Hiya Spam Blocker vs Should I Answer?

Hiya Spam Blocker is an Android and iOS app for identifying unknown callers and screening or blocking unwanted spam, telemarketing, and robocalls. Its free version provides spam and fraud alerts, caller ID for known businesses and spam numbers, spoof protection settings, and blocking settings. Premium adds automatic call blocking, reverse number lookup, enhanced caller ID, Call Screener, and more frequent spam updates on iPhone. Premium costs $3.99 a month or $24 a year, and a 7-day trial is listed. Features vary between platforms: automated call screening is listed for iOS, while visual voicemail is listed for Android. Call Screener requires Premium and is available in the US and Canada on supported carriers; Android requires one active SIM. Individual non-business number identification is a Premium feature and is unavailable in Europe due to privacy regulations. Hiya also describes real-time voice analysis that warns about suspected deepfake voices during calls. It says newly emerging or spoofed spam numbers may initially go unflagged, and withheld numbers cannot be individually identified or blocked.

Should I Answer? is a community-based service and mobile app for identifying and guarding against unwanted calls, telemarketing, and expensive outgoing calls. Its database combines community reviews with phone number ratings and is refreshed daily. On Android, the app can check a locally stored database without an internet connection and can optionally block unwanted calls automatically. The maker warns that automatic blocking may not work on every phone model. On iOS, number ratings appear in CallerID during calls or in Call History through the call blocking and identification extension. The service is also available on the web and as an extension. The Android app requires Android 4.1 or higher; Android 6 and newer require permissions for contacts, call information, and drawing over other apps. The Android manual says the local database stores phone numbers and statistics, while user reviews can be downloaded from the web service. The Android plan is free. An iOS automatic database updates plan has no listed price and includes a one-month trial period and free phone number information search.