There are lots of ways to block calls on Android phones, some require installing an app like this one, but you can do it without installing any apps. What options you have on how to do it depends on the phone you have, just google "how to block calls on android' for lots of how to guides. At the very least you can create a contact (I call mine "Blocked") and add any phone numbers you want to the "Blocked" contact, then set that contact to send all calls to voicemail. When you get a call you want to block don't answer it then add the number to your "Blocked" contact from the call history. Spam calls, telemarketers, etc. almost never leave a voicemail. After a year of doing it this way I have yet to get one voicemail from a "Blocked" caller.
I just downloaded this app on my android tracfone & it does block text messages. I use call detector to block text messages from a friend who won't leave me alone. When the text message is blocked the message doesn't appear on the phone so it doesn't use my airtime. In the app it will say when the text message was blocked & who sent it.
But this one, like Call Patrol has a community "black list" which I find very convenient because there are thousands of telemarketers etc numbers automatically blocked without any interaction from the user.
Did not block text messages on my /Tracfone Android which is the main reason I downloaded it. Tracfone will deduct units for unwanted texts. It did, however block calls.
I just received my 1st Tracfone a LG Power and have a few questions. If I use call forwarding on my phone will I be using minutes? How long does it usually take to have a phone number from another carrier transferred to my new phone? When using the balance app does it use much data? Thank you in advance for your help.
Tracfone doesn't have a call blocking feature. I'm really glad I found this review. Just downloaded it and blocked a number that's been calling me repeatedly over the past few days.
Will give it a try. Been having a series of international terrorists making threats against me and my town unless I wired money. Authorities don't seem to be interested in apprehending any of them.
January 23, 2016 at 6:19 PM
Anonymous said...
But my tracfone is NOT a smart phone. Does that mean that there is no way for me to block spam calls ?
The free trial is only for one week. After that, it lets them all through unless you pay them.
April 5, 2016 at 5:08 PM
Anonymous said...
Yes, that means that you cannot block spam (or any) calls. I, too, have a non-smart tracfone. I have selected a ring tone from the list for No Caller ID and also the same ring tone for Restricted Calls (although, I don't know what these are). Most people on my Contacts list will ring with the Caller ID ring---a few have special rings that I have assigned to them.
So how much does this app cost if you choose to buy it????
June 1, 2016 at 10:06 AM
Anonymous said...
Hi Just wanted all you people to know that tracfone at one time did have a cell phone that blocked calls in it's menu. Since they up grated to 3g the phone has since been discontinued. If I could find a service that still provides 2g I would go back to using the older phone in a second and dump tracfone.
How did it work for you? "Private Callers" (robots without call back numbers) have make my emergence cell phone unusable, get calls 3-4 times a minute when it gets bad.
July 13, 2016 at 10:37 PM
Anonymous said...
Hate the update that I received today (8/19/2016). Is there anyway to go back?
I bought the basic $9.99 Tracphone from Walmart. You can set it to where you only get text messages from people in your contacts. I haven't tried phone calls yet. However I only use it as a secondary phone in case I don't have service on my other one. That's because the TracFone uses Verizon towers.
I bought the cheapest TracFone available at Walmart. It was $9.99. There's a setting inside it to turn off text messages from everyone except for your contacts. I haven't looked for phone calls yet but I'm sure it's in there as well. However you could miss a call from someone who's not in your list. I personally only use it as a backup phone when I don't have service because the TracFone uses Verizon towers and my smart phone doesn't.
October 7, 2016 at 9:52 AM
Anonymous said...
Janet Beatrice: I just used a block feature on my cheap Pixi Glitz. I created a group with the worthless number and there was an option to block incoming calls, I checked it and assume it will block incoming calls from every # I put in that group.
October 7, 2016 at 1:57 PM
Anonymous said...
I only have a old TracPhone flip-phone for emergencies and this is useless to me... I will not ever use or support android. I just want to block the stupid spam texts that wake me up in the early morning with the constant ringing / vibrating.. I turn to see who of importance is calling/texting my emergency phone. When I waste a minute to check it, it's garbage and spam... Flip phones do not support APPs.... Useless to me.... P.S. that captcha crap is annoying and excessive... Had to do like 20 before it would let me post!
November 22, 2016 at 10:58 AM
Anonymous said...
if it is not free, they should not be advertising it saying it is free. Free download does not mean *&^%, if you have to pay for it a week later. I installed mine after learning that it is not free. Tracfone users should try HIYA app, it is free and does a great job of blocking unwanted calls.
I have a question and a comment. First of all, is there a call blocker for an LG441G? That is not a smart phone. Is there a way to block calls on a "regular" cell phone?
Second point: I was ready to buy this call blocker for my other (smart) phone. I didn't want to use a credit card, so I bought $20.00 worth of Google gift cards. This vendor will not accept the google card. They want a credit card. The program is ok enough to purchase, but if they won't accept the google account, they will force me to try to buy from a different vendor.
I have noticed with this app that every call I get charges my phone 1 minute. I get upwards of 10 spam calls a day, all hours. And only on my prepaid Tracfone, not on any of my contract phones (I have 6 between 2 companies). IMHO Tracfone is part of the scam. They sell your info and they aren't selective. On my contract phones I get maybe 2 scam calls in a month. On my Tracfone I get 10 PER DAY! And even though I have this app, every call costs me 1 minute. The Tracfone was bought as emergency back up but they're scamming customers and a class action lawsuit needs to be filed against them.
March 31, 2017 at 6:33 AM
Anonymous said...
I did not want download any apps to block any unwanted calls so what I did was to use the existing set up on my LG smart phone by only allowing incoming calls from my contact list. Only thing I had to do was to expand my contact list to include my Doctor , plumber, Dentist. eye Doctor, and so on. This way only calls that comes through is somebody from my contact list and not from telemarketers or wrong numbers. On my LGl22C phone I went to call restriction set up and selected incoming calls and changed the allow all setting to Contacts only setting. No more unwanted calls!!!!
I have an LG Premiere with tracfone through Straight Talk and it seems that for whatever reason, the tracfone versions of even the latest smartphones don't include the normal "reject list" which is weird and kinda stupid. Anyway, I use the app called Hiya and it is free and works brilliantly. I've learned that there isn't really a way to block text messages though, unfortunately.
Call Detector does NOT work when the caller ID is "Unknown" or "Restricted" since there is no "number" to block. Anyone that has overcome this limitation of Call Detector, PLEASE let me know. These calls from Unknown and Restricted are coming several times a day now! Thanks for any help. JimMagellan@cs.com
November 21, 2017 at 8:00 PM
Anonymous said...
I want to know the steps to install this app, as I just received a text with a porn site listed.
Do I need to download it to a computer first, then install on the phone?
As you can tell, I don't know anything about doing this, except that I have a Trafone that I use to make calls with.
It is a LG840G.
April 29, 2018 at 5:09 PM
Anonymous said...
I just downloaded this app about a month ago. My data is used up. Does it use a lot of data?
Application doesn't state there's a there's trial offer attached. That misleading. And false advertising. Application should be flagged within play store. And reported to the BBB.
Yesterday I received a Spam text that was VERY sexual & inappropriate! Today I have 13 more!!!I DID NOT open them! I have the phone #'s. Yesterday I googled Spam texts. It said to type SPAM & your carrier picks up on it. I'll bet that doesn't work with Tracfone. Help! How do I get rid of these texts? They're waiting up my text time. Thanks so much.
Does anyone know how to delete the blocked call list? I have so many blocked calls taking up storage on my phone.
February 25, 2020 at 10:57 AM
Block Telemarketing Calls on your Smartphone with Call Detector App
Below we review and discuss an app available for Android users that can block unwanted calls. TracfoneReviewer is a blog dedicated to providing resources and information about Tracfone, and we share lots of different things from cell phone reviews to promotional codes. So have a look around if you want to learn more about Tracfone!
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How to Block Unwanted Phone Calls
Many Tracfone users find it even more annoying than the average person when they receive a telemarketing or other unwanted call because it costs airtime. Even if you answer, then then hang up moments later, it will still deduct minutes form your Tracfone account.
The only way to combat this for many users was to try and pay close attention to who was calling, and then simply try to avoid answering it. But this isn't always possible, and sometimes we answer the phone without thinking.
Unwanted texts are also another way we lose valuable minutes. And on Android phones, there isn't a way to choose which texts you open (and pay for) and which you don't. So any text you receive on an Android phone reduces your remaining text balance.
Well Tracfone must have noticed consumers dissatisfaction with this, because they recently started promoting a free App for Android phones that says it will, "block any unwanted phone calls as well as automatically block all known scam callers."
So does this app work and will it block those annoying telemarketers? We're here to test it and find out, and then share the results with you below.
For those who might not know, Tracfone is a prepaid wireless cell phone company. They offer both cell phones, and prepaid airtime that allows users to pay for only what they plan to use. You can learn more about Tracfone by reading our Beginners Guide to Tracfone.
What is the Call Detector App?
The Call Detector App makes it possible to select numbers from your contact list or recent callers and choose to block their number. This is really great if you tend to get a lot of unwanted calls form the same number.
Call Detector offers several more features as well:
Automatically block known scammers
Identify incoming telemarketing and debt collection calls
block all incoming private or blocked numbers
Easily report telemarketers/debt collectors through the app
Caller ID (only limited number of uses on free version of the app)
Reverse number lookup (only limited number of uses on free version of the app)
The app is free to download, but does offer a premium upgrade that removes ads, and allows users to have unlimited Caller ID and Reverse number lookup, among other bonuses.
The Call Detector App says it was specifically created for Tracfone and Tracfone's other companies like Straight Talk and Net10.
Now we want to share what we thought of the app in our review of the Call Detector app.
Call Detector App Review - Testing the App
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Call Detector App Homescreen
We tested the Call Detector app on an LG Ultimate 2 active with Tracfone service and had no trouble downloading the app from Google Play, and quickly loading it up onto our homescreen. (we also tried downloading it on a Moto G 1st Gen that isn't active on any network, and the app wouldn't connect.)
The app takes up about 9 MB of space on the internal memory, which isn't very much, and not a problem for the Ultimate 2 that comes with around 4 GB internal memory, but for some of the older Android phones you may not have much room to work with.
When loading up the app you will have to give Call Detector access to a number of different things on your phone, but this is what allows the app to automatically block calls, and select numbers to block from your list of received calls.
The home screen is simple, and we were able to quickly view either a list of our contacts, or recently received calls and choose from these lists any phone numbers we wanted to block. You can also choose to view the apps activity (what phone calls it has blocked), file a complaint through the app, look up a number, or purchase the full version.
We selected a few numbers to block, and then tested the app by using those numbers to call the phone. When a blocked number calls, you briefly see the call screen flash on the smartphone's screen, and then the call is disconnected. In the app's activity section, you get to see who called and what time they called.
We also tested blocking text messages, which we can't tell if this app is supposed to block. It does track both the number of calls blocked and texts, but in our test the text message was not blocked. We're going to continue testing this.
Looking up numbers is also a convenient feature on the Call Detector app and sometimes we would get the name of the caller, other times just the location of where they were calling from. With the free version of the app you only have a certain number of numbers you can look up.
We were not able to test the app's claim that it automatically blocks known scammers, or can automatically notify you if the caller is a telemarketer or debt collector - we just haven't received any calls like this yet. But if you test this out, let us know in the comments how the app functions for you.
Does the Call Detector App Work?
Well, yes, it does seem to work well at blocking numbers you choose for it to block. This is very handy if there are certain callers who keep bothering you. Will it block text messages or automatically block telemarketers? We couldn't quite determine this and will continue to investigate.
Overall we found this app was well designed, looked good and functioned as expected. On Google Play it is rated 4.2 stars out of 5, which is a good rating. It also has more than 100,000 downloads and will work on Android versions 2.3 or higher.
There are a variety of other call blocking apps available on Google Play, but none of them seemed any better than Call Detector.
If you're tired of getting sales calls, or just want to block a few numbers, Call Detector is a great app for doing that.
You can read more about Call Detector, and download it for yourself, on Google Play.
We hope this information is helpful for you! Leave a comment if you have any questions, or want to share your experience using this app.
If you're interested in what Android phones Tracfone has to offer, take a look at our recently updated List of Tracfone Android phones. You can see all the smartphones available from Tracfone, and quickly compare some of the key features from each phone.
You may also be interested in the Tracfone BYOP program, which allows consumers to bring their own smartphone to use with Tracfone, including both GSM and CDMA 4G LTE devices.
Thanks for Visiting, and don't forget to join us on Facebook!
posted by TracfoneReviewer Team at 4:11 PM on Oct 14, 2015
35 Comments
Close this window Jump to comment formThere are lots of ways to block calls on Android phones, some require installing an app like this one, but you can do it without installing any apps. What options you have on how to do it depends on the phone you have, just google "how to block calls on android' for lots of how to guides. At the very least you can create a contact (I call mine "Blocked") and add any phone numbers you want to the "Blocked" contact, then set that contact to send all calls to voicemail. When you get a call you want to block don't answer it then add the number to your "Blocked" contact from the call history. Spam calls, telemarketers, etc. almost never leave a voicemail. After a year of doing it this way I have yet to get one voicemail from a "Blocked" caller.
October 15, 2015 at 12:06 PM
I just downloaded this app on my android tracfone & it does block text messages. I use call detector to block text messages from a friend who won't leave me alone. When the text message is blocked the message doesn't appear on the phone so it doesn't use my airtime. In the app it will say when the text message was blocked & who sent it.
November 30, 2015 at 4:17 PM
But this one, like Call Patrol has a community "black list" which I find very convenient because there are thousands of telemarketers etc numbers automatically blocked without any interaction from the user.
December 12, 2015 at 4:30 PM
Did not block text messages on my /Tracfone Android which is the main reason I downloaded it. Tracfone will deduct units for unwanted texts. It did, however block calls.
December 13, 2015 at 6:05 PM
Mike, how do you block the text messages? I can see how to block phone calls, but I don't see the settings to block texts? Thanks
December 18, 2015 at 7:15 AM
What about if the number comes up private?
December 22, 2015 at 6:25 PM
I just received my 1st Tracfone a LG Power and have a few questions.
If I use call forwarding on my phone will I be using minutes?
How long does it usually take to have a phone number from another carrier transferred to my new phone? When using the balance app does it use much data? Thank you in advance for your help.
December 28, 2015 at 10:05 PM
Anybody have a idea on how to see who the. Block text was from ? On mine it just says i have one blocked text but wont say from who just "unknown":/
January 11, 2016 at 12:41 PM
Tracfone doesn't have a call blocking feature. I'm really glad I found this review. Just downloaded it and blocked a number that's been calling me repeatedly over the past few days.
January 16, 2016 at 8:28 PM
Will give it a try. Been having a series of international terrorists making threats against me and my town unless I wired money. Authorities don't seem to be interested in apprehending any of them.
January 23, 2016 at 6:19 PM
But my tracfone is NOT a smart phone. Does that mean that there is no way for me to block spam calls ?
February 7, 2016 at 10:23 AM
The free trial is only for one week. After that, it lets them all through unless you pay them.
April 5, 2016 at 5:08 PM
Yes, that means that you cannot block spam (or any) calls. I, too, have a non-smart tracfone. I have selected a ring tone from the list for No Caller ID and also the same ring tone for Restricted Calls (although, I don't know what these are). Most people on my Contacts list will ring with the Caller ID ring---a few have special rings that I have assigned to them.
April 8, 2016 at 2:42 PM
Yes this app is only good for 7 days then you have to pay to keep it working!
April 28, 2016 at 7:42 AM
7 day free trial then you have to pay to use it
April 28, 2016 at 8:08 AM
So how much does this app cost if you choose to buy it????
June 1, 2016 at 10:06 AM
Hi Just wanted all you people to know that tracfone at one time did have a cell phone that blocked calls in it's menu. Since they up grated to 3g the phone has since been discontinued. If I could find a service that still provides 2g I would go back to using the older phone in a second and dump tracfone.
June 5, 2016 at 11:04 AM
How did it work for you? "Private Callers" (robots without call back numbers) have make my emergence cell phone unusable, get calls 3-4 times a minute when it gets bad.
July 13, 2016 at 10:37 PM
Hate the update that I received today (8/19/2016). Is there anyway to go back?
August 19, 2016 at 6:58 PM
I bought the basic $9.99 Tracphone from Walmart. You can set it to where you only get text messages from people in your contacts. I haven't tried phone calls yet. However I only use it as a secondary phone in case I don't have service on my other one. That's because the TracFone uses Verizon towers.
October 7, 2016 at 9:50 AM
I bought the cheapest TracFone available at Walmart. It was $9.99. There's a setting inside it to turn off text messages from everyone except for your contacts. I haven't looked for phone calls yet but I'm sure it's in there as well. However you could miss a call from someone who's not in your list. I personally only use it as a backup phone when I don't have service because the TracFone uses Verizon towers and my smart phone doesn't.
October 7, 2016 at 9:52 AM
Janet Beatrice: I just used a block feature on my cheap Pixi Glitz. I created a group with the worthless number and there was an option to block incoming calls, I checked it and assume it will block incoming calls from every # I put in that group.
October 7, 2016 at 1:57 PM
I only have a old TracPhone flip-phone for emergencies and this is useless to me... I will not ever use or support android. I just want to block the stupid spam texts that wake me up in the early morning with the constant ringing / vibrating.. I turn to see who of importance is calling/texting my emergency phone. When I waste a minute to check it, it's garbage and spam... Flip phones do not support APPs.... Useless to me.... P.S. that captcha crap is annoying and excessive... Had to do like 20 before it would let me post!
November 22, 2016 at 10:58 AM
if it is not free, they should not be advertising it saying it is free. Free download does not mean *&^%, if you have to pay for it a week later. I installed mine after learning that it is not free. Tracfone users should try HIYA app, it is free and does a great job of blocking unwanted calls.
December 12, 2016 at 7:25 PM
I have a question and a comment. First of all, is there a call blocker for an LG441G? That is not a smart phone. Is there a way to block calls on a "regular" cell phone?
Second point: I was ready to buy this call blocker for my other (smart) phone. I didn't want to use a credit card, so I bought $20.00 worth of Google gift cards. This vendor will not accept the google card. They want a credit card. The program is ok enough to purchase, but if they won't accept the google account, they will force me to try to buy from a different vendor.
December 29, 2016 at 6:44 PM
I have noticed with this app that every call I get charges my phone 1 minute. I get upwards of 10 spam calls a day, all hours. And only on my prepaid Tracfone, not on any of my contract phones (I have 6 between 2 companies). IMHO Tracfone is part of the scam. They sell your info and they aren't selective. On my contract phones I get maybe 2 scam calls in a month. On my Tracfone I get 10 PER DAY! And even though I have this app, every call costs me 1 minute. The Tracfone was bought as emergency back up but they're scamming customers and a class action lawsuit needs to be filed against them.
March 31, 2017 at 6:33 AM
I did not want download any apps to block any unwanted calls so what I did was to use the existing set up on my LG smart phone by only allowing incoming calls from my contact list. Only thing I had to do was to expand my contact list to include my Doctor , plumber, Dentist. eye Doctor, and so on. This way only calls that comes through is somebody from my contact list and not from telemarketers or wrong numbers. On my LGl22C phone I went to call restriction set up and selected incoming calls and changed the allow all setting to Contacts only setting. No more unwanted calls!!!!
June 23, 2017 at 5:28 PM
Mr Seagal if you get the app the bad guys can't find you and you will be fine.
July 17, 2017 at 5:26 PM
I have an LG Premiere with tracfone through Straight Talk and it seems that for whatever reason, the tracfone versions of even the latest smartphones don't include the normal "reject list" which is weird and kinda stupid. Anyway, I use the app called Hiya and it is free and works brilliantly. I've learned that there isn't really a way to block text messages though, unfortunately.
August 25, 2017 at 10:14 AM
Call Detector does NOT work when the caller ID is "Unknown" or "Restricted" since there is no "number" to block. Anyone that has overcome this limitation of Call Detector, PLEASE let me know. These calls from Unknown and Restricted are coming several times a day now!
Thanks for any help.
JimMagellan@cs.com
November 21, 2017 at 8:00 PM
I want to know the steps to install this app, as I just received a text with a porn site listed.
Do I need to download it to a computer first, then install on the phone?
As you can tell, I don't know anything about doing this, except that I have a Trafone that I use to make calls with.
It is a LG840G.
April 29, 2018 at 5:09 PM
I just downloaded this app about a month ago. My data is used up. Does it use a lot of data?
May 2, 2018 at 7:31 AM
Application doesn't state there's a there's trial offer attached. That misleading. And false advertising. Application should be flagged within play store. And reported to the BBB.
July 19, 2018 at 10:06 AM
Yesterday I received a Spam text that was VERY sexual & inappropriate! Today I have 13 more!!!I DID NOT open them! I have the phone #'s. Yesterday I googled Spam texts. It said to type SPAM & your carrier picks up on it. I'll bet that doesn't work with Tracfone. Help! How do I get rid of these texts? They're waiting up my text time. Thanks so much.
June 24, 2019 at 8:30 PM
Does anyone know how to delete the blocked call list? I have so many blocked calls taking up storage on my phone.
February 25, 2020 at 10:57 AM