People are calling new phone setting the best feature of Apple's iOS 26

iOS 26 has introduced plenty of updates, but one feature from Apple is stealing the spotlight: call screening.

For years, users have battled a constant barrage of spam, robocalls, and mystery numbers.

Now, Apple’s built-in screening tool is giving iPhone owners the upper hand.

In fact, it’s it’s quickly becoming the most talked-about feature in the update.

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One of the best iOS 26 features

Call screening works by intercepting incoming calls from unknown numbers and prompting the caller to state their name and reason for calling.

On the user’s end, you get a live transcript or recording of what they say, giving you the chance to decide whether to answer.

In other words, no more guessing if ‘Unknown Caller’ is your doctor’s office or another ‘urgent’ car warranty scam.

And judging from early users, it’s proving to be both effective and a little entertaining.

One Reddit user tested the feature by calling themselves and noted a few quirks.

The answering voice, they said, sounded like a generic voicemail and might confuse callers into thinking they should just leave a message.

The same user also mentioned the lack of a clear ‘beep’ at first, which made it unclear when the caller should start talking.

Still, despite some small hiccups with the new feature, people seem thrilled.

“Only one person actually responded to the screen, which was my doctor’s office, and I could tell it was legit so I picked up,” one person wrote.

“In other words – it worked perfectly.”

Perhaps the best endorsement? Scammers hate it.

As another user pointed out, spam callers quickly hang up when they realize they’re being screened, saving you the hassle altogether.

“Since I turned on screening and spam filtering I have not had my phone ring once because of a spam call,” one iPhone owner raved.

“Pure bliss.”

It doesn’t seem to work with Apple CarPlay for now

Not everyone’s experience is flawless, however.

Some want more personalization so the screening doesn’t feel so much like a basic answering machine.

Others noticed limitations, like unknown numbers still ringing through while using Apple CarPlay.

It seems like call screening is turned off during Apple CarPlay, like this other useful feature that is turned off by default.

But overall, the consensus is overwhelmingly positive: call screening is cutting down on spam while making real calls easier to identify.

In a world where spam calls outnumber real ones for many people, iOS 26’s call screening might just be Apple’s most useful quality-of-life update in years.

Needless to say, this is probably one iOS 26 change that you do not want to immediately turn off.

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