How to Protect Against Unwanted Calls and Spam: The Best Anti-Scam Apps 2021

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Modern technologies have ceased to be only beneficial often, they are used by dishonest individuals. For example, according to the Central Bank, gullible users who answered a call from scammers can lose an average of ten to fifteen thousand rubles. But even if we forget about it there remains the problem of incomprehensible advertising messages and ringing at three in the morning. The saddest thing is that our parents and grandparents also suffer from this. How to protect yourself and your relatives from swindlers, spammers, and just annoying subscribers? We bring to your attention the best mobile applications for dealing with suspicious calls.

The operating principle of these programs is very simple. Their databases contain a huge number of phone numbers - during a call, the application finds a number in its list and displays a message on the screen about who is calling: "Robot", "Spam" or "Fraud". When you are recruited from a normal organization, the application will show its name or industry, for example, "Delivery". Everything is very simple. Well, now the applications themselves (the estimate and cost are relevant at the time of writing the material).

1. Yandex - with Alice"

• Cost: Free

• Score: 4.6 (Google play store), 4.7 (App Store).

Another service from domestic developers. Its functionality is much wider, but one of the additional options is a caller ID.

Main functions:

• Determination of unknown numbers.

• Ability to add unwanted numbers to the "black" list.

If you do not want to install a separate application to combat telephone spam and fraudsters, Yandex with Alice is a perfect choice. In addition, you will receive weather, news, exchange rates, Yandex.Zen, messenger, and other useful services. And everything is absolutely free.

2. Who Calls

• Price: free / subscription (129 rubles / month)

• Rating: 4.8 (Google play store), 4.6 (App Store).

Developed by Kaspersky Lab. The company, known for creating a professional antivirus program, has long expanded its field of activity, switching to spam and phone scams.

Main functions:

• Determination of scammers and spam.

• Definition of the name and category of organizations.

• Blocking incoming calls by category.

• Adding new phone numbers.

• Protection against dangerous links in SMS messages.

The application can be used for free, but with restrictions: blocking by category does not work, not all organizations are detected. Free users will have to put up with ads as well. Want the full version? Get ready to layout 129 rubles a month. Or 999 rubles a year.

3. AntiNuisance

• Cost: free / paid purchases (100 - 450 rubles)

• Score: 4.3 (Google play store).

And here is an option if you need something simple and light. AntiNuisance has a minimal set of functions, which did not prevent users from downloading the application more than one million times. The main task of the service is to block annoying calls and SMS messages. It would seem that everything is very simple, but AntiNuisance wins over with its flexible settings. The application can drop unwanted calls or just mute the sound during a call. Messages can be blocked by numbers, categories, or the occurrence of certain words/phrases. Don't want to receive calls from numbers that aren't on your contact list? It couldn't be easier. And if you are afraid to miss an important phone conversation, do not worry - the list of blocked calls and SMS is saved in the log. Unfortunately, the app is only available to owners of Android devices.

4. Don't call me

• Price: free / subscription (49 - 499 rubles)

• Score: 4.6 (Google play store).

Application exclusively for owners of Android devices. Has all the necessary functionality to make your life a little more peaceful.

Main functions:

• Determination of unknown numbers.

• Blocking hidden numbers and unwanted numbers from the application database.

• Adding a number to the "black" list.

• Block any numbers that are not on your contact list.

A special feature is the ability to create separate rules for two SIM cards installed in a smartphone. Basic functions are available for free, for using additional tools you will have to pay from 49 to 499 rubles, depending on the chosen subscription period.

5. Truecaller

Price: free / subscription (59 - 6 490 rubles)

Rating: 4.5 (Google play store), 4.5 (App Store).

Truecaller is one of the best apps for dealing with intrusive and dangerous calls. This is proved by 270 million installations from the Play Market. The popularity of the service is easily explained - the developers have taken care of advanced functionality, which cannot be compared with any of the existing analogs.

Main functions:

• Determination of unknown numbers and senders of SMS messages.

• Blocking calls and messages.

• Call recording.

• Messaging between users who have installed Truecaller.

• Save call history and settings to Google Drive.

There is also a special cherry on the cake - users can tell people the purpose of their call. However, as in the case of messaging, the application must be installed on both devices. Everything would be fine, but for a fully functional product, you will have to pay from 59 to 6 490 rubles, depending on the subscription period. The free version only detects numbers and blocks spam.