Google Call Screen, iPhone call screening and Nexus compared

Google Call Screen on Pixel phones and Call Screening on iPhones with iOS 26 or later come with the phone, and both can ask unknown callers why they're calling before your phone rings. Silence Unknown Callers is simpler: unknown numbers just go to voicemail. Nexus is a paid service for Android and iPhone that screens calls, refuses hidden numbers and shares spam numbers across members' lines.

Google Call Screen (Pixel phones)

Call Screen answers and asks who's calling and why. On Pixel phones in the US and a few other countries, it can screen automatically and hang up on spam, then ring for other calls and show what the caller said. People in your contacts aren't screened.

iPhone Call Screening (Ask Reason for Calling)

iOS 26 added Call Screening. With Ask Reason for Calling turned on, your iPhone answers unknown numbers quietly, then rings and shows the caller's name and reason. A separate Spam switch silences calls your carrier identifies as potential spam or fraud.

Silence Unknown Callers

Numbers not saved in your contacts go to voicemail without ringing, and still show in your recent calls. Real callers with new numbers, like a doctor's office, don't ring either, and nobody asks who they are.

Side by side

Carrier apps here means AT&T ActiveArmor, Verizon Call Filter and T-Mobile Scam Shield, which vary by plan.

How they compare
	Google Call Screen	iPhone Call Screening	Silence Unknown Callers	Samsung Smart Call	Carrier apps	Nexus
Cost	Comes with the phone	Comes with the phone	Comes with the phone	Built into the Phone app	Free basic tier on many plans; paid tiers add more	Paid; price on the wait list page
Phones	Pixel (automatic, in a few countries); some other Android phones (manual, US and Canada)	iPhone with iOS 26 or later	iPhone	Samsung Galaxy; not on every carrier or model	Phones on that carrier; varies by plan	Android and iPhone
Who answers unknown callers	Google's Call Assist, on the phone itself	Your iPhone, which asks for a name and reason	Nobody; calls go to voicemail	Nobody; spam and scam calls are blocked	Nobody; suspected spam is labeled, blocked or sent to voicemail	The Nexus assistant, for most callers you don't know
No-caller-ID calls	Can be blocked in the Phone app (Blocked numbers, Unknown)	Not stated by Apple	Not stated by Apple	Can be blocked (Block numbers, Block calls from unknown numbers)	Varies by plan	Refused
Shared spam list	Google's spam data; you can mark numbers as spam	The Spam switch uses your carrier's spam labels	No	Smart Call's spam and scam data	The carrier's own spam and fraud detection	Yes: numbers caught on more than one member's line, plus public FTC complaint numbers
Works on texts	No	No	No	Not stated by Samsung	Varies by plan	No, calls only
Setup	Phone app, Settings, Spam and Call Screen	Settings, Apps, Phone, Ask Reason for Calling	Settings, Apps, Phone, Silence	Phone app, Settings, Caller ID and spam protection	Some is on already; some is turned on in the carrier's app	Carrier call forwarding to an included Nexus number; on Android, an app from the Nexus website
Main limit	Automatic only on Pixel; off while roaming; Google says not to use automatic screening with call forwarding, and that not all spam is detected	Needs iOS 26 or later; calls aren't screened while roaming	Real callers with new numbers don't ring, and nobody asks who they are	If set to only block high-risk calls, other spam still rings; nobody asks who's calling	The FTC says not all scam calls get flagged; caller ID costs extra on some carriers	Not on Google Play (installed from the Nexus website); needs carrier call forwarding (carrier charges, if any, apply); invite-only wait list; calls only, not texts; no screening catches every scam.

Which should you choose?

If you have a Pixel, or an iPhone on iOS 26 or later, try the built-in screening first. It's already on your phone and may be all you need.

Silence suits people who rarely get calls from new numbers and check voicemail often.

Nexus may suit you if you want the same screening across a family's phones, Android or iPhone, want hidden-number calls refused, or want spam caught on other members' lines blocked for you too. Whatever you use, the FTC says to report unwanted calls at DoNotCall.gov.

How Nexus handles it

People in your contacts always ring and are never blocked. Numbers on the spam list are refused, and most callers you don't know are asked who they are before your phone rings. An automated assistant tells them the call is being screened and may be transcribed, and asks who's calling and why. Anthropic's Claude reads what they say to decide.

Real callers are put through or leave a voicemail turned into text you can read. Calls with no caller ID are refused. A number caught as spam on more than one member's line, plus numbers from public FTC complaints, is blocked for everyone. Only the number is shared, never what was said.

Nexus works on Android and iPhone, and you keep your own number and carrier. More about how it works is on the About page.

Nexus is invite-only. The price is on the wait list page, and you can cancel yourself any time.

Common questions

Do I need a new iPhone for call screening?

You need iOS 26 or later, which added Ask Reason for Calling. If your iPhone can't run it, you can still silence unknown callers, block numbers and ask your carrier about its call blocking tools.

Can I use Silence Unknown Callers with Nexus?

Yes. On iPhone, Nexus setup has you choose Apple's Silence setting, not Ask Reason for Calling, and turn on call forwarding. Calls from numbers you don't know then go to Nexus instead of plain voicemail. People in your contacts still ring.

Sources

Written by Noah, who builds Nexus call screening in North Carolina.

Last updated 2026-11-09. This page is general information, not legal or financial advice. To report a scam, visit reportfraud.ftc.gov.