An upcoming iPhone feature will make it easier to detect spam calls
Spam and scam calls are an increasing nuisance, so a reliable caller ID service (and especially one that can flag or automatically block known scam numbers) is almost essential. Unfortunately, this isn’t something Apple offers as standard, and while there are some third-party caller ID services, these can be quite hit or miss, or cost extra. But Apple is finally taking the first steps towards such a service.
The company announced (via Engadget) that companies enrolled in Apple Business Connect will be able to register for Business Caller ID next year. This will make their company name, logo and department appear on the incoming call screen when contacting customers.
This should make it a lot easier to distinguish a legitimate call from a spam call, because, if no logo is displayed, there’s a good chance it’s an unwanted call. If there is a logo, you can judge from the company calling whether it is likely to be something you want to answer.
A good start
This is still not a perfect solution; companies will have to sign up, and we imagine many smaller ones won’t, even though it’s at least a free service, so there’s not too much of a barrier to entry. And of course this only applies to businesses, not personal numbers, so not all genuine calls are identified.
This system is also not designed to specifically flag or block spam and scam calls from still ringing on your phone.
Still, it’s a big and overdue step in the right direction for Apple, and one that anyone who regularly gets calls from unknown numbers will probably be very happy about.
It is not yet clear exactly when this Business Caller ID service will be launched next year, but the sooner the better as far as we are concerned.