I just replaced my Samsung phone and the newer versions now all have functions to block SMS from specified numbers but also to block calls from specified numbers.

Why doesn't Nokia do that?

I seriously doubt that the majority of users need such a function. It's definitely a niche requirement!

Huh? You never get calls from real estate agents trying to buy / sell / rent a house to / from you? Or the other poster on the forum who was stalked by a group of Africans from JiLin?

underh20 wrote:Huh? You never get calls from real estate agents trying to buy / sell / rent a house to / from you? Or the other poster on the forum who was stalked by a group of Africans from JiLin?

just curious, do u know what the calling party hears when they try calling u after u've blocked them? does it just ring indefinitely, or is there an automated voice that tells them they've been blocked?

No voice and no ringing. They hear your phone ring as in a normal call, but only for about one second and then they are disconnected. You, on the other hand, hear nothing but you see the call as a missed call on your call menu.

When you block their SMS they get a delivery report as though the message had been delivered to you, but you get no message at all.

@underh20: I've never got calls from real estate agents but this is what I don't understand - if I did, and said I have an apartment, would the same person keep calling again? Because the feature you describe won't stop cold calling it will only stop people who constantly keep calling back and that is surely very rare indeed. And I definitely don't know anyone who sends me SMS all the time that I don't want to hear from. I am pretty sure most others are the same. Africans from Jilin? Again, surely that's not a common situation!

Oh I DO get lots of junk SMS but as they are a different number every time, this feature would not help at all.

chingiskhan wrote:@underh20: I've never got calls from real estate agents but this is what I don't understand - if I did, and said I have an apartment, would the same person keep calling again? Because the feature you describe won't stop cold calling it will only stop people who constantly keep calling back and that is surely very rare indeed. And I definitely don't know anyone who sends me SMS all the time that I don't want to hear from. I am pretty sure most others are the same. Africans from Jilin? Again, surely that's not a common situation!

Oh I DO get lots of junk SMS but as they are a different number every time, this feature would not help at all.

Then you are lucky. Anybody who has been here a year or so and owns a house gets calls from the same real estate agents over and over. There are also calls from the people you meet along the way that call every day or so just to practice their English or ask for a job.

The junk SMS usually come from very few different prefixes such as 6601xxx or 179xxx. I used to get a dozen SMS a day just from fund companies and my stockbroker. Not anymore.

I realize backpackers may not be here long enough to ever need these options.

chingiskhan wrote:I seriously doubt that the majority of users need such a function. It's definitely a niche requirement!

When I called China Mobile before inquiring about how to block calls / SMS and asking why they don't provide this service, the girl at China Mobile sighed and asked that "so many people ask for this option" and she can't understand why China Mobile doesn't provide it.

You do understand the word "niche," right?

Well fair enough - I can only speak from my own experience and my own circle of friends and say I don't have (the same) people calling me every day for a job and to practice English and neither do most of my friends. But I don't generally give out my number to everyone I meet and that might also be a reason for my lack of popularity.

I certainly don't think people should flock to buy a Samsung cell phone just because of the blocking features, but if they are something you need, then there they are.

All in all, having a totally public cell number has helped me in many ways and opened a lot of doors. You'd be surprised how giving your number to someone you'd hope never calls results in a call a few years down the road by this person who is now a bigshot and just the person to help you out of a tight situation. Having the ability to filter out calls and SMS by kooks is an added bonus now for me.

Everybody else's mileage may vary.