Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

VTF Mobile can be used on iPhones SE First Generation and later (running iOS 13.0+) or Android devices (running Android OS 10+) on the following mobile carriers:  AT&T, T-Mobile, & Verizon.  VTF Mobile is currently only available in the United States.

VTF Mobile screens & analyzes all unknown callers – this means any caller that is neither a contact nor recent outgoing call.

Tip: Calls from a contact or recent outgoing call will NOT be screened by VTF Mobile and will ring through as normal. 

Here’s what happens when an unknown caller attempts to reach you:

First, you’ll see a Silenced Call notification.

Then, VTF Mobile screens & analyzes the unknown call the following ways:

• Informs the caller that the number they called is using VTF Mobile.
• Asks the caller for their name and the reason they’re calling.
• Instructs the caller to push 1 to be connected. 
• Cross checks the caller with the global blocklist of over 5 million numbers and analyzes the call screening audio for key scammer phrases and audio patterns. 

Once the call is screened in real time, and VTF Mobile does not detect it as a spam call, you will receive an Incoming Call push notification.  Tap the push notification to see call options (Allow This Call, Send to Voicemail, Hang Up Call)

While the caller is on hold, you’ll be able to listen to the Call Screening Audio and read a transcription. 

Then decide between three options:  Allow This Call, Send to Voicemail, or Hang Up Call.

 Any unknown call that VTF Mobile screens and analyzes will show up in the Analyzed Calls tab in the app and identified by the actions taken against that call, including Blocked, Accepted, Silenced or Missed.  Tap on a call to open the call details:

Here You can tap to Call Back, Message, Look Up, Add to Contact, and Allow or Block. 

Tip: Call, Add to Contact, and Allow will prevent VTF Mobile from screening this caller in the future. For more info on Allowing and Blocking calls click HERE. 

If any caller leaves a voicemail, you can find it in the Voicemail tab of VTF Mobile.  For more info on how VTF Mobile handles Voicemail click HERE. 

To get a feel for VTF Mobile Call Screening, we highly recommend trying the Practice Call.  In the Status page, tap “Send me a Practice Call.”  

If the VTF Mobile Test Call wasn’t silenced, and you received an actual call, please check 2 things:

1. Ensure you’ve enabled the feature Silence Unknown Callers.

• In the Settings app, navigate to:
• Phone > Silence Unknown Callers
• Enable Silence Unknown Callers.

2. Check the Recents list in your iPhone’s native Phone app.  Look for any outgoing calls to the number (337) 545-2896.  You’ll know it’s an outgoing call because there will be a phone icon next to the number.  If you’ve accidentally called the VTF Mobile Test Call, your iPhone will now think it’s a known caller, and it will not properly silence the test call.  You will need to delete any outgoing calls to this number. 

• Swipe Left on the outgoing call entry to reveal options.
•  Tap Delete

After checking Silence Unknown Callers is enabled, and there are no outgoing calls to (337) 545-2896 on your phone, retry the test call.

VTF Mobile allows you to send a Practice Call, letting you see exactly what happens when an unknown call is screened.  

In Status, tap Send Me a Practice Call.

You’ll receive a Screened Call push notification that looks like this:        

TIP: If you don’t see the push notification, try toggling Airplane Mode On then Off, then try the practice call again. 

When you tap the notification you’ll be able to see how VTF Mobile screens the call in real time.  You can read a Transcription and listen to the Call Screening Audio. 

Then decide between three options: Allow This Call, Send to Voicemail, or Hang Up Call.  If no option is selected the call will automatically be sent to voicemail after 80 seconds. 

In the VTF Mobile app, you can verify activation by doing a Test Call.

In the app, go to Settings, and under Troubleshooting, tap Make A Test Call.

You should see two things:

1. A Silenced call push notification.  If the test call isn’t silenced, please tap #7. 

2. VTF Mobile will analyze the call and then say Test Call Successful. 

If you’re having trouble receiving calls, you’ll first want to Verify VTF Mobile Call Screening is Enabled correctly.  

The quickest way to allow a call is to add the number to your Contacts.  Any number in your contacts will bypass VTF Mobile Call Screening.  

You can also allow a call by adding the number to your Allow List within the VTF Mobile app:

• In the Analyzed tab, tap the call
• Tap Allow or Block
• Tap Always Allow
• Enter a Label for this number
• Tap Add

Tip: Future calls from a number on your Allow List will come from VTF Mobile Allowed Caller, and show the label you entered. 

If you’re having trouble with VTF Mobile’s call blocking features, or want to stop VTF Mobile  from blocking calls on your smartphone, you will need to take specific steps to deactivate VTF Mobile’s integration with your phone carrier and the phone calls you receive. 

Tip: Deleting the VTF Mobile  app from your phone does NOT remove the call forwarding setting you activated during the setup process.

To fully deactivate VTF Mobile please follow these instructions: 

1. In the VTF Mobile app, under Settings, tap Remove VTF Mobile. Then, complete the following steps to remove VTF Mobile protection and reset to your native voicemail system.  
2. Turn Off Silence Unknown Callers. 

• In the Settings app, navigate to:
• Phone > Silence Unknown Callers
• Disable Silence Unknown Callers

3. Disable Call Forwarding.  

• AT&T: Dial ##004#
• T-Mobile: Dial ##004#
• Verizon: Dial *73

Tip:  If you’ve already deleted the VTF Mobile app from your device, you can and should still complete steps 2 and 3 above.  Make sure to disable Silence Unknown Callers, and dial the appropriate star code above to disable Call Forwarding.  Failure to properly deactivate VTF Mobile call screening could result in issues receiving legitimate calls.  

Expecting an important unknown call today?  You can Pause Call Screening, which will allow all calls to ring your iPhone. 

Here’s how:

• In the Status tab of the VTF Mobile app, tap How to Pause Call Screening
• Follow the instructions there which will guide you to disable Silence Unknown Callers in your Settings app.

Call Screening will be paused indefinitely.  VTF Mobile will send you a reminder notification three hours after Call Screening was paused. 

When you’re ready to unpause Call Screening, simply re-enable Silence Unknown Callers. 

• In the Settings app, navigate to:
• Phone > Silence Unknown Callers
• Enable Silence Unknown Callers

If spam calls are getting through to you, first you’ll want to Verify VTF Mobile Call Screening is Enabled.  

To Block a call:

• In the Analyzed tab, tap the call
• Tap Allow or Block
• Tap Block and Hang Up or Block and Send to Voicemail.  You decide how you want this caller to be handled in the future. 
• The caller will now be listed in your Block List.

An unknown caller is any caller that is neither a contact nor a recent outgoing call.

VTF Mobile screens & analyzes unknown callers ONLY.

Tip: Any contact or number that you’ve called yourself is considered a known caller, and will NOT be screened by VTF Mobile. They will ring through as normal. 

Any unknown call that’s screened & analyzed by VTF Mobile will show up in the Analyzed tab.  

Tap the call to view the details page.  Here you can see how the call was handled, listen to the Call Screening Audio, Call, Message, Lookup, Add to Contacts, and Allow or Block. 

To leave feedback and customize how VTF Mobile handles this specific caller in the future, tap Allow or Block.

To Allow a call:

• Tap Always Allow
• Enter a Label for this number
• Tap Add

Tip: Future calls from a number on your Allow List will come from VTF Mobile Allowed Caller, and show the label you entered.  

To Block a call:

• Tap Block and Hang Up or Block and Send to Voicemail.  You decide how you want this caller to be handled in the future. 

To Edit your Block & Allow Lists:

• After Blocking or Allowing a call, the number will appear in your device’s Block & Allow Lists.  You can manage and edit these lists from Settings. Under Call Screening & SMS Filter, tap Edit Your Block & Allow Lists.  
• Tap the + icon to add a number. 
• Swipe an entry left to delete.

Tip: Adding a number as a Contact will also allow all future calls to bypass VTF Mobile screening. 

Nope!  VTF Mobile does not need to be open in the background in order to work properly. 

If calls from a known caller, or Contact, is having trouble getting through, here’s a few things to check:

Ensure the number in question has been added as a Contact.  VTF Mobile screens unknown callers only.  Search the number in your Contacts App, and it should show up under one contact card.  If you see it appear in multiple contacts, delete the duplicate.

Turn OFF the iOS feature Do Not Disturb.  When enabled, this feature will send ALL calls, including contacts, directly to Voicemail without ringing.  To turn OFF Do Not Disturb from Control Center:

1. Open Control Center on your iPhone. – Swipe down from the top right corner –
2. Tap Focus, then tap Do Not Disturb.

If you’re having trouble activating Call Screening on VTF Mobile, here’s a few things to check:

1. Ensure you are Sending Unknown Calls to VTF Mobile. 

• AT&T: (847) 916-8693
• Verizon: (847) 693-4074
• T-Mobile: (847) 696-8749

If the Test Call is giving you the message “Something Went Wrong… We didn’t receive the call correctly on our end,” you may need to try Sending Unknown Calls using alternative star codes.   

• AT&T : Dial ALL of these alternative star codes
• **61* (847) 916-8693#
• **62* (847) 916-8693#
• **67* (847) 916-8693# 

• T-Mobile: Dial ALL of these alternative star codes
• **61* (847) 696-8749#
• **62* (847) 696-8749#
• **67* (847) 696-8749#

• Verizon: Dial ALL of these alternative star codes
• *90 (847) 693-4074
• *92 (847) 693-4074

Please be sure to include any special symbols in the listed code such as * and/or #. Your phone should either beep and disconnect, confirm that calls will be forwarded, or display a Setting Activation/Registration Succeeded message.

2. Ensure Silence Unknown Callers is enabled. 

•  In the Settings app, navigate to:
• Phone > Silence Unknown Callers
• Enable Silence Unknown Callers.

3. Make a Test Call to check that calls are routed correctly.  

• In the VTF Mobile app, navigate to:
• Settings > Troubleshooting
• Tap Make a Test Call

You should see two things:

1. A Silenced Call push notification.  Please DO NOT tap this silenced call notification.   If the test call isn’t silenced and instead you receive an actual call, please tap Help, the Call Wasn’t Silenced. You will then be directed to re-check your Silence Unknown Callers setting.  

2. Test Call in Progress… VTF Mobile will analyze the call and let you know the results.  If the test call is forwarded correctly, you will see Test Call Successful.  If the call is not forwarded correctly, you will see Something Went Wrong.  You will then be directed to re-check your call forwarding settings.  

If you are still experiencing any issues please don’t hesitate to reach out to our support team!

Yes!  You can use VTF Mobile with your Apple Watch.

To do so:

1. On your iPhone, open the Watch app.
2. Tap the My Watch tab.
3. Scroll to the VTF Mobile app in the Available Apps section.
4. Tap Install.

During setup, VTF Mobile asks for your phone number and carrier. We do this for the following reasons:

1. To ensure that you have input the correct phone number and that you are registering your phone number and not someone else’s (which we confirm with a verification code sent via SMS).
2. To configure VTF Mobile to work properly with your mobile carrier.  

VTF Mobile does not sell your phone number, add you to spam lists, or any other types of services.

If unknown calls are still being silenced, that means you haven’t fully disabled VTF Mobile.

Tip: Deleting the VTF Mobile app from your phone does NOT remove the call forwarding setting you activated during the setup process.

The two things to check are:

1. Turn Off Silence Unknown Callers. 

• In the Settings app, navigate to:
• Phone > Silence Unknown Callers
• Disable Silence Unknown Callers

2. Disable Call Forwarding.  

• AT&T: Dial ##004#
• T-Mobile: Dial ##004#
• Verizon: Dial *73

VTF Mobile screens & analyzes unknown callers only – this means any caller that is neither a contact nor recent outgoing call. 

Calls from known callers, meaning contacts or recent outgoing calls, will NOT show up in Analyzed Calls, because VTF Mobile is not analyzing these calls.  Calls from known callers can be found in the Recents tab of your iPhone’s native phone app.

To disable Call Forwarding:

• AT&T: Dial ##004#
• T-Mobile: Dial ##004#
• Verizon: Dial *73

To disable Silence Unknown Callers:

• In the Settings app, navigate to:
  • Phone > Silence Unknown Callers
• Disable Silence Unknown Callers

Your voicemail can now be found in the VTF Mobile app! 

VTF Mobile manages your voicemails in order to reliably allow callers to leave you a voicemail. 

Your voicemail through VTF Mobile has unlimited storage, so you’ll never have to worry about a full voicemail box again! Plus, voicemails can now be filtered using the tabs at the top of the page: All, Contacts, or Unknown.

Accessing voicemail in the VTF Mobile app is simple and will work basically the same as it has before.  Look for the Voicemail tab in the VTF Mobile app:

 If a caller leaves a voicemail you’ll receive a push notification.

The call will be listed under the Voicemail tab in the app.  To listen to the voicemail, simply tap on the message to hear it and read a transcription.  

Tap Greeting to record a custom voicemail greeting or use the default greeting.  Tap Edit or swipe left on a voicemail to delete.  

VTF Mobile uses this function to silence unknown callers.  When an unknown call (meaning anyone not in your contacts or your recent calls) comes in you will briefly see a notification “Call Silenced.”  VTF Mobile is then able to screen and analyze the unknown calls and determine which are spam, and which are worth your time.

No. VTF Mobile does not work in tandem with other phone call filtering applications. We recommend you take the necessary steps to deactivate any other phone call filtering applications previously installed on your mobile device prior to implementing VTF Mobile as they may cause conflicts. 

If you have previously registered your mobile number with VTF Mobile, but are unable to find the app download link (or you need to re-install the app), click here. Please note that if you have not already registered, simply downloading the app will not be enough to start service.

TF Mobile is compatible with iOS 17, but you’ll have to follow a few steps to get it working properly. 

Turn Off Live Voicemail

The Live Voicemail feature must be turned off for VTF Mobile to successfully screen unknown calls. Here’s how:

1. Open your iPhone Settings app.
2. Scroll down to Phone.
3. Select Live Voicemail.
4. Toggle the Live Voicemail button to the OFF position.

After turning Live Voicemail off, we recommend you try a Test Call to confirm call screening is enabled properly.  In the VTF Mobile app, go to Settings > Make a Test Call.