Robocalls Aggravation!

A few nights ago, we were startled by a jarring ringing from our landline at about 5:00. It turned out to be a robocall claiming it was originating from the Social Security Office. That was really aggravating and made it hard to get back to sleep.

The following morning we got an even earlier phone call at 4:15 which Art picked up and just hung up again.

My brother who lives in Honolulu says his aggravating robocalls claimed there was a problem with his credit rating and he needed to press #1 to clear it. He said it shook him up because he thought we were calling him about our mom.

I told him we were taking our phone off the hook at night. He said he needed to keep his landline operating in case we had to call him about an emergency with mom. I told him I would just call his cellphone. He said his cell phone was on the "Do Not Disturb" mode at night. Hmmm... So was mine! I decided to look online for a way to solve this problem.

I got this from the New York Times website about when you want to be disturbed written by J.D. Biersdorfer.

She gives the following directions on how to do this with an Apple cellphone.

"The Do Not Disturb feature, found in slightly different variations on Android and iOS devices, mutes calls, notifications and alerts so you can have some peace — but you can adjust the settings to let calls from certain people through the temporary wall of silence. You just need to make sure the people you want to hear from at any hour are on your list of favorite contacts."

"On an iOS device, go to the home screen, open the Settings app and select Do Not Disturb. On the Do Not Disturb screen, scroll down to the Phone area, tap Allow Calls From and select Favorites. If you haven’t designated any favored contacts, open the person’s entry in the Contacts app and tap Add to Favorites. Back on the Do Not Disturb settings screen, you can also tap on the Repeated Calls button to allow a second call from the same person within three minutes.

In later versions of the iOS software, you can let specified numbers through when Do Not Disturb is enabled, even if those contacts are not on your Favorites list. Just open the contact card, tap the Edit button in the upper-right corner, select Ringtone and turn on the button next to Emergency Bypass. Tap Done."

 This is what you do with an Android phone:

"The Android settings vary by version and device, but you can usually get to the Do Not Disturb controls by swiping down from the top of the screen to the Quick Settings box. Tap the Do Not Disturb icon, and then tap More Settings. Select the Priority Only Allows option, and on the next screen tap Calls.

Here, you can choose to allow calls from the people you have “starred” in the Contacts app, like family and close friends. (To add a star to a contact, just open the person’s card in the Contacts app and tap the star icon on the top-right side of the screen.) The Priority settings screen also gives you the option to allow a call to go through if the same person calls twice within 15 minutes."

OK... Now I'm all set. My cell phone will remain silent at night unless a "Favorite" is calling and I can take my landline off the hook.

I tried to call Hawaiiantel (phone company) last night, but there was a 1 hour 40 minute wait. Sheesh!

Here's hoping I get enough sleep tonight.