iOS 12 To Bring New Feature For Reporting Calls And Texts As Spam
Apple will give users a way to better report unwanted messages and calls as spam in iOS 12 using a feature called "Unwanted Communication." Documentation from Apple shows that the feature will allow developers to build in the ability to report unwanted calls and messages into their apps. If the iPhone owner chooses to enable Unwanted Communication, they would be able to swipe left on an item in the "
The Messages app would also have a similar swipe left to report, or reports could be made with a long-press on the message itself. After a report is filed, the app will launch an extension to gather more details from the user. After the additional information is gathered the extension will determine whether to report or block the number.
Apple isn’t offering this as a first-party feature, it is something that the company wants to third-party devs to build on. This feature is thought to be Apple's response to the Trai telecommunication regulator in India after a dispute with Apple last year. That dispute led to the regulator calling Apple "anti-consumer" because it had refused to approve an app designed by the Indian government for blocking and reporting unwanted phone calls.
iOS 12 will bring with it many more new features including a restricted USB mode to make it harder to access an iPhone that hasn’t been plugged in recently. Apple is also adding to iOS 12 Memoji, Group FaceTime, and AR Kit 2.0. Devs are testing iOS 12 now and consumers wanting to try the OS out can get the OS as a beta soon.
