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Verizon's free answer to the plague of automated calls has arrived.

After promising to roll out features earlier this week, the company kept its promise with Call Filter, a free version of what was previously an option of $ 2.99 per month per line.

With the free version, which bears the same name as the paid service, iOS and Android users will simply need to download the appropriate application from the App Store or from Google Play to configure it.

Once it is installed and open, tap "account", "subscription status" and then "subscribe" to register on your Android phone. IPhone users should simply open the app, press "get the call filter" and then "press subscription" to set up the service for their phones.

The free version of Call Filter will allow you to detect spam, filter it and allow them to report numbers. An alert will be given when the incoming call is likely to be spam. Verizon will let you determine your level of risk to help the network block calls for you automatically and send them directly to voicemail.

Verizon announced the launch of the free version today, but it will take about three weeks before it is widely available. You do not need an unlimited plan to sign up, but it does not currently work with a Verizon prepaid plan.

The service will also work with base phones, as well as older BlackBerry phones and Windows Phones, if you still have them, although some features may vary. To set up these devices, call Verizon, go to a store or log in to your "My Verizon" account on the company's website.

Verizon Call Filter hopes to fight automated calls. (Photo: Verizon)

The $ 2.99 version of "Call Filter" will still exist. Those who opt for this option will also get caller ID to identify names of unknown callers, as well as the ability to create personal spam and blocking lists.

You also get an "urgent call risk indicator" – which ranks spam calls on a "high", "medium", "low" scale on your call screen based on their risk of fraud – and the ability to search for spam numbers. .

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Verizon, who also announced Thursday to have successfully completed a "verified calls" feature on his network, which helps him to determine if a caller is legitimate, telling you that he is checked with the complete ten-digit number. Those wishing to see the name of a caller will have to pay for the Caller ID feature as part of the Premium Call Screening offer.

The company has begun deploying the audit on its network and will continue to do so in the coming months.

Verizon is the last major telecom operator to have the verification feature enabled, as part of a campaign to combat spammers. AT & T and Comcast announced last week that they have completed the first verified call between their respective digital home phone networks.

T-Mobile launched call verification on its mobile network earlier this year, even if it was only for calls between T-Mobile customers and on a limited number of devices, while waiting for other operators and networks to deploy the function.

Follow Eli Blumenthal on Twitter @eliblumenthal

Read or share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2019/03/28/verizons-free-call-filter-hopes-fight-robocalls/3300713002/