This 1 new iOS 26 feature will save you from scammers

cypac1
Sep 26
2 min read

Happy Friday

It's been a while since Apple released an update with a true "must have" feature... but wait no longer.

iOS 26, currently available as a beta update to your iPhone has 1 feature that stops scammers in their tracks. It's called Call Screening. When turned on, incoming calls from any number not in your contact list are asked to state their name and reason for calling. Next, you get a text transcript of their answers on your phone and you get to decide whether to answer, decline or block the caller. Wow!

It's a free update but fair warning, iOS 26 is in beta so it's a little buggy. Since doing the update I've had to reboot my phone a few times. But I do like the cool "new" (retro) glass look and the live translation feature seems super helpful. It's almost like having a Babelfish from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Check out this video from Apple to see it in action.

The Takeaway

To install iOS 26 beta onto your iPhone, navigate to Settings > iPhone Updates

In the menu for Betas, if it's set to Off you won't have the option to update. Change it from Off to iOS 26 Public Beta.

Choose Update Now or hit the Update to iOS 26 at the bottom of your phone (depending on which version you're updating from).

The update does take a while so you might want to schedule it for the middle of the night - you'll have that option once you choose to update. Once the update is complete, go to Settings > Phone and scroll down to the Screen Unknown Callers section and choose Ask Reason for Calling.

That's it! Thank you Apple for helping us beat back these scam phone calls. I sure have been getting tired of them, haven't you?

Stay safe out there

-Attila

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