Vtech IS8151-4 Users Manual - Page 23

About Smart call blocker If you have subscribed to caller ID service, then you can use Smart call blocker to screen robocalls, telemarketing calls and unwanted calls for you, while allowing welcome calls to get through. † † The screening feature of Smart call blocker is applicable to home calls only. All incoming cell calls will get through and ring. You can set up your lists of welcome callers and unwelcome callers. Smart call blocker allows calls from your welcome callers to get through, and it blocks calls from your unwelcome callers. For other unknown home calls, you can allow these calls, block these calls, or forward these calls to the answering system. With some easy configurations, you can set to only filter robocalls on the home line by asking the callers to press the pound key (#) before the calls are put through to you. You can also set Smart call blocker to screen incoming home calls by asking the callers to record their names and press the pound key (#). After your caller completes the request, your telephone rings and announces the caller's name. You can then choose to block or answer the call, or you can forward the call to the answering system. If the caller does not respond or record his/her name, the call is blocked from ringing through. When you add your welcome callers to your allow list, they will bypass all screening and ring directly to your handsets. NOTES • Smart call blocker is on, once you install your telephone. It allows all incoming calls to get through and ring by default. You can change the Smart call blocker settings to screen incoming home calls. For more details, see Set profile. • With call screening active, Smart call blocker screens and filters incoming home calls from numbers or names that are not yet saved in your phonebook, allow list, block list, or star name list. You can easily add incoming phone numbers to your allow list and block list. This allows you to build up your lists of allowed and blocked numbers, and Smart call blocker will know how to deal with these calls when they come in again. • To turn off Smart call blocker, see Set Smart call blocker on/off. Call categories Calls are classified into four categories: Welcome calls Welcome calls are calls with telephone numbers saved in your allow list or phonebook, and not in your block list. Welcome calls also include calls with caller names saved in your star name list. NOTES • All incoming calls on your cell lines will get through and ring, unless the caller's numbers are saved in your block list. If you want to block a cell call, add the number to the block list. See Block list. • There are many organizations like schools, medical offices, and pharmacies that use robocalls to communicate important information to you. Robocall uses an autodialer to deliver prerecorded messages. By entering the name of the organizations into the star name list, it ensures these calls will ring through when you only know the caller names but not their numbers. Unwelcome calls Unwelcome calls are calls with telephone numbers saved in your block list, and you want to block their calls. Calls without numbers (for home calls only) Calls without numbers are calls that are "out of area" or with numbers set to "Private". Uncategorized calls (for home calls only) Uncategorized calls include calls with absent caller ID number, calls with numbers that are not in your phonebook, allow list, or block list, or calls with caller ID names that are not in your star name list. NOTE • The allow list stores up to 200 entries, the block list stores up to 1,000 entries, and the star name list stores up to 10 names. Call handling • Smart call blocker is set to on, and to allow all incoming calls by default. When Smart call blocker is on, the first ring of all incoming calls will be muted. • If your phonebook, allow list, star name list and block list are empty when Smart call blocker is on, and you have set to screen calls, the telephone will screen all incoming home calls and asks callers to announce their names or press the pound key (#). • If Smart call blocker is off, all incoming calls ring, including numbers saved in the block list. • If QUIET mode is on, and Smart call blocker is on and in screening mode, all screened home calls will be sent to the answering system after screening. Smart call blocker handles calls in the following ways: Call category Call control Welcome calls • Numbers saved in allow list. • Numbers saved in phonebook. • Numbers not found in block list. • Caller ID names saved in star name list. Allow • The telephone rings when there is an incoming call with number saved in your allow list or phonebook, but not in your block list. Robocalls with caller names saved in your star name list will also ring. • All incoming calls on your cell line will get through and ring. Unwelcome calls • Numbers saved in block list. Block The telephone does not ring when there is an incoming call with number saved in your block list, and the call will be rejected. Call category Call control Unknown calls (for home calls only) • Calls without numbers - Numbers that are "out of area" or set to "Private". • Uncategorized calls - With absent caller ID number. - Numbers not found in phonebook. You can select one of the following five profile options for handling all unknown home calls. Screen unknown The telephone plays the screening announcement, and then ask the caller to say his/her name before the call rings on your telephone. You can then answer the call, and hear the caller's name announced. You can decide whether to accept or reject the call, or to forward the call to the answering system. - Numbers not found Screen robot in allow list. The telephone plays the screening - Numbers not found announcement, and then ask in block list. the caller to press the pound key - With caller ID names (#) before the call rings on your not found in star telephone. You can then answer name list the call. Allow unknown (default settings) The telephone allows these calls to get through and ring. The caller's number, even if it is available, will not be saved to the allow list. Unknown to answering system The telephone forwards these calls to the answering system without ringing. Block unknown The telephone rejects these calls with block announcement without ringing. The caller's number, even if it's available, will not be saved to the block list. NOTE • You can set to screen, allow, or block all unknown home calls without numbers, or unknown home calls with numbers not saved in your phonebook, allow list or star name list. You can also send these calls to the answering system. Allow unknown is the default profile setting. To change the setting, see Set profile. 38 39