A major drawback of telephones is that anyone with your number can call you—including cold callers, spammers, and bill collectors. Oftentimes, these people will try to obfuscate their phone numbers, so you need to pick up to see who’s on the other end of the line. But that’s where a great new feature in iOS 26 comes in: Call Screening. In this article, I’ll show you how to use iOS 26 Call Screening feature on your iPhone.
What is call screening in iOS 26?
Call Screening is an iOS 26 feature that vets unknown callers by checking what they want before sending them your way. When an unknown number calls, iOS will automatically pick up on the user’s behalf, ask who’s calling and why, then present a real-time transcript to the phone owner so they can decide whether to answer.
iOS 26 Call Screening can lead to fewer spam calls
The nice thing about Call Screening is that you might actually end up dealing with fewer spam calls in your life, which is always a good thing. This iOS 26 feature will automatically take calls from unknown numbers silently in the background,; if they’re actual humans and share their responses, your iPhone will proceed to ring — complete with what appears to be a transcription of their message.
This is a good first step because I like how Call Screening won’t ring your iPhone unless it determines it’s not a telemarketer or spam message, so that saves you from having to deal with them. Prior to iOS 26, the phone call appears on your iPhone with the notification that it’s a possible spam call, but it requires your intervention to take the call to find out what it is. At least with Call Screening, you don’t have to make that interaction.
This could help curb the threat of AI voice clone scams, which allow scammers to create AI voice clones with just 3 seconds of recorded voice.
How to enable Call Screening on Your iPhone in iOS 26
- Go to Settings > Apps > Phone.
- Turn on Screen Incoming Calls option.
With Call Screening enabled, your iPhone will automatically answer unknown callers—without even ringing. The iPhone will then wait until the caller has shared their name and the reason for their phone call. Only then will it ring. When it does, you’ll see the name of the person and the reason for their call displayed on your screen, enabling you to decide whether or not you want to pick up.
See also: How to Report Spam Voicemails on iPhone in iOS 26
iOS 26 Call Screening Feature Explained
iOS 26 Call Screening feature is supposed to help minimize interruptions by getting information from callers, and passing it onto you so that you can make a decision on whether to pick up the phone.
Call Screening keeps me from talking to strangers — it keeps me safe from scammers looking to steal my information or my identity.
See also: 10 Best iOS 26 Tips and Tricks You Should Try on Your iPhone