Android phones; otherwise download it from the App Store or Google Play. It needs Android 10 or iOS 16.6 or later.Verizon, Avoid unwanted calls with Verizon Call Filter FAQs
- Open the Verizon Protect app and go to Services, then Call Filter, then Manage.Verizon support, Call Filter: Enable Spam Filter
- Tap Spam & category filters and turn on the Spam filter switch.Verizon support, Call Filter: Enable Spam Filter
- Pick what to block: High risk only, High and medium risk, or All risk levels.Verizon support, Call Filter: Enable Spam Filter
- No app? In the My Verizon app, tap Mobile, Manage devices, Settings & preferences, then Call Filter, and turn on Auto-block spam calls by risk level.Verizon support, My Verizon app: Manage Call Filter
Is Verizon Call Filter free, or do I need Plus?
- Free: spam detection, the spam filter, a log of spam and blocked calls, allowed numbers, and spam reports.Verizon, Avoid unwanted calls with Verizon Call Filter FAQs
- Call Filter Plus adds caller ID, spam lookup, a personal block list and blocking by category.Verizon, Avoid unwanted calls with Verizon Call Filter FAQs
- Call Filter Plus costs $3.99 a month for one line, or $10.99 a month for 3 or more lines, plus taxes and fees (Verizon, October 14, 2026).Verizon, Call FilterVerizon, Avoid unwanted calls with Verizon Call Filter FAQs
- You can move any line back to the free version at any time.Verizon, Call Filter
How do I block a number or send spam to voicemail on Verizon?
- Calls the spam filter catches go to voicemail unless you choose to have them ended instead.Verizon, Avoid unwanted calls with Verizon Call Filter FAQsVerizon support, My Verizon app: Manage Call Filter
- Neighborhood Filter sends calls from your own area code and prefix to voicemail; the free version takes up to 5 of them.Verizon, Avoid unwanted calls with Verizon Call Filter FAQsVerizon support, Call Filter: Add / Remove Neighborhood Filter
- Verizon warns that Neighborhood Filter catches every call from that prefix, not just spam.Verizon, Avoid unwanted calls with Verizon Call Filter FAQs
- A personal block list for single numbers comes with Call Filter Plus.Verizon, Avoid unwanted calls with Verizon Call Filter FAQs
- On the free version, block one number in your phone’s own settings instead.
- To make sure a number gets through, add it to Allowed in the Verizon Protect app or save it to your contacts.Verizon support, Call Filter: Add / Remove Allowed NumbersVerizon, Avoid unwanted calls with Verizon Call Filter FAQs
Why do I still get spam calls with Call Filter?
- Verizon doesn’t guarantee that all spam calls will be detected.Verizon, Avoid unwanted calls with Verizon Call Filter FAQs
- Faked numbers: the FTC says “Scammers can make any name or number show up on your caller ID,” so a scam call from a clean or local-looking number still rings.FTC, Phone Scams
- The FCC: depending on your phone company, a blocked call may go straight to voicemail, ring once, or give you “no notice at all.”FCC, Call Blocking Tools and Resources
- The FCC: a real caller can be blocked by mistake when their calls look like robocalls.FCC, Call Blocking Tools and Resources
- A real number marked as spam can be reported on Verizon’s spam feedback page, or tapped as Not spam in My Verizon.Verizon, Avoid unwanted calls with Verizon Call Filter FAQsVerizon support, My Verizon app: Manage Call Filter
Can I use Verizon Call Filter with Vicem?
Yes. Keep Call Filter on and keep your Verizon number.
- Once you forward missed calls to Vicem, calls that ring and you don’t answer go to Vicem.
- On Verizon, *71 forwards the calls you don’t answer; the Verizon forwarding page has the steps.Verizon support, Apple iPhone: Turn Live Voicemail On / Off
- Verizon says Live Voicemail on an iPhone has to be off for *71 to work. On the iPhone, go to Settings › Apps › Phone › Live Voicemail and turn it off.Verizon support, Apple iPhone: Turn Live Voicemail On / Off
- On a Pixel, turn off automatic screening and Take a Message if calls don’t reach Vicem: Google says screened calls aren’t forwarded, and a call Take a Message answers counts as answered.Google, Phone app Help: Call ScreenGoogle, Phone app Help: Take a Message
Where does Vicem fit?
Vicem is an AI with its own number. It answers the calls you miss, says it’s an AI, and turns scam callers away.
- Junk calls and texts are handled without interrupting you.
- Spam calls it turns away never count against your minutes.
- Works when your phone is off.
- Vicem costs from $24 a month, your own number included. Free for 3 days.
What do people ask?
Is Verizon Call Filter free?
Yes, on standard monthly and prepaid plans with a compatible phone. Call Filter Plus, with caller ID and a personal block list, costs $3.99 a month for one line (Verizon, October 14, 2026).
How do I stop spam calls on Verizon?
In the Verizon Protect app, go to Services, Call Filter, Manage, then Spam & category filters. Turn on Spam filter and choose a risk level.
Where do calls blocked by Verizon Call Filter go?
To voicemail, unless you choose to have them ended. You set it in the Verizon Protect app or in My Verizon.
Can I keep my Verizon number and use Vicem?
Yes. Your number stays with Verizon, and *71 forwards the calls you don’t answer to Vicem. On an iPhone, turn off Live Voicemail first.
Will the Do Not Call Registry stop scam calls?
No. The FTC says it won’t stop scammers making illegal calls. It stops sales calls from companies that follow the law, so it still cuts some of the noise.