AT&T today announced Call Protect, a complimentary service aimed at protecting its users from automated phone calls, also referred to as robocalls. The service debuts five months after the U.S. Federal Communications asked wireless companies to offer free robocall blocking services.
The service offers two solutions to stop robocalls. It can automatically block numbers suspected of fraud at the network level, preventing them from reaching your phone entirely, or it can deliver the call from a suspected number with a fraud warning on the display. The latter feature requires the user to be in an area with HD Voice support.
AT&T customers can activate the feature via their MyAT&T account or by downloading the AT&T Call Protect app. The app allows users to look at call details, receive spam warnings, block specific numbers and turn on and off Automatic Fraud Blocking.
The service requires an iOS or Android smartphone eligible for HD Voice. AT&T also warns that automatic blocking may block wanted phone calls, which means users would potentially have to manually whitelist certain numbers to make sure they aren't blocked.
In August, it was reported that Apple was one of over 30 companies that joined the "Robocall Strike Force," a join effort aimed at stopping robocalls. At the time, the FCC said that most of the complaints it receives are regarding robocalls. The U.S. has other measures in place to prevent robocalls, including companies having to ask permission before calling and allowing people to add their number to the FTC's Do Not Call list.
AT&T Call Protect is available on the App Store for free [Direct Link]
Top Rated Comments
*waits to see how long before someone realizes this app somehow compromises customer privacy in some major unforeseen way for profit*
AT&T today announced ('http://about.att.com/story/att_call_protect.html') Call Protect ('https://www.att.com/offers/call-protect.html?partner=LinkShare&siteId=TnL5HPStwNw-N7eSEsM0Nrxe.lTgD5F_wg'), a complementary service
I know there are free applications to assist in deflecting these calls, but carriers should implement something to throttle robo calls, as ceasing scam calls will likely never be fully successful, as they will find another way to manipulate the caller.