FAQ

The spam protection cannot be updated

If the update of the spam protection fails, the iPhone setting “Call Blocking & Identification”, which is absolutely necessary for spam detection, was deactivated in the background. This may have been triggered by an iOS update, for example. The reason is the security structure of the iPhone, which is why we unfortunately cannot influence this problem. All other iOS apps that require this setting struggle with this problem.

Please check in the app Settings >> Phone >> Call Blocking & Identification whether the Clever Dialer app can be easily reactivated here. (see description)

Possibly, the switch that must be activated for Clever Dialer to work, is showing a loading icon and therefore cannot be activated.

Please follow these steps to solve the problem:

– Switch off your iPhone (Settings >> General >> Switch off)
Wait 5 minutes, better 15 minutes, before you turn it on again
Reinstall the Clever Dialer App

What can I do to keep the spam-protection up-to-date?

Although spam-warnings work even when the app is closed completely, the spam protection can not be updated. The app has to run in the background. If you rarely or never open the app, spam protection will quickly become obsolete. This can mean that you are no longer reliably warned from spam calls. New spam numbers are constantly added, so an always up-to-date spam protection is essential.

That’s why we send a notification (push notification) periodically to alert you to a possible update. When the notification is pressed, the app will open and the update will start.

It’s best not to close the Clever Dialer app completely, but keep it running in the background.

Why is Clever Dialer not displayed in “Call Blocking and Identification”?

This is an error on Apple’s part and unfortunately cannot be influenced by us. All apps that require activation in the phone settings struggle with these difficulties.


Apple recommends the following: Wait at least an hour before trying to activate the app again in Settings.

However, we have found that this can actually take between 1 and 3 days.
Therefore, our recommendation is to restart the iPhone. If this does not help, reinstall the Clever Dialer app. If you still can’t find the “Call Blocking and Identification” item in the phone settings, temporarily disable screen time in your iPhone’s settings (screen time components can prevent the menu item from appearing). To do this, open the Settings app. There, open “Screen time” and scroll all the way down. Press “Turn off Screen Time” and confirm the deactivation. After another restart at the latest, the option “Call Blocking and Identification” should appear in the phone settings of your iPhone.


Please excuse the inconvenience. Unfortunately, we have no option to remove this error.

Why is the automatic blocking of spam calls a separate function?

Apple is able to block calls rigorously and perfectly, and does not display blocked calls in the call log. At no point do you find out when you receive a call that has been blocked by the device.

However, the Clever Dialer spam database also includes phone numbers that some users do not consider spam. This includes, for example, Sky (Keyword: customer recovery), or some insurance companies. Apple offers no countermeasure possibility by means of an exception list (whitelist) on which such phone numbers could be deposited.

For this reason, we have decided to offer the automatic blocking of spam calls as a separate function, which you can activate if you wish. As long as you do not activate the automatic blocking, Clever Dialer will (only) warn you of such calls. You can then decide yourself whether you want to accept the call or not.

TIP: If you want to receive calls from a certain spam phone number even though the blocking function is activated (e.g. Sky), you can simply save the respective phone number in your contacts. The call will then no longer be blocked.