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For iPhone users

Scam protection for iPhone: free settings first, then the gaps

Your parent's iPhone already has useful scam defenses, but most are off or set loosely. Turn these on together first. Then see what's still uncovered.

Try it free for 30 daysHow it works

$4.99/month after a 30-day free trial. Gmail today. Outlook and Hotmail in beta.

The short answer

iPhone has free built-in scam protection: Screen Unknown Callers can ask callers their reason or silence them, and Messages can filter texts from unknown senders into a separate list. Neither checks email. OwlGuardian adds AI screening for Gmail and Call My Owl, which checks a screenshot when your parent says "Hey Siri, call my Owl."

The problem

Why this is hard to solve on your own.

The settings are hard to find

Call screening lives under Settings, Apps, Phone. Text filtering lives under Messages. Few people go looking, so the protections sit unused.

Unknown isn't the same as scam

iPhone's filters sort by whether a number is in your parent's contacts. A scam from a spoofed or saved-looking sender can still get through, and your parent's doctor's office may get silenced.

Email is the open door

The iPhone's call and text filters don't screen email. Fake invoices and "account locked" emails land in Mail or Gmail untouched.

How OwlGuardian helps

What it does, in plain English.

  1. Step 1, free: screen unknown callers

    On your parent's iPhone, go to Settings, Apps, Phone, Screen Unknown Callers. Choose "Ask Reason for Calling" so they hear why someone is calling before the phone rings, or "Silence" to send them to voicemail. Save their doctors, pharmacy and family to Contacts first so those calls always ring.

  2. Step 2, free: filter texts from unknown senders

    In Settings, Apps, Messages, scroll to Unknown Senders and turn on screening. Texts from people your parent hasn't messaged go to a separate list. In Messages they can also report spam and block senders.

  3. Step 3: add scam screening for Gmail

    OwlGuardian's AI scans every incoming Gmail message and quarantines likely scams before they're seen. You get an alert as their Trusted Contact and release or keep each one.

  4. Step 4: one phrase for everything else

    Your parent says "Hey Siri, call my Owl" when a text, Facebook message, pop-up or web page looks off. They get a verdict in about five seconds, and they can photograph a letter in the app to check it too.

OwlGuardian home screen showing protection activeThe Trusted Contact's Reviews screen listing four dangerous emails held back from mom@gmail.comCall My Owl checking a screenshot: the owl is hunting threatsCall My Owl flagging a fake USPS message as a scam

Your options

How it compares with other ways to stay safe.

An honest look. Most families use more than one layer.

Option

What it catches

Where it falls short

iPhone Screen Unknown Callers (free)

Calls from numbers not in Contacts. Your parent's phone can ask their reason first or silence them to voicemail.

Based on whether a number is saved, not on scam content. Calls aren't screened while roaming.

iPhone Messages unknown-sender filtering (free)

Texts from people your parent hasn't interacted with go to a separate Unknown Senders list. They can report spam and block senders.

Sorts by sender, not content. Doesn't apply once your parent has replied to a sender several times.

Carrier tools (Verizon Call Filter, T-Mobile Scam Shield, AT&T ActiveArmor)

Free network-level blocking or flagging of spam and scam calls for that carrier's customers.

Calls (and for T-Mobile, texts and websites). No email screening.

OwlGuardian

Scam emails in Gmail, quarantined with a family alert. Screenshot and photo checks with Call My Owl.

Doesn't block calls or texts. Email screening is Gmail today, with Outlook and Hotmail in beta. $4.99 a month after a 30-day trial.

Looking at a specific product? See our comparison pages.

A good fit if

  • Parents with an iPhone and a Gmail address
  • Adult children setting up a parent's new iPhone
  • Parents who like asking Siri for help

Not the right fit if

  • Android phones. OwlGuardian is iPhone only (for now).
  • Replacing iPhone's built-in call and text filters. Keep those on.
  • iCloud Mail or Yahoo email screening. Gmail today, with Outlook and Hotmail in beta; join the waitlist for others.
  • Blocking scam calls. That's what Screen Unknown Callers and your parent's carrier tool are for.

Get started

$4.99 a month. Free for 30 days.

One subscription per person you protect. Set up in about five minutes. Cancel anytime in the App Store.

Which email does the person you're protecting use?

Questions.

Is there scam protection for iPhone?
Yes, built in and free. Screen Unknown Callers handles calls from unsaved numbers, and Messages can filter texts from unknown senders. For email, add a tool that screens your parent's inbox, like OwlGuardian for Gmail.
How do I stop scam calls on my iPhone?
On your parent's iPhone, go to Settings, Apps, Phone, Screen Unknown Callers and choose Ask Reason for Calling or Silence. Also turn on their carrier's free scam call protection.
Does iPhone protect against scam emails?
iPhone's call and text filters don't screen email. Your parent's email provider's spam filter is the main protection. OwlGuardian adds AI quarantine and a family alert for Gmail.
Will Silence Unknown Callers block my doctor?
It can silence any number not in Contacts. Save your parent's doctors, pharmacy, home health and family numbers first, or choose Ask Reason for Calling instead.
Does OwlGuardian work on iPad?
OwlGuardian is listed on the App Store as an iPhone app. Email screening runs on the Gmail account, so it protects that inbox on any device your parent reads it on.

Related

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