Spammers are the worst, but your phone can help stop them

Much to our dismay, the number of spam calls and messages seems to increase yearly. Not only do robocalls tend to bother people at the most inconvenient moments, but they're potentially dangerous if someone falls into their trap. Thankfully for Google Pixel 6 owners, your device offers multiple helpful features to protect against unwanted calls and messages. Follow the simple steps in this guide to ensure all these protections are turned on to help keep the spam annoyances from ruining your day.

Spam calls are often linked to scams that try to get information from you, such as your bank account details. Google's impressive Call Screen feature can automatically intercept suspicious calls on your behalf. It can even block them before your phone rings. And with the Google Pixel 6a on the horizon, it's shaping up to be one of the best and most affordable ways to get the Call Screen feature on a modern Pixel smartphone.

Since Call Screen isn't enabled by default, you can start using it on your Google Pixel 6 or 6a by doing the following:

Some VPNs may have to be disabled temporarily to activate Call Screen. Give it a few minutes to set up at the most, but it should work just fine once you turn off the VPN.

You might consider changing the default options to Automatically screen and decline robocalls for the best results. Don't worry; this won't screen or block anyone on your personal contacts list. Even if the Google Assistant deems a call important, you can still manually screen it by tapping Screen call.

Google Assistant may not catch and block every instance of spam, but it does a decent job. Call Screen could end up being one of the main on-device features we use by default to fight spam calls in the future.

Since spammers can hide their number from you sometimes, blocking all unknown callers is another way to ensure they don't get through to you. This setting should be enabled by default, but you can do the following to double-check:

Spam calls have easily annoyed many of us over the years; however, spam messages only recently started to get out of control. The Google Messages app on your Google Pixel 6 or 6a smartphone has a feature that can help stop those annoying text messages. This feature may already be enabled on your device, but just in case, here's what you can do to turn it on:

It's easy to overlook this setting, but you'll want to double-check the system's default spam-blocking app. It should be set as the Phone app for maximum protection at all times; however, the entry can sometimes be entirely blank. To make sure the spam-blocking features are working correctly on your device, check the following:

Google's own wireless network, Google Fi, is naturally popular with Pixel 6 smartphone owners in general. The Google Fi app has a few ways to protect your privacy and security, but the main thing we wanted to highlight here is the spam call blocking setting.

This setting might be enabled on your device already, but you can quickly check it by doing the following:

Even if you follow all of the above tips to avoid spam calls and messages, some of them may still sneak past detection regardless. Spammers can use multiple throw-away numbers or even spoof their area code. Both are old methods to try and trick you into answering their calls, but they're still being used today. This makes it challenging to stop them all, but spending that extra time reporting them helps the entire Android and Pixel community.

To report spam calls, here's what you need to do:

To report spam text messages:

Many wireless carriers now use a set of protocols called STIR/SHAKEN to help reduce the phone number spoofing problem. You don't have to do anything either; it just works. Combining STIR/SHAKEN with the spam-fighting efforts on Google's part is a big win for all of us.

Spam calls and messages have become such an issue that they can distract you from the more essential things in life. However, the techniques used to help stop or control them are constantly improving as time goes on. If you combine the tips mentioned above, your Google Pixel 6 or 6a smartphone should finally be free from most of these everyday spam annoyances.

Stephen is a freelance writer at Android Police who primarily covers how-to guides, features, and the occasional in-depth explainer across various topics. He came on board with the team in late 2021, bringing his strong technical background in computers, smartphones, and customer service with him. As a long-time power user who knows his devices from the inside out, he uses that knowledge to tweak and customize them to better fit his specific needs. Stephen previously worked as a freelance how-to guide writer for the Android rooting, modding, and custom ROM section at Gadget Hacks. He has actively followed the Android scene since 2008 with the HTC Dream, known by most as the T-Mobile G1. However, he didn't get his first Android device until 2009 with the original Motorola Droid. After that, Stephen quickly learned about unlocking the bootloader and gaining full root access — both changed his smartphone life forever. He would frequently install custom ROMs, kernels, and recoveries to improve his Android experience beyond what stock could provide. Although not as popular as it once was, he still continues to root his primary devices today using the latest version of Magisk. Stephen has been passionate about writing his entire life and finally turned it into a professional career in 2016. He started out as a lesson plan writer in computer science and IT for Study.com, which allows students to earn real college credits online. That led him to Gadget Hacks, where Stephen got to write educational and informative pieces for Android smartphones. And now, he continues down that same path at Android Police, using his technical knowledge and skills to write how-to guides. His goal has always been to help as many people as possible learn something new about technology.