How to Turn On Call Screening

Before you start

• Availability: iPhone users in the US only, on most major carriers. A small number of carriers don't support the call forwarding Call Screening relies on — we can't confirm in advance which ones; you'll find out when you run the test call in Step 4 below. This affects roughly 5% of setups.
• Call Screening replaces carrier voicemail for unknown callers. If there's an automated number you rely on (pharmacy, bank, school), save it as a contact first so it keeps ringing through instead of being screened.

Setup steps

Step 1 — Start setup
Open the Control+ app, go to Call Protection, and tap Continue setup. The app confirms your phone number first.
Step 2 — Configure two settings on your iPhone
Go to Settings → Phone, and set both:

• Silence Unknown Callers → On (don't choose "Ask Reason for Calling" — with that option on, Control+'s screening never gets the chance to answer the call)
• Live Voicemail → Off

Step 3 — Activate call forwarding
Back in the Control+ app, tap Dial the code (or copy it and dial manually) to send unanswered calls to Control+. Confirm the call when prompted.
Step 4 — Run the test call
Control+ calls you to confirm forwarding actually worked. Don't pick up — just let it ring through to screening. This can take up to a minute.
Step 5 — Screening is on
Once the test passes, Call Screening is active. Unknown callers now talk to Control+ first, and you're only notified when a screened call matters.

Troubleshooting the test call

• If the test call doesn't reach screening, double-check that Silence Unknown Callers is on and Live Voicemail is off, then repeat Step 3.
• If forwarding still fails after retrying, your carrier likely isn't supported yet — contact support and we'll confirm.

Updated on: 22/09/2026