- Samsung Smart Call automatically blocks fraudulent calls on the Galaxy Note 20.
- It is part of a larger team with Hiya that also deals with spam.
- You just have to activate it in the app.
It should soon be easier to dodge robocalls and other unwanted phone chats on a Samsung phone. Samsung has signed a contract with Hiya to automatically block spam calls through the Smart Call feature and prevent fraud from getting to your ears without you having to rely on your carrier for help.
The effort will rely on Hiya’s real-time detection technology and go a step beyond the tagging you see on some phones. All you need to do is activate Smart Call by going to Call Settings and turning on Caller ID and Spam Protection.
The anti-spam calling feature will be available first on devices like the Galaxy Note 20 series and should come with all newly released Samsung phones starting in 2021. The company’s current contract with Hiya runs until 2025.
This is not a completely new concept. For example, Google introduced a call screening feature for Pixel phones that eavesdrop on the content of calls and blocks scammers without calling your phone. However, Samsung’s sheer size could make this important – hundreds of millions of people could end up with automated defenses against fraud and other forms of spam calling.
Whether or not it will be like that is a different matter. The US and other countries have cracked down on junk calls, and carriers have proactively flagged (and now blocked) robocallers. The addition of Samsung can be most useful in places where this protection isn’t available, or to intercept calls that slide through the cracks.
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