How to Only Allow Calls from Contacts on Android (Block Everyone Else) (2026)

You want your phone to ring for the people you've saved, and stay quiet for everyone else. On an iPhone that's one switch, Silence Unknown Callers. On Android there is no single switch with that name, and the settings that look like it do different things: some only hide the ring, some send the caller to voicemail, and a few actually refuse the call. Which one you get depends on whether you have a Pixel, a Samsung Galaxy, a Xiaomi, or Google Fi service. This guide goes through each route — what to tap, what the caller experiences, what shows up in your call history — and then the part most guides skip: who you'll cut off along with the strangers, and how to let those people back through.

NoCall: Blacklist Call BlockerBlock unwanted calls before they ring.

NoDial: Block Outgoing CallsBlocks calls to numbers you choose

Steps are current as of October 2026. Menu names vary by phone maker, carrier, and Android version. Where a step comes from a maker's or carrier's help page, the Sources list at the end says which.

1. The short answer

Pick the line that matches what you want to happen to a call from a number you haven't saved.

• It shouldn't ring, but I'll find it in voicemail or my history later — use Do Not Disturb and limit calls to your contacts. Settings → Modes → Do Not Disturb → People (Pixel); Settings → Notifications → Do not disturb → Calls and messages → Calls (Samsung). Works on almost every Android phone. Section 3.
• It should be blocked, and I have a Samsung Galaxy — Phone app → ⋮ → Settings → Block numbers → Block calls from unknown numbers. Samsung describes this switch as blocking "numbers that are not saved in your contacts or identified by Smart Call". Section 4.
• It should be blocked, and I have a Xiaomi — Security app → Blocklist, then the rule for calls from strangers (numbers not in your contacts). Only on phones that use Xiaomi's own dialer. Section 5.
• I'm on Google Fi — the Fi app has a dedicated switch: calls from numbers not in your contacts go straight to voicemail, texts are blocked. Section 6.
• It should be rejected before it rings, on any Android phone, with a short list of exceptions — an app such as NoCall: turn on "Block numbers not in contacts", add the delivery driver or the clinic to a Never block list. Section 7.

2. "Only contacts" on Android means one of three things

Every method in this article uses the same test — is the caller's number in my contacts? — but they do three different things with a caller who fails it. It's worth separating them before you choose, because the wrong one is either too soft (the call still lands) or too hard (you never learn that someone tried).

• Silence. The phone doesn't ring, vibrate, or wake the screen, but the call is connected normally: it rings out on the caller's side, goes to your voicemail, and appears in your call history as missed. This is what Do Not Disturb does. The caller doesn't know they've been filtered.
• Divert. The network sends the call to voicemail without ringing your phone. Google Fi's contacts-only setting works this way. The caller hears your greeting; your phone stays silent.
• Reject. The call is refused before your phone rings. Samsung's unknown-number switch, Xiaomi's Blocklist, and apps built on Android's call-screening role do this. The caller typically hears a busy tone or a short ring and then nothing; there's no voicemail, and the only record is in whatever tool did the rejecting.

For comparison, Apple's Silence Unknown Callers is a silence: Apple's page says calls from unknown numbers "are silenced, sent to voicemail, and displayed on the Recents list", and that numbers in your contacts, recent outgoing calls, and Siri Suggestions still ring. If you're looking for the Android equivalent of that iPhone setting, it's Method 1. If you were hoping the iPhone setting would block strangers and were disappointed, it's Methods 2, 3, or 5.

3. Method 1 — Do Not Disturb limited to your contacts (Pixel, Samsung, most phones)

What it does: silences calls from anyone outside the group you choose. Available on practically every Android phone, with no app and no permission to grant.

On a Pixel (and most phones running Google's version of Android): open Settings → Modes → Do Not Disturb. Google's help page describes the controls under "Notification filters": a People setting to "block or allow calls, messages, or conversations", and a separate Allow repeat callers switch "to let a call through if the same person calls twice in 15 minutes". Under People, choose who may call — your contacts, or a narrower group such as starred contacts, depending on the phone. Google notes that "settings can vary by phone", so the exact labels on a Pixel, a Motorola, and a OnePlus won't match word for word, but the People / Calls option is in the same place on all of them.

On a Samsung Galaxy: open Settings → Notifications → Do not disturb, then Calls and messages. Samsung's page describes this as "Allow calls and messages from your desired contacts, as well as repeat callers." Tap Calls and pick Contacts only (the list also offers All, Favorite contacts only, and None, with wording that varies slightly by One UI version). Turn on Repeat callers if you want a second call within 15 minutes to ring through.

Then turn Do Not Disturb on — from the quick-settings tile, or from the same screen. You can also schedule it, but for a permanent contacts-only phone you'll leave it on all the time.

What happens to an unsaved caller: their call connects, rings out, and goes to voicemail. Your phone stays dark and silent. The call shows in your history as missed, and you'll get the normal missed-call notification once you look at the phone. Nothing tells the caller they were filtered.

The catch: Do Not Disturb isn't a phone filter, it's a mode. Leaving it on silences everything else it covers — message notifications, app alerts, and on some phones alarms and reminders — unless you go through the other Notification filters and allow them one by one. On a Pixel you can do that (allow all apps, allow alarms, allow messages from anyone) and end up with a mode that only affects calls. On other phones it's less flexible. If you find yourself missing texts because Do Not Disturb is on, that's the reason.

4. Method 2 — Samsung: Block calls from unknown numbers

What it does: refuses calls from unsaved numbers, using Samsung's Smart Call feature in the Phone app.

Path: open the Phone app → More options (⋮) → Settings → Block numbers → turn on the switch next to Block calls from unknown numbers.

Samsung's support pages are unusually direct about what this switch covers. The Smart Call page says: "To block incoming calls from numbers that are not saved in your contacts or identified by Smart Call, tap the switch next to Block calls from unknown numbers to turn it on." The blocking page says: "You can use Smart Call to block unknown numbers that are not in your contacts." In other words, on a Galaxy, "unknown" is used in the everyday sense — a number you don't have saved — not in the Google Phone app's narrower sense of a hidden number. Reports from Galaxy owners are mixed, though: on some models and carriers the switch is found to catch only hidden numbers.

Two cautions. First, Samsung says "Smart Call may not be available with certain carriers", so the switch (or the Smart Call identification part of it) may be missing on a carrier-branded Galaxy. Second, the phrase "or identified by Smart Call" means a business or service that Samsung's caller-ID database recognises can still ring through even though it isn't in your contacts; Samsung doesn't publish a list of what counts. If you want to be sure what your own phone does, have a friend whose number you haven't saved call you once with the switch on. It takes thirty seconds and settles it for your model and carrier.

What happens to an unsaved caller: the call is rejected on your phone before it rings. Samsung's pages don't describe what the caller hears, and they don't say whether a rejected call appears in your call history.

5. Method 3 — Xiaomi: the Blocklist's strangers rule

What it does: refuses calls from numbers not in your contacts, through the Blocklist in Xiaomi's Security app.

Path: Xiaomi's support page "How to enable Blocklist?" gives the entry point: open Security → Blocklist, tap the settings icon at the upper-right, and enable Blocklist. Inside the call-blocking rules, Xiaomi's own community guides describe an option to block calls from strangers — calls from any number not in your contacts — and, on some versions, a broader rule that only allows contacts and numbers on an exceptions list. The exact labels differ between MIUI and HyperOS versions and between regions.

The catch: this rule belongs to Xiaomi's own dialer. Xiaomi phones sold in many markets ship with Google's Phone app instead, and on those the Blocklist's call rules are reduced or absent. If your Phone app's settings look like a Pixel's (Caller ID and spam, Blocked numbers → Unknown), you have the Google dialer, and the route that applies to you is Method 1 or Method 5.

What happens to an unsaved caller: the call is refused and logged in the Blocklist's own history, not in the Phone app's. Community descriptions say the caller is told the line is busy.

6. Method 4 — Google Fi: contacts-only at the network

What it does: on Google Fi, diverts calls from unsaved numbers to voicemail and blocks their texts, before anything reaches the phone.

Path: open the Google Fi app → under Phone Settings tap Privacy & security → under Spam and contact settings tap Manage contact settings → turn on Only receive calls and texts from your phone contacts.

Fi's help page states the effect plainly: "Calls from numbers not in your contact list go straight to voicemail and texts are blocked." It also lists the exceptions that make this safer than it sounds: "If you make a 911 call, 'Only receive calls and texts from your phone contacts' turns off for 48 hours to allow callbacks from unknown first responders", you can still call and text anyone yourself, and "text messages from short-codes are automatically allowed", so verification codes still arrive.

What happens to an unsaved caller: they hear your voicemail greeting. Your phone never rings. Because this happens on the network, it works the same on any phone you put your Fi SIM in, and it doesn't depend on Do Not Disturb being on.

This is the cleanest version of "only contacts" on Android — but only if you're a Fi customer. Other carriers' spam tools (Verizon Call Filter, AT&T ActiveArmor, T-Mobile Scam Shield) filter by spam reputation, not by your contact list.

7. Method 5 — An app that rejects numbers not in your contacts

What it does: on any Android phone, refuses calls from unsaved numbers before they ring, and keeps a short list of exceptions that always ring.

Android lets one app act as the phone's call screener (the same role the Google Phone app's spam filter uses). An app in that role sees each incoming number, checks it against your contacts on the phone, and rejects it if there's no match — before the ringtone starts. The practical advantages over the built-in methods are that it works whatever the phone brand, it filters only calls (messages and app notifications are untouched), and it can keep exceptions that aren't contacts.

NoCall is our app for this. The switch is Block numbers not in contacts, and the in-app text describes the behaviour: "Calls from numbers that are not in your contacts are rejected before they ring. Your contacts are checked on your phone only — never stored or sent." It needs the contacts permission to do the lookup, and it only reads; it doesn't upload your address book. Alongside it is a Never block list: "Calls from these numbers always ring, even when you block calls from abroad, numbers not in your contacts, or all calls." The app itself suggests what to put there — "Deliveries, clinics and booking call-backs may not be in your contacts. You can add them to Never block." Rejected calls are listed in NoCall's history with the reason, so you can see who tried. Blocking numbers not in contacts is part of NoCall Premium.

What happens to an unsaved caller: the call is rejected before your phone rings, and it's recorded in the app's history. No voicemail is left. The caller typically hears a busy signal or a brief ring and then nothing.

What it can't do: any contacts-based reject, including this one, can't tell a legitimate first-time caller from a nuisance one. Both are "not in contacts". That's why the exceptions list matters more than the switch.

8. Side-by-side comparison

9. Which method fits your situation?

• "I just don't want to be interrupted, and I'll check voicemail." Do Not Disturb limited to contacts, with Allow repeat callers on. It's reversible in one tap and you lose nothing.
• "I'm getting calls at all hours and I want them gone, not silenced." A reject: Samsung's switch if you have a Galaxy and it's available on your carrier, Xiaomi's Blocklist if you have Xiaomi's dialer, otherwise an app (Method 5). Before you turn it on, write down who legitimately calls you from numbers you haven't saved and add them — see Section 10.
• "I'm setting this up for a parent or relative who gets scam calls." Do Not Disturb is often enough and it never loses a message. If they're being worn down by repeated calls, use a reject with a Never block list that includes their doctor, pharmacy, and the people who drive them around.
• "I'm on Google Fi." Use Fi's switch. It's the only option that also handles texts, and it keeps the 911 callback and verification-code exceptions for you.
• "I want strangers blocked but I still need deliveries and appointment callbacks." An app with an exceptions list (Method 5). Add the courier's and the clinic's numbers to Never block before the day they're due to call.
• "I want to be unreachable except by a few people." That's a narrower filter than contacts — starred contacts in Do Not Disturb, or, in NoCall, block all calls with a Never block list of the few. We cover that in How to Block All Incoming Calls on Android.

10. Who you'll miss — and how to let them through

"Only contacts" sounds like it keeps everyone you know and drops everyone you don't. In practice the second group includes people you very much want to hear from. Before you turn any reject on, go through this list.

• Callbacks from businesses you contacted. You call a company's main number; they ring you back from a direct line or a mobile that isn't saved. Apple exempts "recent outgoing calls" for exactly this reason; the Android methods above don't. If you're expecting a callback, save the number you dialled and ask them which number they'll call from.
• Deliveries and drivers. Couriers call from their personal phones. A rejected call usually means a missed delivery, not a second attempt. Add the courier's number to Never block (or your contacts) on delivery day, or switch the filter off until the parcel arrives.
• Clinics, schools, and employers. Many route outgoing calls through a switchboard, so the number that calls you isn't the one you saved. Save the switchboard number as well, or, if they withhold it entirely, know that hidden numbers are a separate setting (see How to Block Unknown and Private Numbers on Android).
• Your bank's fraud department, and verification calls. Voice calls carrying a one-time code will be rejected or silenced like any other unsaved number. Use text-message or app-based codes where you can; on Google Fi, short-code texts are exempt.
• New people. The recruiter, the landlord, the person you gave your number to yesterday. Save new numbers as soon as you're given them, not when they call.
• Emergency callbacks. If you call emergency services, the dispatcher may call back from an unsaved number. Google Fi switches its filter off for 48 hours after a 911 call. The other methods don't; if you've just made an emergency call, turn the filter off yourself.

Three habits that make a contacts-only phone workable: keep an exceptions list (Never block in NoCall; starred contacts or repeat callers in Do Not Disturb); check the tool's history once a day so a rejected call from someone real isn't lost; and keep the filter easy to switch off for the afternoon you're expecting a call. The methods that silence rather than reject (1 and 4) leave voicemail as a safety net; the ones that reject (2, 3, 5) don't, so the history and the exceptions list are doing all the work.

11. Turning it back off

• Do Not Disturb — tap the quick-settings tile, or Settings → Modes → Do Not Disturb → Turn off (Pixel); Settings → Notifications → Do not disturb → off (Samsung). Your People / Calls choice is kept for next time.
• Samsung Block calls from unknown numbers — Phone → ⋮ → Settings → Block numbers → switch off.
• Xiaomi Blocklist — Security → Blocklist → settings icon → turn off the strangers rule, or Blocklist itself.
• Google Fi — Fi app → Privacy & security → Manage contact settings → switch off "Only receive calls and texts from your phone contacts".
• NoCall — open the app and switch off Block numbers not in contacts. Your Never block list and block list stay as they were.

12. FAQ

How do I only allow calls from contacts on Android?

Turn on Do Not Disturb and limit calls to your contacts: Settings → Modes → Do Not Disturb → People (Pixel) or Settings → Notifications → Do not disturb → Calls and messages → Calls → Contacts only (Samsung). Unsaved callers are silenced and go to voicemail. To refuse them instead, use Samsung's Block calls from unknown numbers switch, Xiaomi's Blocklist, Google Fi's contacts-only setting, or an app such as NoCall.

Does Android have "Silence Unknown Callers" like iPhone?

Not under that name. The equivalent is Do Not Disturb with the People setting limited to your contacts: calls from anyone else don't ring and go to voicemail, which is also what Apple's setting does. Unlike Apple's, Android's version doesn't automatically exempt numbers you recently called.

Does the "Unknown" switch under Blocked numbers block calls from numbers not in my contacts?

No. Google's help page says that switch blocks "calls from private or unidentified numbers" and that "you will still receive calls from phone numbers that are not stored in your contacts." Use Do Not Disturb, a maker's contacts-based switch, or an app for unsaved numbers.

How do I block calls from numbers not in my contacts on a Samsung?

Open the Phone app → More options (⋮) → Settings → Block numbers, and turn on Block calls from unknown numbers. Samsung's support page describes this as blocking "numbers that are not saved in your contacts or identified by Smart Call", and notes that Smart Call may not be available with certain carriers.

Will I still get voicemails from blocked unknown callers?

It depends on the method. Do Not Disturb and Google Fi's contacts-only setting send the caller to voicemail, so yes. Samsung's switch, Xiaomi's Blocklist, and apps that reject the call before it rings don't connect the call, so no voicemail is left; check the tool's own history instead.

Will blocking non-contacts stop delivery drivers and appointment callbacks?

Yes, unless you add them as exceptions. Save the number before the day they're due to call, use an app with a Never block list, or switch the filter off for the afternoon. Do Not Disturb's Allow repeat callers lets a second call within 15 minutes ring through.

13. Summary

• Silence, keep voicemail: Settings → Modes → Do Not Disturb → People → contacts (Pixel); Settings → Notifications → Do not disturb → Calls → Contacts only (Samsung). Turn on repeat callers.
• Reject on a Galaxy: Phone → ⋮ → Settings → Block numbers → Block calls from unknown numbers.
• Reject on a Xiaomi (Xiaomi dialer only): Security → Blocklist → block calls from strangers.
• Google Fi: Fi app → Privacy & security → Manage contact settings → Only receive calls and texts from your phone contacts.
• Reject on any phone, with exceptions: NoCall → Block numbers not in contacts, plus a Never block list.
• Hidden numbers are a different setting: block unknown and private numbers. And NoDial doesn't touch incoming calls at all — it stops you calling a number back.

NoCall: Blacklist Call BlockerBlock unwanted calls before they ring.

NoDial — stop yourself calling a number backOutgoing calls only. Emergency calls never blocked.

Sources

• Android Help, "Limit interruptions with Modes & Do Not Disturb on Android" (Settings → Modes; Notification filters → People: "Block or allow calls, messages, or conversations"; "Allow repeat callers" within 15 minutes; "Settings can vary by phone") support.google.com
• Google Phone Help, "Block or unblock a phone number" (Blocked numbers → Unknown blocks "calls from private or unidentified numbers"; "you will still receive calls from phone numbers that are not stored in your contacts") support.google.com
• Google Fi Help, "Only allow calls & texts from your phone contacts" (Fi app → Privacy & security → Manage contact settings; calls to voicemail and texts blocked; 911 exception for 48 hours; short-code texts allowed) support.google.com
• Samsung Support (US), "Block spam calls with Smart Call on your Galaxy phone" ("To block incoming calls from numbers that are not saved in your contacts or identified by Smart Call, tap the switch next to Block calls from unknown numbers") samsung.com
• Samsung Support (US), "Block a phone number or contact on your Galaxy phone" ("You can use Smart Call to block unknown numbers that are not in your contacts"; "Smart Call may not be available with certain carriers") samsung.com
• Samsung Support (US), "Use Do not disturb mode on your Galaxy phone" ("Calls and messages: Allow calls and messages from your desired contacts, as well as repeat callers") samsung.com
• Verizon Support, "Samsung Galaxy S21 — Manage Do Not Disturb Settings" (Settings → Notifications → Do not disturb → Calls and messages → Calls → All, Contacts only, etc.; Repeat callers switch) verizon.com
• Xiaomi Support, "How to enable Blocklist?" (Security → Blocklist → settings icon at the upper-right → enable Blocklist) mi.com
• Xiaomi Community, "MIUI Blocklist: Protect Your Privacy!" and "How To Block Calls On Xiaomi Phones Running MIUI" (call blocklist rules including blocking calls from strangers; availability tied to Xiaomi's dialer) c.mi.com
• Apple Support, "Manage unknown callers on iPhone" (Silence Unknown Callers: calls "silenced, sent to voicemail, and displayed on the Recents list"; contacts, recent outgoing calls, and Siri Suggestions still ring) support.apple.com
• Android Developers, "CallScreeningService" (the role an app uses to allow or reject an incoming call before it rings) developer.android.com
• NoCall app, in-app text for Block numbers not in contacts and Never block ("Calls from numbers that are not in your contacts are rejected before they ring. Your contacts are checked on your phone only — never stored or sent."; "Deliveries, clinics and booking call-backs may not be in your contacts. You can add them to Never block.") play.google.com

Phone makers and carriers change these menus over time. If a step doesn't match what you see, check the maker's or carrier's current help page.