Verizon Will Give Subscribers Free Access To Anti-Robocall Tools (engadget.com) 40
Verizon says it will give all its subscribers free access to its spam alert and call blocking tools, so long as their phones can support the features. From a report: The carrier originally rolled out those tools over a year ago as part of its $3-per-month Call Filter add-on. But starting in March, subscribers with compatible smartphones (including iPhone and Android devices) will be able fend off unwanted robocalls without having to pay extra. Verizon says it will release more info on how to sign up for the free tools near their launch date.
Re: And for free . . . (Score:1)
Doesnâ(TM)t verizon already have access to this info? I would think using tools from your own carrier would result in the lowest ammount ofadditional data propogation provided it doesnt give them a way around regulatory data sharing rules (are there any?) bia the apps terms of service.
Smart move (Score:1)
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How about "decreased network usage"?
Verizon is like every gym out there. They want to sign you up, and tell you how great their equipment is in order to do it, but they'd really prefer you not actually use it so that they can sell it to even more users.
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Next month... (Score:1)
Next Month Verizon offers businesses a way to bypass the user controls for approved functions.
An extra fee guarantees someone will rubber stamp your request.
Robocalls continue..
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Alternately (Score:2)
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Clearly you need an app to track contacts, otherwise nothing is there to say if a number is recognized or not.
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But our major scourge of robocalls, like many, are forged from our local area code and prefix. I'm really hoping that this service will help with that. Had I known about the $3 service, I would have subscribed to it ages ago for h
Re:Alternately (Score:4, Interesting)
>"One could simply whitelist their calls; unrecognized numbers go to voicemail."
And you get a notification for voicemail, then have to stop and go into that app and wait for it to load it, then play it back, only to find the message is a robocall, then delete it. And yes, about 1/4 of such annoying calls leave messages on both my home and cell phone.
I would much prefer to have:
1) No more number spoofing- or at least a huge improvement.
2) The ability to completely silently throw a captcha at any incoming number not in my contacts or whitelisted. Something like "dial 32 to continue" or "press 1 to hang up, 2 to ring through, or 3 to hold" or a list of names with which button to press, only one being correct. Having more than a few would be helpful.
3) The ability for it to then HANG UP on any failed captcha calls with NO ability for them to leave annoying voicemail. Logging is good, though.
4) Bonus for doing something similar for texting (seems to be much less of a problem, however).
This should be possible, all locally, with a local app, if Android allows the correct permissions (like to prevent ringing AND to hang up on a call). No servers. No monthly fees. No data dependency. I seem to remember this being a problem on unrooted Android, though.
Of course, that wouldn't do much for land line- but there are already similar devices available for that:
http://www.tel-lynx.com/ [tel-lynx.com]
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I answer unknown numbers.
Muted.
If it's a human, they'll call out in confusion. If it's a robot, either they're silently waiting for audio (and will eventually hang up) or they'll launch into a spiel. And eventually hang up.
Detecting a premature call termination is trivially easy, and identifies you as a hot number (OMG WHY DO I GET SO MANY CALLS ensues). Let them hang up. Gag the volume, put the phone down, go back to whatever you were doing, and let the robot talk itself out. They give up quickly.
A few are
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The main issue is that I have already been interrupted. I don't want to be interrupted in the first place nor later with bogus voicemail. I want technology to screen the calls for me to ensure that it is an actual legit call before getting my attention with a ring OR allowing voicemail.
This is why dumping to voicemail fails.
This is why "DND" fails.
This is why ignoring calls fails.
This is why existing anti-spam call apps fail (because they ring through once and/or still allow voicemail).
We have the technol
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Remind(tm) (Score:1)
And at the same time,verizon is charging Remind [remind.com] fees to combat text message spam [arstechnica.com]. Though they may be reversing course?
Compatible phone? (Score:2)
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What are the features required on the user's phone? I expected this could all be implemented on the carrier side.
It's not so simple anymore. Remember the big hoopla a few weeks ago over the emergency broadcast system? that's not just a "text" you're implementing, but something that Android and iOS must expect from the carrier, and place appropriate options for in the GUI.
I never got bothered by one of those semi-mandatory alerts on my older phone running Android 4 because there was no hardware support on the phone side and nothing the telco could do would force me, since the commands wouldn't be understood.
My breakage
Good move (Score:2)
Verizon MVNOs too? Or only Verizon proper? (Score:2)
Anybody know?