You too, are you fed up with these dozens of unwanted calls linked to telephone canvassing? And like many French people, you probably try to dodge them by simply no longer taking calls from unknown numbers.
However, solutions exist to protect yourself against this scourge. But not all of them are as effective as we would like. This is particularly true for Bloctel, a free service set up by the government to allow consumers to register their numbers on a dedicated list to oppose telephone canvassing. Unfortunately, this service has its limits since some canvassers seem to completely ignore it.
Smartphone manufacturers that offer their own telephone application have, for the most part, all integrated options to filter unwanted calls and block unknown numbers that try to contact you. This is the case, for example, with Google's native Phone application.
Nevertheless, these remain very limited, and the canvassers, who have very wide ranges of numbers available, do not hesitate to switch from one number to another (that you have not blocked) to call you.
Since January 2024, Arcep has implemented a new numbering plan assigned to canvassers. In metropolitan France, all numbers beginning with 0162, 0163, 0270, 0271, 0377, 0378, 0424, 0425, 0568, 0569, 0948 and 0949 are used for commercial canvassing.
For Guadeloupe, St-Martin and St-Barthélemy, the prefix used begins with 09475. Canvassers must also use the prefix 09476 for Guyana, 09477 for Martinique, 09478 for Reunion, and 09479 for Mayotte. Based on this observation, it therefore seems simple to block unwanted calls since it would be enough to block all the numbers starting with these prefixes to finally have peace.
To do this, you need to find an application that offers this possibility: this is what the Prefix Block application offers on Android. This application promises not to collect any personal data if we refer to what its developer declared to Google on the Play Store. Above all, unlike other applications of this type, it does not need to be configured as the default telephone application. However, it must be set as the default application for displaying the caller's number and spam. You can therefore continue to use your usual Telephone application.
1. Download Prefix Blocker
Start by downloading Prefix Blocker on your Android smartphone. This free app aims to prevent callers from contacting you by automatically blocking entire ranges of numbers.
2. Set the default app
Open the app. The first screen that appears briefly introduces the app and its publisher. Tap Next. The next page explains that, in order to work, the app must be set as the default app for displaying the caller's number and spam. So tap Set default app and then, when the pop-up appears, select the Blocker prefix app and choose to Set as default.
3. Grant permissions
In order for the app to check if callers’ numbers are saved in your address book, and thus avoid blocking them, it needs a number of permissions.
Tap Grant necessary permissions and then choose to Allow Prefix Blocker to access your contacts, as well as manage your phone calls. Finally, tap Continue, then Go to app.
4. Add a blacklist
Now that you are on the Prefix Blocker home page, go to the Blocked section and, in the Blacklist tab, press the Add button. Then select Prefix and, in the new page that appears, at the top of the screen, enter the first prefix to block starting with the area code +33 and removing the first zero. You should end up with the prefix +33162. Press Add to add it to your blocklist.
Repeat this operation for each of the dialing prefixes to block (for metropolitan France):
- +33162
- +33163
- +33270
- +33271
- +33377
- +33378
- +33424
- +33425
- +33568
- +33569
- +33948
- +33949
Once your blacklist is correctly filled out, you should no longer receive unwanted calls on your smartphone from numbers starting with these prefixes. The canvassers will be automatically redirected to your voicemail, and their blocked call will be added to the application's call log.
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