AT&T Unveils New Robocall Blocking Service

AT&T recently revealed a new free robocall blocking service, which is named as Call Protect. This latest feature blocks unwanted fraud calls directly at the network level before they reach the customers. However, this service is only available to AT&T’s postpaid smartphone subscribers.

In instances, where the provider is unable to decide whether the calls are fraudulent or not, the Call Protect service will not block the calls. Instead, it will display “suspected spam warnings on the incoming call screen which let customers choose whether or not to answer calls that originate from a suspected spam source.”

This service is currently restricted to AT&T postpaid wireless customers with Android phones or iPhones, which support the HD Voice technology. Company officials also stated that this feature cannot be automatically enabled to your phones, but you will have to initially add the feature either on the Call Protect app or on your personal AT&T account settings.

It is reported that a few Android users have already registered complaints through their Google Play Store reviews by claiming that the Call Protect service doesn’t support on unlocked devices including Google Pixel. Although AT&T has not yet responded to this issue, they warned their customers that the network-level fraud blocking “may inadvertently block wanted calls.” However, the customers can change their settings “to turn off blocking or allow specifically designated numbers” to effectively resolve this issue.

In addition to that, AT&T customers can also find the blocked calls list on the app. The network-level call blocking feature works throughout the AT&T network, but the suspected spam warnings displayed on the call screen will work only in the regions with AT&T HD Voice coverage. The HD calling offers a much better clearer voice call when compared to LTE. Another major highlight of the Call Protect is “Temporary Call Block”, which allows users to block specific phone numbers for a short time, but to a maximum of 30 days.

In a recent announcement, AT&T marketing executive Jeff Bradley said, “Nuisance calls are an industry-wide problem that unfortunately affect many people. We’ve listened to our customers and know they want a network that provides tools to proactively assist in blocking nuisance calls.” Reports also indicate that AT&T is ahead of all other major carriers in the country in robocall blocking.