Understanding Call Screening
PhoneShield team
The people who build and run PhoneShield
Written and kept current by the team behind PhoneShield, a sister company of Byte Federal, whose staff spent years meeting scam victims at cryptocurrency ATMs with the scammer still on the line.
In this article
Introduction
Call screening is what PhoneShield does: it puts a front desk in front of your phone so that scam calls never ring you, the people you care about always do, and everyone else is sorted by what they say. This guide explains how it works and how to set it up.
What is Call Screening?
Your phone forwards to a PhoneShield number. Known scam numbers are refused before the call is even answered. Favorites ring you at once. Everyone else meets the front desk, a pre-rendered voice that asks who they are and why they are calling. A small model classifies the answer, and your screening mode decides what happens next.
How It Works
- A call to your number is forwarded to PhoneShield
- Known scam numbers are refused before answering, at no cost
- Favorites ring you straight through with a whisper naming them
- Everyone else meets the front desk and says who they are and why
- A small model classifies the intent, and your mode decides what happens next
Benefits
- Scam and spam calls never ring you
- You know who it is before you pick up
- Callers you did not take leave a message you can act on
- Your number stays the same; nobody has to learn a new one
- Fewer interruptions through the day
Screening Modes
Blocking and favorites work the same in every mode. The mode decides what happens to everyone else:
Open
The front desk vets the caller, then rings you with a whisper saying who it is and why. If you do not answer, or the call lands on your own voicemail, PhoneShield notices and takes a message instead.
- Vetted calls ring your private line
- Whisper names the caller before you accept
- Voicemail detection keeps messages in PhoneShield, not on your phone
Do not disturb
Nothing rings you except favorites. Everyone else is asked what it is about and a transcribed message is taken; obvious spam is politely declined.
- Favorites still ring straight through
- Other callers leave a message you read later
- Messages are delivered to your channels as they come in
Receptionist
Your assistant, Nora by default, answers. She speaks first, already knows why the caller said they were calling, and can connect them to you, answer from her knowledge, save a structured message, or flag spam and hang up after the goodbye.
- Real conversation, with your instructions and knowledge
- Connects the caller to you when it is worth it
- Saves a message with name, callback number and what they need
Switching modes
Change the mode any time on Shield settings. It takes effect on the next call. There is no schedule; switching is a deliberate act, which is the point.
Setting Up Call Screening
Everything lives on the Shield settings page:
- Choose a mode
Open, Do not disturb, or Receptionist.
- Set and verify your private line
The phone vetted calls ring. PhoneShield calls it and reads you a code to confirm it is yours.
- Forward the phone people call, and test it
Dial the carrier code shown on the page, then use “Test that forwarding is on” for a loop-back call.
- Name your assistant and pick a voice
Nora by default; the voices are Marin and Cedar.
- Write the greeting and the message prompt
What callers hear first, and what they hear when a message is being taken.
- Save
Changes apply to the next call.
Two places, one assistant
The Shield settings page sets mode, voice and what the front desk says. Her instructions, personality, language, speech speed, knowledge and conditional responses live in the AI profile. Configure both.
Favorites, Block Lists and Reports
Favorites
The people who always get through:
- Ring you straight through, skipping the front desk
- A whisper names them before you accept
- Work the same in every mode, including Do not disturb
Contacts
Names for numbers you know:
- Call history and messages show the name, not just the number
- The whisper and your assistant use it
- Contacts still meet the front desk unless they are favorites
Block lists
Numbers refused before answering, at no cost:
- Your own block list
- The shared block list, built from confident scam verdicts and customer reports, with the reason shown
- Numbers with repeated FTC Do Not Call complaints in the last 30 days
- “Allow for me” lets a shared-list number through for your account only
Report a number
When a scam reaches the front desk anyway:
- Report it from Shield settings or the call’s detail
- Choose the reason
- The number joins the shared block list for everyone
More on how the lists are built in How the shared block list works.
Outcomes, Notifications and Analytics
Everything the front desk does is written down:
Call History
Every call, with its outcome and the reason:
- BLOCKED: refused before answering (your list, the shared list, or FTC complaints)
- SHIELDED: met the front desk and was declined
- RANG YOU: rang your private line, with the whisper
- MESSAGE: a transcribed message was taken
- ASSISTANT: your assistant handled the call
Call Details
Open a call to see:
- What the caller said at the front desk and the classified intent
- The transcript or the assistant conversation
- FTC Do Not Call complaint counts for the number
- A “Prepare FTC complaint” button, and a CSV export that prepares complaints in bulk
- Block or report the number from here
Review and refine
Look through call history in the first week. If a caller you wanted was declined, add them to Favorites; if a scam got a message taken, report it. The front desk gets better with both.
Best Practices for Call Screening
Start in Open mode
If you are new to PhoneShield, start in Open mode to hear the whisper and see how the front desk sorts calls. Switch to Do not disturb or Receptionist once you trust it.
Write clear instructions
Tell your assistant, in her AI profile, how to treat callers and what to collect. Specific beats long.
Keep Favorites current
Family, your doctor, the school, your best customers. Favorites ring you straight through in every mode.
Report what gets through
If a scam reaches the front desk, report the number. It goes on the shared block list and is refused for everyone from then on.
Related Articles
Ready to try PhoneShield?
Start screening your calls today and take back control of your phone.