I am trying to find how to set up call blocker on Samsung Z fold 7 running android 16 and One UI 8.5. It seems there is not a way to have BD be the spam and caller ID, is there a way to get it made the default program?
Hello,
Check if this article helps:
https://www.bitdefender.com/consumer/support/answer/117365/
This did not fix the issue, I am still getting spam calls over and over. The calls are ringing me and have to be rejected. BD is not doing it, either I am or I have to block through at&t.
Did you talk to Bitdefender Support regarding this?
I think there are several plausible explanations, but the first thing I would check on the device is whether it has actually assigned Bitdefender the system call screening spam role. Mobile Security must be set as the default caller ID and anti-spam app, in addition to granting contacts, call History, and phone call management permissions. So, if permissions weren't granted, this is not actually an issue that needs fixing, but a setup problem.
Android's call screening service architecture binds incoming calls to a single app selected by the user for the call-screening role. That service then has only a short window to return a block/allow decision. More technical details on that here:
https://developer.android.com/reference/android/telecom/CallScreeningService
So if your Android device hasn't assigned that role to Bitdefender, BMS may have all its internal call blocking toggles enabled but still not be in the path that the OS uses when an incoming call arrives. Importantly, Bitdefender does not need to become the default phone or dialer application. It needs to be the default caller ID & spam / call-screening provider. There's an important thing to keep in mind here: Galaxy devices have their own caller ID and spam protection / smart call capability integrated into Samsung phone. According to Samsung, smart call can identify and block spam and scam calls, and that the service is provided by Hiya:
https://www.samsung.com/us/apps/smart-call/
Given Android's single call-screening-service model, this is the first native-feature conflict I would test. I would therefore temporarily turn off:
Samsung Phone → Settings → Caller ID and spam protection → Off
and, if present:
Samsung Phone → Settings → Call assist → Call screening / Auto call screening → Off
Samsung now also has its own call-screening functionality on supported Galaxy software, so having several screening/identification mechanisms enabled simultaneously adds another variable. Then reopen Bitdefender and run through call blocking activation again. This of course doesn't prove Samsung smart call is responsible, but it's the cleanest way of eliminating a competing Android/Samsung screening provider.
There are a few more steps to try here, so depending on the result you get, let's see what's next.
