How To Restrict Calls on Android to Only Your Contacts

Ever gotten tired of spam calls, telemarketers, or just random unknown numbers ringing through? Yeah, it’s kinda annoying. Making your Android block all calls except those from your trusted contacts can really help with peace of mind. Luckily, it’s doable with built-in features—no third-party apps needed, at least on most phones. Just be aware that the exact menu paths can vary a bit depending on the manufacturer (Samsung, Pixel, OnePlus, etc.), but the general idea’s the same.

Step 1: Open Settings

First things first, grab your phone and open the Settings app. Usually, it’s on the home screen or in the app drawer. Sometimes, it’s hidden behind a gear icon. On some Samsung phones, you might need to open the Notifications shade, then tap the gear icon to get into Settings.

Step 2: Navigate to Do Not Disturb

Here’s where it gets interesting. Scroll down a bit to find something like Sound or Sound & Vibration. Tap it, then find Do Not Disturb. Some phones have a shortcut in the quick settings panel—like a quick toggle—you can pull down from the top of the screen and tap the Do Not Disturb icon directly for quicker access.

If you’re in Settings and can’t find it right away, you can just use the search bar at the top—type “Do Not Disturb”, and it should pop right up.

Step 3: Turn on Do Not Disturb Mode

Tap on Turn on now or toggle the main switch for Do Not Disturb. On some setups, you’ll see options like Scheduled or Indefinitely. On many phones, enabling DND just silences everything temporarily, but the real magic is customizing it so only specific calls come through.

Step 4: Customize Who Can Call You

In the DND settings, look for Calls or Allow Calls. Tap on it. You want to set this to From contacts only. That way, only calls from your saved contacts will ring through, and everything else gets silenced or goes straight to voicemail.

Sometimes, you also see options like Starred contacts only—that’s if you prefer to specify certain VIPs or favorites. But for just contacts, the From contacts only setting should do it. It’s kind of weird how different Android skins handle this, but the core idea is consistent.

Step 5: Optional – Let Repeat Callers Bypass

If you want to make sure someone trying to reach you multiple times can still get through, look for a switch labeled Allow repeat callers. Turn it off if you don’t want that. On some phones, enabling this *might* allow a second call within a few minutes to ring through, which can be handy if there’s an emergency situation.

Step 6: Set a Schedule for DND (Optional but Useful)

If you work nights or just want this on only during certain hours, go ahead and set a schedule. Find Schedules or Duration. Tap Add or select a preset like “Night mode.” This way, your phone stays silent only during those hours, and calls from contacts get through without you having to remember to toggle DND manually. Because yeah, sometimes Android makes it a bit of a hunt to set this up.

Step 7: Add Trusted Contacts

It’s crucial that your contacts are saved correctly—if a number is not in your contacts, it won’t be allowed through. To double-check or add contacts, you might need to go into your contacts app first. On some phones, there’s an option in DND > Allow calls from where you can pick specific contacts or groups. Keep in mind, if you want certain people to always reach you, add them as favorites or starred contacts.

If you want to be extra sure, some phones let you add specific numbers directly in the DND settings—look for an Add button or an option to whitelist specific numbers.

Step 8: Explore Additional Call Block Settings

Beyond DND, check your regular call blocking options. You can block unknown callers or private numbers—this is handy if you’re still getting spam calls. Often, in the Phone app settings, there’s a Blocked Numbers section. Use that to block individual annoying numbers or enable blocking for unknown/private calls.

Extra Tips & Common Issues

Some tips from personal experience:

Make sure your contacts are saved properly—sometimes, you have duplicate or incomplete entries that mess up this whole thing.
Double-check that DND is actually active—on some phones, the toggle might drift back off without noticing.
If your calls from contacts still aren’t coming through, turn off and then turn on DND again. Weird, but occasionally that helps resolve glitches.
For the advanced crowd, apps like Call Blocker can offer extra filtering.

Summary

Enable Do Not Disturb mode
Set it to allow calls only from contacts
Optional: add specific contacts or schedule hours
Check your contact list accuracy
Consider third-party call blockers if needed

Hopefully this shaves off a few hours for someone. Android call blocking can be a bit of a scavenger hunt, but once it’s set up, you’re good to go. Fingers crossed this helps.