Tired of unwanted calls? You can now identify the source of spam calls with this free app

If your phone rings at the worst possible moment – while you’re eating, working, or just trying to relax – and it’s yet another unwanted sales pitch, you’re not alone.

Even though spam calls are supposed to be prohibited, they remain a common nuisance.

Now, a free Android and iPhone app helps users regain control. Truecaller has millions of users who rely on it to instantly identify and block unwanted phone calls.

Spain continues to fight phone spam

Even though Spanish phone numbers are under stricter regulation, scams and commercial calls continue to flood the country. Many of these calls are made by automated systems or foreign numbers that can be difficult to track. It often starts innocently, with something like signing up for a contest online or visiting a website.

Once your number ends up in a commercial database, it’s fair game for marketing campaigns – and the calls can be relentless.

Spain has offered for many years a way of reducing them through the Robinson ListThe Spanish Association of Digital Economy, ADigital, offers a platform that is free to use. Signing up at listarobinson.es lets people choose which channels – phone, email or SMS – they don’t want to receive advertising from.

Companies are required by law to check this list before they call. What’s the problem? This rule does not apply to you if you already have a service contract. Your internet provider may still call you even if you have asked them not to.

Truecaller identifies spam calls

Truecaller can help. Truecaller is different from the Robinson List which only prevents certain numbers from calling. Truecaller shows you the caller in real-time, even if it’s not saved in your contact list.

When someone rings, the app searches its massive, global database and flashes up the caller’s identity – ‘Spam,’ ‘Telemarketing,’ ‘Possible Scam‘ – so you can decide whether to pick up.

The strength of its system is that it’s community-powered. The reports that are generated by users who mark a phone number as spam help millions of people to become aware. Truecaller constantly learns from this collective effort and gets better at identifying nuisance calls.

The app is available for both Android and iOS. Like most similar apps, Truecaller does request permission to access call history and contact information, which has sparked some privacy debates. Truecaller says the data is anonymised. It’s only used to increase detection accuracy.

The path to quiet and peace

Between the Robinson List and Truecaller, people in Spain finally have real tools to fight back against unwanted calls – though no system is perfect. Experts agree on the need for greater awareness of this problem and more stringent enforcement.

It’s still a win for those who have rolled their eyelids at another unknown number that lights up their screen. And next time your phone rings during lunch, at least you’ll know who’s on the other end – before you even say hello.