Ask most South Africans and they’ll tell you the country’s spam call epidemic is getting worse. Despite multipronged efforts to keep the problem at bay, telemarketers continue to plague phone users with endless spam calls.

Telemarketers, scammers and robocalls persist in the face of third-party applications like Truecaller, efforts by device manufacturers to block spam using their own software tools and even intervention by the Information Regulator. The onslaught raises a serious question: how can South Africans put a stop to the time-wasting menace?

For many South Africans, the go-to solution is an app called Truecaller – or others like it. These third-party apps keep a database of suspicious numbers that users can update each time an unknown number makes it through their spam filter. This functionality is especially useful for keeping up with telemarketers who change the numbers they use frequently in an effort to circumvent these tools.

However, these apps may soon be under threat. TechCentral reported in November that the Information Regulator had launched a probe into Truecaller’s compliance with local data privacy laws – specifically, the Protection of Personal Information Act (Popia). The matter is still under investigation by the regulator; there’s no word yet on whether it will act against Truecaller and other spam-blocking apps, though doing so could lead to blowback from phone users.

Some device manufacturers have opted to create spam call management applications of their own.

Many Samsung Galaxy devices, for example, have a smart call feature that uses a combination of Samsung and Google data to screen calls. Numbers that are flagged as potential spam or fraud come with on-screen warnings as the call comes in, and users have the option to block and report them. A “block unknown numbers” settings allows users to restrict calls from numbers that are not in their phonebook, though this will likely lead to users missing many legitimate calls.

Apple’s solution

Apple has similar functionality, with users able to block calls from unknown numbers, too. However, Apple does not keep a database of known spam or scam numbers, so iOS users rely on third-party apps like Truecaller for identifying rogue callers. iPhone users have not had as much success with third-party apps compared to Android users and Apple’s limits on deep third-party integration with iOS is likely to blame.

At its developers’ conference last month, Apple announced it was developing a more advanced spam-call blocker. It will be available with the launch of iOS 26 in the spring.

The first feature is Call Screening, where a bot answers a call before the user is alerted of it and asks the speaker why they are calling. The reason supplied by the caller is then shown on-screen (in text) as part of the incoming call alert, allowing users to decide whether to answer.

Read: Scam call epidemic: lessons for South Africa from Down Under

Whether device-native spam blocking features are more effective than third-party apps like Truecaller remains to be seen.

On one hand, a device-native solution engenders more trust among users, who may not be comfortable with sharing their personal data, including their contacts and message contents, with an unknown third party. On the other hand, third-party apps’ databases are larger – for now.

Despite a plethora of technical solutions, some spam calls inevitably get through, creating the need for further approaches to solving the problem. The Information Regulator in April introduced amendments to the Popia regulations with the intention of further limiting direct marketers from calling people without their consent under the law.

The new rules may force marketers to obtain consent before selling to prospects not already their customers. The consent must be recorded and made available to the subject upon request.

According to Simone Dickson, consultant at commercial law firm Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr, telemarketers must implement mechanisms to ensure that telephone conversations are easily recorded and accessible, particularly when a data subject (person being called) requests the destruction and deletion of their personal information or objects to it being processed.

Read: Spam robocall epidemic in South Africa

“Since opting out is no longer considered valid consent, organisations must revise their internal procedures for obtaining consent from consumers for direct marketing purposes through electronic communications,” said Dickson. – © 2025 NewsCentral Media

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