After repeated data breaches that no company really seems to give a s— about my phone is blowing up with literally hundreds of spam calls and texts month. I get and make MAAAAYBE 2 or 3 important calls per month, 180-200 of the rest are literally all spam. Anyone have any suggestions, apps ect that they have found refuge with? I really don’t use SMS that much either, mostly it’s via signal, discord whats app, ect…

Just to put it out there I run CalyxOS on a Pixel 5a.

  • rdyoung@lemmy.world
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    7 months ago

    Maybe it’s time to change your number. If you want to keep your current one maybe port it into something like google voice where it can sit and eventually the spam will stop.

    I have my main number that I’ve had for over a decade on GV and then I have my direct number that I give out sparingly, mechanics, plumbers, etc that need to contact me and I need to receive the call, my GV number is set to not ring at all aside from messagea.

    • yenahmik@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      Lol, like that would stop the spam.

      I’ve found whenever you get a new number, it was probably abandoned by someone with credit issues and/or stalkers.

      I think the only thing you can do is put your phone on silent for everything except whitelisted numbers and have it go directly to voicemail for everyone else.

      • rosymind@leminal.space
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        7 months ago

        You can sometimes get a fresh number. I got lucky with mine (keep my junk phone for club-cards and the like)

      • rdyoung@lemmy.world
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        7 months ago

        It actually will stop it eventually. I have a work number on GV as well and it receives zero non work calls. Similar with the direct number on both work and personal phone. Work phone gets calls every so often about real-estate I definitely don’t have anything to do with and my personal line gets zero spam.

        Yes, porting a number into GV and letting it sit along with leaving it on don’t ring at all anywhere will eventually clear that number up. It may never be zero calls but if you keep answering it the calls will keep coming.

        If you want a better chance of a clean number, look for area codes that are more recently allocated, this will make it more likely that others haven’t used it before you. You’ll probably have a decent chance by grabbing a number from GV directly or through number barn or the like. Find a number that has been sitting around for awhile and you’ll probably be fine.