Your 2019 phone can still stop spam calls

8 October 2026 · 3 min read

You don't need a new phone to stop spam calls. Teleph0ne works on every Android phone with Android 10 or newer, and that includes a lot of phones that are five or six years old.

Which phones?

Android 10 came out in September 2019. Two groups of phones have it:

• Phones launched since late 2019. Almost every Android phone sold since then shipped with Android 10 or newer.
• Older phones that were updated. Many 2018 and 2019 models got Android 10 as an update, for example the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy A50, or the Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 3.

If your phone is from 2019 or later, it almost certainly works. If it's from 2018, check the version as shown below.

How to check your phone

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap About phone. On Samsung phones, then tap Software information.
3. Look at Android version. If it says 10 or higher, Teleph0ne works on your phone.

Why it matters: old phones get the most scam calls

Phones don't get thrown away when we upgrade. They go to parents and grandparents, to kids, or into a drawer as a spare. Older people get the most scam calls, and they're often the ones holding the older phone.

Old phones also stop getting new features. Their built-in phone app stays as it was the day the updates stopped, while scammers keep changing tactics. Teleph0ne brings a few things back to those phones:

• A spam list that updates every day. It's built from reports by Teleph0ne users and public sources, and it's stored on the phone, so every incoming call is checked without sending your number anywhere.
• Blocking before it rings. Numbers reported by many people are rejected silently. Numbers with fewer reports still ring, with a clear "Suspected spam" warning.
• Your people always get through. Starred contacts always ring, and the shared list never blocks someone saved in your contacts.
• A modern call screen with large buttons, in 9 languages, that also fits small screens.

Why Android 10 and not older?

Android 10 introduced the official way for an app to become your phone app and to screen calls before they ring. Teleph0ne is built on that, which is why blocking is reliable and why your calls never leave your phone to be checked. Supporting older versions would mean older, less reliable ways of doing the same thing, so for now Android 10 is the minimum.

Teleph0ne is free, with no ads and no tracking. It's currently in testing on Google Play.