Troubleshooting & FAQ

  1. A call I wanted blocked still rang
  2. I changed someone’s number, but their calls still get through
  3. Someone in my contacts was blocked
  4. Private callers aren’t in the Calls tab or the counts
  5. The blocked-call counts didn’t change
  6. What does a blocked caller hear?
  7. Are text messages blocked?
  8. Google’s spam labels disappeared
  9. Can I pause blocking?
  10. Android says “App not installed” when I update
  11. Play Protect warns about Call Guard
  12. Does Call Guard drain the battery?
  13. How do I switch back to Google’s caller ID & spam protection?

A call I wanted blocked still rang

Work through these in order:

  1. Home tab: are both setup lines green ✔? If Caller ID & spam app is red, another app took the role — tap the button and choose Call Guard again.
  2. Home tab: is there a red line saying no blocked pattern is switched on? Tick your patterns on the Patterns tab.
  3. Calls tab: find the call. The reason tells you why it rang:
    • contact in … (matches …) — the number is in your contacts, possibly as a copy you didn’t know about (see the next question).
    • always allow … — an always-allow pattern covers it.
    • no reason — no ticked pattern matches the number as it arrived. Compare the number shown with your pattern, and try it in Test a number.
  4. The call isn’t in the Calls tab at all: Call Guard wasn’t asked. Either it isn’t the Caller ID & spam app, or the call came in through the Google Voice app over Wi-Fi or data instead of as a phone call — set Voice to Use carrier only (Setup).
  5. Every call shows your own Google Voice number: Voice is showing your number instead of the caller’s on forwarded calls. Change that in Voice settings (Setup).

I changed someone’s number, but their calls still get through

Their number is still saved somewhere else on your phone. Contacts can be made of several copies — from your Google account, the SIM, WhatsApp, Signal and other apps — and Call Guard lets a call through if any copy has the number. The Calls tab says which copy it was — contact in WhatsApp (matches 602*) means the WhatsApp copy still has the old number. Open the contact and look at Linked contacts (or Sources) to find that copy and fix or remove it.

Someone in my contacts was blocked

That shouldn’t happen. Check that Call Guard has contacts access (Home tab), and that the number saved in the contact is the one they actually call from — including the area code. Calls with no caller ID can’t be matched to a contact; those are handled by the Phone app, not Call Guard.

Private callers aren’t in the Calls tab or the counts

If you turned on Blocked numbers → Unknown in the Phone app, Android blocks private calls before Call Guard is asked. They appear in the Phone app’s Recents instead. That’s expected.

The blocked-call counts didn’t change

The counts only include calls Call Guard blocked. Calls blocked by the Phone app (private numbers, or numbers on the Phone app’s own block list) and by Google Voice aren’t counted.

What does a blocked caller hear?

A ring, then your voicemail — the same as when you decline a call. An app on your phone can’t make a number sound “not in service”; if one number keeps calling, block it in Google Voice, which does.

Are text messages blocked?

No. Android only lets the default texting app filter messages. Use the spam and blocking settings in Google Messages, or in Google Voice for Voice texts.

Google’s spam labels disappeared

Only one app can be the Caller ID & spam app, and that’s now Call Guard. Turn on Filter spam in Google Voice settings to have spam filtered before it reaches your phone (Setup).

Can I pause blocking?

Untick your blocked patterns on the Patterns tab. Every call then rings, and you can tick them again later.

Android says “App not installed” when I update

The new .apk is signed with a different key than the copy on your phone — for example, one of them was built by yourself. Export your patterns, uninstall the old copy, install the new one, and import your patterns. See Install → Update.

Play Protect warns about Call Guard

Google Play Protect warns about apps installed from outside the Play Store that it hasn’t seen before. Call Guard is open source — the code that builds each release is on GitHub. Choose Install anyway to continue.

Does Call Guard drain the battery?

No. It doesn’t run in the background between calls; Android starts it briefly for each incoming call.

How do I switch back to Google’s caller ID & spam protection?

Settings → Apps → Default apps → Caller ID & spam app → Phone by Google. Call Guard then stops blocking calls.