Call Blocking and Identification

[Kenji]

In last night’s meeting there was a question about why in iOS Settings > Apps > Phone, there may or may not be a settings line called Call Blocking and Identification in between Silence Unknown Callers and Blocked Contacts. The Goushas had it but I did not, on the same iOS latest version. Why? 

Here’s the answer, according to GPT5:

How it works

• Apple doesn’t provide system-wide spam blocking itself (beyond Silence Unknown Callers and Mute Unknown Senders).

• Instead, it lets apps plug into the Phone app via CallKit extension points.

• When such an app is installed, iOS automatically adds the Call Blocking & Identification section under Settings → Phone, with the switches for each app.

• The number of switches depends on how many “extensions” the developer provides — Hiya uses three.

Not carrier dependent

Carriers can (and some do) offer their own spam-blocking apps (AT&T Call Protect, T-Mobile Scam Shield, Verizon Call Filter, etc.), but the appearance of that menu itself is universal across all iPhones once you install any CallKit-enabled app.

---

So that last paragraph covers why they see Call Blocking and Identification but I did not. T-Mobile, their carrier provides Scam Shield, which is a third-party CallKit-enabled app. My carrier, Consumer Cellular, does not. Once I installed the Hiya app (available in the App Store) I saw Call Blocking and Identification. 

As to the three Hiya switches I now see, GPT5 covered that too:

It sounds like you're referring to the three toggle switches that appear under Settings → Phone → Call Blocking & Identification after installing Hiya on iOS, often labeled as:

1. Hiya — 1 of 3

2. Hiya — 2 of 3

3. Hiya — 3 of 3

These are the necessary system-level permissions that iOS requires for Hiya to function correctly. Enabling all three ensures Hiya can properly identify, warn, and block incoming spam or scam calls.reddit.com+12hiyahelp.zendesk.com+12blog.hiya.com+12

What Do These Switches Actually Do?

Though Apple doesn't explicitly label each switch's function, based on how iOS call-blocking extensions work (via CallKit), here's what they generally represent:

• Switch 1: Allows Hiya to identify incoming calls—this means Hiya can display caller ID information from its database.

• Switch 2: Enables spam detection—flags potential scam or spam calls directly on the incoming call screen.

• Switch 3: Grants call-blocking capability—Hiya can actively block or send identified nuisance calls to voicemail.

These switches collectively let Hiya operate in the background using iOS's CallKit framework to screen and manage calls.