Homemade Cell Phone Call Blocker? 245
G)-(ostly asks: "Recently, I've been plagued by a number of calls that were mis-dialed to my cell phone. They're particularly annoying because, being on a cell phone, the wrong number calls follow me everywhere as opposed to just being ignored in an empty house during the day. Verizon, of course, has scripted their drones to claim they can't do anything about it except change the number (or we can turn off the phone), which of course probably wouldn't change anything since we'd just get different mis-dials. However, since it's in my possession, would it be possible to build a software package that could be used to 'screen' unwanted numbers right on the phone? If so, how would one even begin to find APIs for phones, or load the software, once built, onto it?" How long do you figure it will take phone makers to recognize the need for this feature?
A cheap and dirty way to do this would be to add the numbers you wish to block to your phone's contact list and give them a silent ring. However, you then waste the phones memory with a phone-book entry (which can be hundreds of bytes), when all you really need is a list consisting of 10-12 digit numbers (depending on locality). The other drawback to this method is that you might need to use those contact slots, so it isn't a solution for everyone. Still, this sounds like a useful feature, but there is still the issue of how much control the cell phone's OS will give you over its basic operations (blocking messages sent from a specific number, for example). Has anyone tried doing this on their phone? What kind of luck did you have?
How long do you figure it will take phone makers (Score:4, Interesting)
They'll never try to voluntarily assist their customers in limiting the number of air minutes used by their customers.
Re:How long do you figure it will take phone maker (Score:2)
But you don't pay to receive calls, only to send them. So it's the same as setting up a blacklist on a mail server, in effect. The phone checks the number, realises it's on the blacklist and sends back the "not interested" signal. The person dialling gets "number not recognised" or similar, to put them off.
It seems like a grand idea. Are there any open source phone operating systems that this could be implemented on, or are we at the mercy of the telcos and manufacturers?
Re:How long do you figure it will take phone maker (Score:3, Informative)
But you don't pay to receive calls
I certainly pay to receive calls. I get a certain number of 'minutes' every month. These minutes are spent by sending or receiving calls.
Re:How long do you figure it will take phone maker (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:How long do you figure it will take phone maker (Score:2)
Re:How long do you figure it will take phone maker (Score:5, Informative)
In other countries, like the US, you pay for calling and for receiving calls, and for sending and receiving text messages...
Just FYI
Re:How long do you figure it will take phone maker (Score:3, Interesting)
In other countries, like the US, you pay for calling and for receiving calls, and for sending and receiving text messages...
Just FYI
In addition to not paying for incoming calls (USCellular), I also do not pay to receive text messages.
uscc.com even has a tool that lets you send text messages to their customers for free (no one pays for the text
Re:How long do you figure it will take phone maker (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:How long do you figure it will take phone maker (Score:2)
I suppose, as long as they also arranged for someone to hold a gun to your head, thereby forcing you to answer the phone and talk for hours and hours.
You don't have to answer it just because it rings ;)
Re:How long do you figure it will take phone maker (Score:2)
As obvious as you and I think that statement was, I think there aren't many people who can make that logical leap. If it was an important call, they'll leave a message. Otherwise, just ignore it. It's usually a 1-button tap during the ring to ignore a call... don't be a slave to your phone.
Re:How long do you figure it will take phone maker (Score:2)
Not that I've ever done this to that dumb son of a bitch who thought it would be funny to prank call me on a Saturday night... Oops... I've said too much.
Re:How long do you figure it will take phone maker (Score:3, Insightful)
In other countries, like the US, you pay for calling and for receiving calls, and for sending and receiving text messages...
I'm absolutely staggered. I had no idea the mobile phone situation in the States was that screwed up. So if you're on a $10/month texting plan you can find someone you don't like, send him as many messages as you can, and he racks up a huge bill? *shakes head*
I can confirm that in NZ at least you don't pay to receive any calls or messages of any type.
Still, the yanks hav
Re:How long do you figure it will take phone maker (Score:2)
The only situation in which the receiver pays something is when he's "roaming" (i.e. in a different country from the one were he has his mobile phone contract), altough some trans-national mobile phone companies (Vodafone) now offer no extra costs for "roaming" as long as the country where the reciever is in also has a network from that company.
Re:How long do you figure it will take phone maker (Score:2)
Re:How long do you figure it will take phone maker (Score:2)
There's two main reasons. Firstly it gives them better security if they know the phones on their network have their software locked down tight; and secondly it lets them charge extra for downloading add-on programs.
Grab.
Re:How long do you figure it will take phone maker (Score:2)
I don't know how wide-spread this is, but on USCellular, so long as you are on their network, incoming calls are free (as in they don't use ANY of your minutes). 24/7/365.
So what would their incentive be for *not* offering a feature like this? For that matter, why would *any* carrier not offer a feature like this? It's a "feature" they could charge their subscribers monthly to have!
Re:How long do you figure it will take phone maker (Score:3, Funny)
Sweet! Where are you living that has 365 weeks in a year?
Re:How long do you figure it will take phone maker (Score:2)
But the problem with a program in the phone screening the calls is that when it refuses a call, it will get kicked into voicemail. You will pay (use your minutes) when checking voicemail. Weeding though 20 wrong number calls is about as bad as talking for 20 minutes.
Re:How long do you figure it will take phone maker (Score:2)
Re:How long do you figure it will take phone maker (Score:3, Informative)
It will change profiles based on what cell tower you're connected to. So when I drive to work, the 3 towers near my work are all programmed and in the phone switches to Work mode.
You can also change profiles based on time and keyworks in the calender app (such as meeting, dinner etc)
You can also screen numbers using it, blacklist, whitelist, or just reject calls that don't give you any caller ID info.
It's very handy, I think you can also get it for so
Re:How long do you figure it will take phone maker (Score:2)
Caller ID (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Caller ID (Score:2)
What works for me is to simply set it up so that all of my friends cause my phone to ring, with a few select people excluded. Everyone else just shows the number and makes the phone vibrate. That is, unless you're someone I know I want to talk to, you're on "silent".
I'm not sure if all phones offer this, but the last couple of phones I have owned have had this feature.
Re:Caller ID (Score:3, Insightful)
Unlike spams, the best way to stop wrongnumber-dialers to call you again is to tell them they have got the wrong number.
Re:Caller ID (Score:2, Insightful)
Ah, I'm so glad somebody pointed that out.
I was sitting here trying to wrap my head around how the phone could have a "psychic powers" API to know when a caller had a wrong number!
Re:Caller ID (Score:2)
Re:Caller ID (Score:2)
Re:Caller ID (Score:2)
It's JimBob, isn't it?
Re:Caller ID (Score:2)
Re:Caller ID (Score:2)
Huh? (Score:5, Informative)
Im guessing your number is (Score:4, Funny)
O2 (Score:4, Informative)
Not to be cynical, but geez... (Score:4, Insightful)
Hundreds of bytes? Spare me the drama. If you're the type of person with the wherewithal to even think about developing a number-blocking app for your phone, then you probably have the type of phone where hundreds of bytes isn't going to matter. What you call a "cheap and dirty" solution I'd call "cheap and simple." My "cheap" referring to less use of my time thinking about the problem.
Re:Not every phone is like yours... (Score:3, Informative)
A java app would work better for me if I had that problem, because I have loads of free space for apps, but not for the addressbook.
what's wrong with 'wrong number #1' etc.. (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:what's wrong with 'wrong number #1' etc.. (Score:2)
Mine is called "bill collectors", rather than "wrong numbers". Fuckers.
Different #s have different wrong number rates (Score:5, Interesting)
Eventually I figured out the reason for the many wrong numbers: my exchange matched a nearby area code, and the first three digits of the rest of my number were an exchange within that area code. So, for example, let's say my number was 555 1234, there were a thousand valid numbers in the format 1 (555) 123 4###. What that meant was that anytime someone in my area code forgot to dial 1 when dialing one of those 1000 numbers, it resulted in a wrong number to me.
Once I figured that out, I got my number changed and things got much better. Don't know if that's what's happening to you, but I thought I'd mention it. If you think it is something like this, be sure to change exchanges too, not just the last four digits. Make sure the exchange does not match a nearby area code.
Cheers.
Switch Bounce (Score:2)
Re:Switch Bounce (Score:2)
I've always wondered why we can't have a check digit (to make the number add to zero, for example) added at the end to prevent misdials. They're just numbers - we've got more of 'em in storage. if we want.
Re:Different #s have different wrong number rates (Score:4, Funny)
Once I answered the phone, got the usual idiot. I said, "Asshole!" and hung up. He speed-dialed me until I got tired of hanging up on him, then left a 20-minute rant on my answering machine.
Eventually, I moved to a different area code and had to change my number. Had Pacific Bell notify callers of my new number. Came home one day to find a message on my machine: "What the fuck?" Yep, same guy. I'll always wonder: did he think the motel had moved across state or what?
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Different #s have different wrong number rates (Score:2)
Re:Different #s have different wrong number rates (Score:2)
Re:Different #s have different wrong number rates (Score:4, Funny)
On a somewhat related note, I, too once had a number that was commonly misdialed. The old number was (not the 555, obviously) 612-555-3116. I started getting calls for people trying to order Twins tickets. I couldn't figure it out until I picked up one of those little pocket Twins schedules they used to hand out at gas stations. There, printed right on the cover, was "FOR TWINS TICKETS CALL 612-555-3116". They published the wrong number, and it was mine! For a few days, I had "Hi, leave your Visa number at the beep!" as my outgoing message, but I figured I might be asking for trouble.
Re:Different #s have different wrong number rates (Score:4, Funny)
My solution was simple, I started answering my phone with the name of the pizza place, and TOOK ORDERS! People would call back in 30-60 minutes asking where their pizza was, so I appoligized and offered them a free pizza to be delivered right away. Then I unplugged my phone and went to bed.
The serious side of this story is after a few days of taking orders, I rarely got another call from someone wanting to order a pizza.
This was over 25 years ago. I wonder if there are skeletons of people in homes still waiting for their pizza?
Get a different phone. (Score:2)
- set a custom riner for each person in my address book.
- set a DIFFERENT ringer for numbers that are *Unavailable*
- set another ringer for numbers that aren't in my Phonebook.
That way I can ignore it based on the ringer.
If someone I know calls, but I didn't know they called, then they can leave a voicemail, and I can add them to my Address Book. Hunt around. Play with phones before you buy them. Some have options like this, some dont.
A Better Solution (which you'll never see) (Score:4, Insightful)
What you really need is a "magic number" (a simple password, basically) that callers have to enter to get access to your line, after they've reached you. This would block out everyone except the people you want to talk to (who you've told your magic number). A little unfriendly maybe, but not much different than having an extension that people need to remember.
Coincidentally, I used to work on the email-to-phone interface for a major cell carrier. Since their numbers were assigned in blocks, the system was trivial to spam. This wasn't considered to be a problem until the executives of the company started receiving it. ;-). Anyway, I suggested a magic word solution similar to the above for that case. Instead they spent megabucks on some antispam solution. No idea if it works--I have text messaging for my phone permanently disabled...
Re:A Better Solution (which you'll never see) (Score:2)
Extremly unfriendly, but I hear it helped some people.
How to kill a fly with a cannonball.... (Score:2)
Simple.
Already exists.
It works.
For instance, I have a profile called "in class", that is absolutely silent... except if my (39 weeks pregnant) wife calls -- and if she does, it vibrates. If anyone else calls, too bad...
Re:How to kill a fly with a cannonball.... (Score:2)
VOIP solution (Score:5, Interesting)
My favorite feature is the ability to assign any number that I don't want to answer again a permanent busy signal. That, BTW, includes *any* call with a blocked caller ID. I get a little kick out of seeing in my log some low-life telemarketing company trying unsuccessfully to reach me hundreds of times. I can also set timers to go directly to voicemail during certain hours (like when I want to sleep), and I can selectively filter important callers (like my family) to ring through anyway.
Costs about $15/month. Oh, yes, I can also use the VOIP phone as originally intended, too.
Nowadays, with local number portability, the 'captive' part is less of a problem, but the other features make keeping a VOIP service worthwhile.
Re:VOIP solution (Score:2)
Re:VOIP solution (Score:3, Informative)
VoicePulse does not pay referral fees, so my recommendation is a freebie. Probably better that way...
Re:VOIP solution (Score:2)
Not sure why, it is easier and cheaper to go with another provider because of stuff like this, but sprint does what sprint does.
It's a small world on a loop (Score:2)
I went for Disney's "It's a Small World After All" with the gain set high on a continuous loop.
I've only put two telemarketer numbers on that. One took two calls to stop. The other only took one. (This was
Re:It's a small world on a loop (Score:2)
How about a checksum digit in phone numbers? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:How about a checksum digit in phone numbers? (Score:2)
The other problem here is the crazy North American idea of having cell phone numbers in the same area codes as landlines, but requiring the receiver to pay for incoming calls. If all mobile providers were on their own recognizable area codes, and the caller knew that calling a mobile number was expensive, there'd be a lot fewer of these wrong numbers.
Re:How about a checksum digit in phone numbers? (Score:2)
Incorrect. http://www.nanpa.com/pdf/NRUF/October_2005_NPA_Exh aust_Analysis.pdf [nanpa.com] Most area codes will not be exhausted for many years. The reason we are seeing new area codes is that it is easier to create new area codes for the cellular networks than to reassign existing area codes and exchanges. Most exchanges are not even full.
A single exchange contains 10,000 numbers and therefore an area code contains up to 10,000,000 numbers. Th
Not wholly correct, the 10 million (Score:2)
411 or 911 or I think 611 for example.
There, I've just taken 30 thousand from your 10 million.
Re:How about a checksum digit in phone numbers? (Score:2)
The advantage of this, of course, is that it costs the same to call a landline as it does to call a cellphone. In Europe, for example, it generally costs more
Re:How about a checksum digit in phone numbers? (Score:2)
No, it costs more to call a cellphone. But the owner of the cellphone pays the extra cost.
Re:How about a checksum digit in phone numbers? (Score:2)
Mobiles cost more for you to call, but incoming calls to your mobile are free. At least one operator in the UK actually gives you a cut of the call costs when someone calls you.
So marketting companies have to pay to talk to you, they have to pay if they get your voicemail and if your lucky you might actually get some of that money.
I would have no issues receiving marketting calls on a premium rate number.
Re:How about a checksum digit in phone numbers? (Score:2)
It's still retarded, however you paint it.
Re:How about a checksum digit in phone numbers? (Score:2)
Re:How about a checksum digit in phone numbers? (Score:2)
Besides, many people would skip remembering the extra digit and calculate it on the fly, which would lead to a correctly checksummed wrong number.
And we'd still be dialing an extra digit because some geek doesn't like the occasional misdial. What he doesn't know, however, is that there's a good chance the misdial is in his general area, and stands a good chance at being
Re:How about a checksum digit in phone numbers? (Score:2)
Re:How about a checksum digit in phone numbers? (Score:2)
Re:How about a checksum digit in phone numbers? (Score:2)
Number Re-assignment (Score:3, Informative)
In days of yore when you surrendered a phone number it would sit dormant for enough time that callers would stop using it.
These days your "new" number may have belonged to someone else only a few weeks ago. Consequently you get calls from people that they knew. Usually at 3 AM.
I had one phone that got calls every few hours from one particular phone number, but from different people. Near as I can tell it had been written on a washroom wall, right by the pay phone...
Re:Number Re-assignment (Score:3, Funny)
I really enjoyed leaving messages to other Cingular customers because it left Moussad's greeting and it was ominous. The downside is that I occasioanlly got calls from his creditors.
867-5309 (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Number Re-assignment (Score:2)
I feel your pain (Score:3, Funny)
After walking with him for a while, you'd start to think his name is "wrong number".
Re:I feel your pain (Score:2, Funny)
symbian (Score:2, Informative)
First Question, How many wrong numbers? (Score:2)
There is no ideal solution (Score:5, Informative)
Your phone already supports basic white list or blacklist functionality. If the same people keep misdialing your number, then you'll want to blacklist them using the method sugested in the editorial portion of this article.
If, however, you get misdials from different phone numbers then you'll need to add everyone to your phone book that you want to know about immediately, and set the general ring to silent. In this way you'll still get voicemail if the caller left a message (typically misdials won't leave voice mail if you set up your outgoing message well) so you won't be completely out of the loop with a real caller from an unfamiliar phone number.
I don't see how custom software will solve this any better than the phone book will. You have four different scenarios:
1) Someone who does want to talk to you dials correctly and reaches you
2) Someone who does NOT want to talk to you dials correctly and doesn't reach you
3) Someone who does want to talk to you misdials and doesn't reach you
4) Someone who does NOT want to talk to you misdials and reaches you
Only calls from #1 and #4 reach you. There are two further possibilities:
A) The person calls from a number in your phone book
B) The person calls from a number not in your phone book (or is blocked)
A person who does want to talk to you and is not in your phone book (payphone, friend's phone, etc) looks exactly like a person who does not want to talk to you and is not in your phone book. Therefore, as far as the phone company, your phone, and any possible software you could invent knows, 1B == 4B.
Therefore the problem cannot be solved any better than it is right now with the built in phone's whitelist and blacklist. Either you will only accept calls from those you've programmed, shoving everyone else to voice mail, or you will accept calls from anyone who does not match a set of frequent misdiallers.
In the old days before caller ID one could purchase an answering machine that would not allow the home phones to ring unless the caller pressed a sequence of touchtone keys. You may be able to make software do that, but generally those devices failed in the marketplace because it was too much hassle.
Of course, this doesn't answer your question. I suppose what I'm trying to accomplish here is to ask you a question:
What does your proposed software do that your phone and/or phone company cannot already do? Are you simply suggesting an easier to maintain or more explicit blacklist/whitelist, or do you have a novel method that actually does what I suggest is impossible given the information the phone is provided? If so, getting the software onto the phone is trivial once you've convinced a few key people that what you've invented actually works.
-Adam
Ahh... the telepathic interface :) (Score:2)
The ideal solution to this is for the software to have limited telepathic abilities. It should query the caller to find out who they are, then poke in your head to find out if you want to talk to that person. Then the phone only rings if it's a person you want to talk to. If it is someone you don't want
Re:There is no ideal solution (Score:2)
Re:There is no ideal solution (Score:2)
CallShield for Palm phones (Score:3, Informative)
I havent used it myself but Ive heard good things about CallShield [mantragroup.com], a utility I came across when I had a Treo about two years ago. It sounds precisely what youre looking for.
One more suggestion (Score:2)
I understand the occasional wrong number; someone misdials and honestly doesn't realize it, phones broken and hitting a 9 actually dials a 6 (you laugh, my old landline phone did this and since there was no screen to see what you entered, it took me a little while to realize what the problem was, I feel bad for the
You aren't on Sprint are you? (Score:2)
Come to think of it, why do I put up with this...
Automater caller blocking and ignoring not on list (Score:2)
There are some replies that will point you to shareware applications (which may or may not be for your kind of "Smartphone") that claim to address the issue for a low, one-time (per phone) fee!
Very simple (Score:2)
Taking it one step further, set all rings to silent, and wait for the legit callers to leave a voicemail - then call them back.
I really wish my phone let me set ringers for each group of contacts so I didn't have to do it for each person on a one-by-one basis.
Use Asterisk! (Score:2)
Phones suck. (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Phones suck. (Score:3, Informative)
Yes, probably (Score:2)
Maybe a good way to do it would be to have the program kick in when someone calls who's not in your address book, and have it make a special beep or vibration pattern, then if you don't hit a certain butto
Nextel (Score:2)
You can do this easily with a Symbian phone (Score:2)
Stopping it ringing is easy (Score:3, Informative)
Get a phone that lets you block callers? (Score:2)
Obscene (Score:2)
Get a Series 60 Phone (Score:2)
There are a few programs out there for series 60 that block/filter calls, and it's not that hard to write your own if you don't fancy any of them.
Re:Sign me up to help! (Score:2)
Re:VZW dont care (Score:2)
They don't seem to care about many customer concerns. I was constantly getting calls, with no one there on the answer, from numbers that have been intentionally blocked in some way, i.e. a caller id with all zero's for example. They didn't quit till I threatened to sue Verizon to get the number blocked - they care if you pitch a big enough fit.
I've been a "loyal" (read braindead) V
Re:VZW dont care (Score:2)
That said, I'm overall very, very happy with Cingular. The good: they've always been happy to correct mistakes and talk through any questions. They're good about changing plans - for the more expensive and the cheaper - and with the occasional questi