Checklist
The Spam Call Blocker Checklist: Ten Questions Before You Install
Run any Android call blocker through these ten questions. Each one is a yes-or-no you can verify in the app's settings or on its store listing in a couple of minutes. We answer them for Block Guard: Spam Call Blocker so you can see how the app we recommend holds up against its own test.
- 1
Are contacts and whitelisted numbers checked before every blocking rule?
If the answer is anything other than an unconditional yes, a strict setting can silence someone you trust.
Block Guard: Yes. Trusted contacts and whitelists are evaluated first and cannot be overridden.
- 2
Can unknown, private, and international callers each get a different outcome?
One switch for all three forces you to treat a new client the same as a withheld number.
Block Guard: Yes. Each category has its own handling choice.
- 3
Can I choose voicemail instead of a hard reject?
Voicemail is the safety net that lets a blocker be wrong without costing you the call.
Block Guard: Yes. Ring, silence, voicemail, or reject, subject to your Android version and default phone app.
- 4
Is there a prefix or number-pattern rule for spoofed local numbers?
Without it, neighbor-spoofed calls must be blocked one at a time, forever.
Block Guard: Yes. Area-code, prefix, number-pattern, and spoofed-call controls.
- 5
Does it filter SMS and MMS?
Fake delivery and bank texts arrive from the same numbers as spam calls.
Block Guard: Yes. Blocked senders, keyword-style filters, and a message log.
- 6
Does every blocked call show the reason it was blocked?
A reason label is the difference between fixing one setting and loosening all of them.
Block Guard: Yes. Each log entry names the rule, mode, list, or risk signal that handled it.
- 7
Can strictness change by time of day without re-tuning?
Sleep and work need different rules. Doing it by hand twice a day does not last a week.
Block Guard: Yes. Profiles, schedules, and a one-tap Block Guard Mode.
- 8
Are the requested permissions explained and limited to the job?
Call permissions are needed to screen calls. SMS permission should only be requested if you enable text filtering.
Block Guard: Yes. Call permissions for screening, SMS permission only for text filtering.
- 9
Can I back up and restore my settings?
A tuned setup is hours of work. A new phone or a reset should not erase it.
Block Guard: Yes. Encrypted backup and restore with a password you choose.
- 10
Is core blocking free, with payment only for extras?
Whitelists and unknown-caller handling are basic safety. Paying should buy something more.
Block Guard: Yes. Core features are free. Adaptive AI call risk scoring is an optional Premium add-on.
Scoring it
Ten out of ten is the bar for an app you will keep for years. Eight or nine is acceptable if the misses are backup or scheduling. A "no" on the first question is disqualifying on its own, regardless of the rest. For the reasoning behind each question, read the full criteria guide.
More Buyer's Guides
Compare features, prices, and setups before you commit to a spam call blocker.
How to Use Block Guard
Install, protect your important callers, pick a protection level, and tune from the log. The setup that makes any spam call blocker earn its keep.
Read the guide →Best Spam Call Blocker for Android
The seven things that separate a spam call blocker you keep from one you uninstall, and how Block Guard scores on each.
Read the guide →Free vs. Paid Spam Call Blockers
What a free blocker should already do, what is worth paying for, and the pricing patterns to avoid.
Read the guide →Spam Call Blocker vs. Carrier Apps
Why the built-in dialer and carrier spam labels are a floor, not a ceiling, and what a dedicated app adds.
Read the guide →Best Spam Call Blocker for Business Phones
How to block spam on a phone that has to answer unknown customers, without a contacts-only lockdown.
Read the guide →Put Block Guard Through the Checklist Yourself
Free to install on Android. Whitelists, unknown-caller and private-number rules, area code and prefix filters, spoofing controls, SMS filtering, profiles, schedules, and a log that explains every block.