How to Block Calls from Other Countries on Android (and Stop Yourself Calling Back)

Calls from numbers in other countries are a common source of spam and scams, and many people who never deal with anyone abroad would rather not receive them at all. The catch is that Android's own phone apps have no switch for "block this country". This guide explains what your phone can block on its own, which apps and carrier services can block foreign numbers, and the one step that protects you even when a call gets through: making sure you can't call the number back.

Steps are current as of October 2026. Menu names vary by phone maker, Android version, region and carrier, and apps and carrier services change. Check the current help page before relying on a block.

1. The short answer

The phone apps that come with Android, Google's Phone app and Samsung's Phone app, cannot block every call from a particular country. What they can do is block single numbers, block calls from private or unidentified numbers, and filter calls they identify as spam.

To block a whole country or a country code, you need either a call-blocking app that offers it (Truecaller, Hiya and others, covered in section 3) or a carrier service that blocks incoming international calls, where your carrier offers one.

Whatever you choose, some foreign calls may still get through. The most effective protection against international call scams is simple: do not call back unknown foreign numbers. That part you can enforce on the outgoing side of your phone, which section 6 explains.

2. What Android can block without an app

Google's Phone app (Pixel and many other phones)

• Block one number: in your call history, tap the call, then Block / report spam.
• Block private and unidentified numbers: tap More (three dots) > Settings > Blocked numbers and turn on Unknown. Google's help page is clear about the limit: you will still receive calls from numbers that are not in your contacts. "Unknown" means a number that is hidden or can't be identified, not any number you don't know.
• Filter spam: in Settings > Caller ID and spam, turn on See caller ID & spam and then Filter spam calls. Filtered calls don't ring, but they still appear in your call history.
• Call Screen: on Pixel phones, in some countries, the Phone app can screen calls from unknown numbers automatically.

Samsung's Phone app (Galaxy phones)

• Block numbers: open Phone > More options (three dots) > Settings > Block numbers, and add numbers there.
• Block private numbers: on the same screen, a switch blocks calls from unknown or private numbers. Its name depends on the region: Samsung's US page calls it "Block calls from unknown numbers", while its India and Latin America pages say "Block unknown/private numbers".
• Spam protection: Caller ID and spam protection has options to block spam and scam calls. Samsung notes that it may not be available on all carriers or models.

What's missing: country codes and prefixes

Neither Google's nor Samsung's current help pages describe blocking calls by country code, or blocking every number that starts with a particular prefix. Their help pages only describe blocking individual numbers, private or unidentified numbers, and spam. So if you want to stop all calls from, say, numbers beginning with one country code, the built-in apps are not the tool for it.

Android itself does leave room for this. It provides a system feature called CallScreeningService, which Android's developer documentation describes as a way for the default phone app "or a third party app to allow or disallow incoming calls before they are shown to a user." That is how call-blocking apps work, and it is why country blocking on Android usually means installing one.

For the full built-in steps on Pixel and Samsung, including how to unblock a number, see How to Block a Number on Android.

3. Block a whole country with an app

• Foreign numbers or country codes ✓
• Works with any carrier
• Relies on the number shown

Several call-blocking apps on Google Play offer blocking by country or by number prefix. Here is what each one's own help page or store listing says it can do. Features, menu names and availability change over time, so check the app itself before installing.

Two approaches show up here. A "foreign numbers" option blocks anything that doesn't look like it comes from your own country, which is the simplest way to block calls from other countries. A prefix filter ("begins with") lets you target specific country codes instead, which suits you if most unwanted calls come from a few places and you still want calls from others. With a prefix filter, check how the app expects the number to be written (with or without the +) so the rule matches incoming calls.

There is a related gap. The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warns that some scam numbers use "area codes that look like they're from inside the U.S., but actually are associated with international phone numbers — often in the Caribbean." These countries share the +1 country code with the US and Canada, so a block based only on the +1 code can't tell them apart.

4. Ask your carrier

• Set on your line, not the phone
• Only some carriers
• Options vary

What standard call barring can do for incoming calls

Mobile networks have a built-in set of call bars defined in the GSM/3GPP standard (3GPP TS 22.088). For incoming calls, it defines only two:

• Barring of all incoming calls (dial code *35*): your phone receives no calls at all. That stops foreign calls, but also every other call.
• Barring of incoming calls when roaming outside your home country (dial code *351*): this applies only while you are abroad. The standard says "the ability to receive calls in the home PLMN country remains unaffected", meaning that at home it changes nothing.

There is no standard bar for incoming international calls only. So standard call barring can't block calls from other countries while still letting local calls in. The full list of barring codes and how the barring password works is in Call Barring Codes.

Carrier services that block incoming international calls

Some carriers build their own option on top of their network. Two examples:

• Singapore: since January 2024, customers of Singtel, M1, StarHub and SIMBA can opt in to block incoming international calls, according to Singapore's Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA).
• United States: Verizon's Call Filter lets customers with an eligible device block all incoming calls from international numbers.

Many carriers have nothing like this, and those that do differ in how it is switched on and what it covers. Ask your own carrier whether it offers a block on incoming international calls, how to turn it on, and whether it covers numbers that share your country code. A carrier block works on the network, so it keeps working when you change phones.

5. Why calling back is the real risk

Many unwanted foreign calls are not meant to be answered. In the "one ring" scam (also called wangiri), your phone rings once or twice from an unfamiliar number and stops. The goal is to make you call back.

The cost is in that callback. The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) warns that the charges "may show up on your bill as premium services, international calling, or toll-calling." The FTC describes the number as "really an international toll number," with "most of the money going to the scammer." The FCC gives 809 (Dominican Republic) and 232 (Sierra Leone) as examples of codes used.

Regulators in different countries give the same advice:

• Australia's Scamwatch: "If you receive an unexpected missed call from an international number you don't recognise, ignore it."
• Ireland's Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg): "Do not call back any number that you do not recognise."
• The FCC: "If you do not make international calls, ask your phone company to block outgoing international calls on your line."

6. Make the callback impossible

You can't always stop a foreign number from calling you: built-in apps can't block a country, app filters depend on the number shown, and carrier options are limited. But you can make sure the callback never connects. There are three ways to do that on Android.

Outgoing international call barring

Call barring also has an outgoing category: barring of outgoing international calls. Dial *331*PW# (PW is your four-digit barring password) or turn on International calls under Call barring in your Phone app's settings. Every call to another country is then refused by your carrier's network. It needs a barring password and only works if your carrier supports it. Codes and passwords: Call Barring Codes.

A carrier block on outgoing international calls

Some carriers can block outgoing international calls on your line from your account or by phone, which is what the FCC recommends if you don't make international calls. What is covered differs by carrier, so ask about exceptions.

NoDial's International call blocking

NoDial is an Android app that blocks outgoing calls to the numbers you choose. Its International call blocking stops every outgoing call to a country other than your SIM's country on the phone, before the call connects. It judges by country rather than by the number's prefix, so +1 numbers dialed to Caribbean countries count as international too. You can choose any countries you still want to call, and they stay open.

1. Install NoDial and let it handle call redirection when Android asks (a one-time prompt).
2. Turn on International call blocking.
3. If you want, add the countries you don't want blocked.

It runs on your phone rather than on the carrier's network, so it needs no barring password and works with any carrier. Changes take effect right away, and emergency calls are never blocked. If there is only one foreign number you want to stop yourself calling, NoDial can block just that number instead.

None of these outgoing blocks act on calls made inside internet apps such as WhatsApp. For every outgoing method compared side by side, see How to Block International Calls on Android.

7. Every method compared

For most people, the practical setup combines one incoming method with one outgoing method: a spam filter or call-blocking app to cut down the calls you see, plus an outgoing international block so that any foreign call that does get through can't cost you anything.

8. FAQ

Can Android block calls from a specific country?

Not with the built-in phone apps. Google's and Samsung's help pages only describe blocking individual numbers, private or unidentified numbers, and spam. To block by country or country code, use a call-blocking app that offers it, such as Truecaller's "Numbers from foreign countries" option, or ask your carrier whether it can block incoming international calls.

How do I block a country code on Android?

Use a call-blocking app with a prefix or country-code rule. Truecaller has a country-code blocklist, Hiya has "Numbers that begin with" in its Block List, and Calls Blacklist has a "Begins with" filter. Google's and Samsung's Phone apps do not describe a country-code block.

Does "block unknown numbers" stop calls from other countries?

No. On Google's Phone app, "Unknown" blocks private or unidentified numbers, and Google notes you will still receive calls from numbers not in your contacts. A foreign number that shows its caller ID still rings.

Can my carrier block all incoming international calls?

Some can. Standard call barring has no bar for incoming international calls only, but some carriers offer their own option: for example, Singtel, M1, StarHub and SIMBA in Singapore, and Verizon's Call Filter in the US for customers with an eligible device. Ask your carrier what it offers.

What should I do after a missed call from an unknown foreign number?

Don't call it back. Australia's Scamwatch advises ignoring unexpected missed calls from international numbers you don't recognise, and Ireland's ComReg says not to call back any number you do not recognise. One-ring scams make money when you return the call.

Does NoDial block incoming calls from other countries?

No. NoDial blocks only outgoing calls. Its International call blocking stops your own calls to other countries, except countries you choose, so a missed call from abroad can't turn into a callback.

9. Summary

• Built in: block single numbers, private or unidentified numbers, and spam. No country-code blocking described.
• Apps: Truecaller, Hiya, Should I Answer? and Calls Blacklist offer foreign-number or prefix blocking. Numbers can be disguised, so some calls get through.
• Carriers: standard barring has no incoming-international-only bar. Some carriers offer one; ask yours.
• The real risk is the callback. Regulators in the US, Australia and Ireland all say not to return unknown calls.
• Outgoing protection: *331* call barring, a carrier international block, or NoDial's International call blocking, which keeps the countries you choose open. NoDial does not block incoming calls.

NoDial: block calls to the numbers you choseOne number, or everything except a few.

Sources

• Google Phone app Help, "Block or unblock phone numbers" (Block / report spam; Blocked numbers > Unknown blocks private or unidentified numbers; calls from numbers not in your contacts still come through) support.google.com
• Google Phone app Help, "See caller ID & spam" (Caller ID and spam; Filter spam calls; filtered calls appear in call history) support.google.com
• Google Phone app Help, "Check who's calling with Call Screen" (automatic screening on Pixel, in some countries) support.google.com
• Samsung US, "Block numbers on your Galaxy phone" (Phone > More options > Settings > Block numbers; Block calls from unknown numbers) samsung.com
• Samsung India, "How to block calls on Samsung" (Block unknown/private numbers) samsung.com
• Samsung US, "Caller ID and spam protection" (block spam and scam calls; may not be available on all carriers or models) samsung.com
• Android Developers, "CallScreeningService" (lets the default dialer or a third-party app allow or disallow incoming calls) developer.android.com
• Android Developers, "CallRedirectionService" (the system role an app uses to modify or cancel outgoing calls) developer.android.com
• Truecaller Support, "How to use Truecaller to automatically block spam and fraud calls" (Numbers from foreign countries; country-code blocklist) support.truecaller.com
• Hiya Support, "How to block spam calls from specific area codes and prefixes" (Block List > + > Numbers that begin with) hiya.com
• Google Play, "Should I Answer?" (block hidden, foreign or premium rate numbers) play.google.com
• Google Play, "Calls Blacklist" (Begins with filter) play.google.com
• ETSI TS 122 088 (3GPP TS 22.088) V10.0.0, "Call Barring (CB) supplementary services" (barring of all incoming calls; barring of incoming calls when roaming outside the home PLMN country) etsi.org
• ETSI TS 122 030 (3GPP TS 22.030) V17.0.0, "Man-Machine Interface (MMI) of the User Equipment" (call barring service codes) etsi.org
• IMDA, "Opt to block incoming international calls", Annex A (Singtel, M1, StarHub and SIMBA; from January 2024) imda.gov.sg
• Verizon, "How to use Call Filter" (block all incoming calls from international numbers, eligible devices) verizon.com
• FCC, "'One Ring' Phone Scam" (charges as premium or international calling; 809 and 232 examples; ask your phone company to block outgoing international calls) fcc.gov
• FTC Consumer Advice, "'One-ring' cell phone scam can ding your wallet" (Caribbean area codes that look domestic) consumer.ftc.gov
• FTC Consumer Advice, "Get a one-ring call? Don't call back." (international toll number; most of the money goes to the scammer) consumer.ftc.gov
• Scamwatch (Australia), "Unexpected missed calls from overseas numbers" (ignore unexpected missed calls from international numbers you don't recognise) scamwatch.gov.au
• ComReg (Ireland), "Scam calls" (do not call back any number that you do not recognise) comreg.ie

Apps, phone makers and carriers change their features and menus. Check the current help page before relying on a block.