How to block promo calls and SMS | How to Activate DND
A buzz here, a vibration there and you are left wondering whether it is your friends and family that is calling you. At the end it turns out to be a promotional SMS that ruins all the fun.
How to block these promotional messages?
Previously there used to be a service called DND (Do Not Disturb) that would stop all the promotional messages to your network. Now this same thing has transformed into NCPR or National Consumer Preference Register by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).
So why change these? Actually what happened was that previously despite opting for DND, people used to get promo messages and calls then. Now with NCPR the chances of these are reduced to zero. This means that more promotional calls are being filtered by the network.
What is NCPR?
As per NCPR, a mobile user can block all the unwanted marketing SMSs and Calls whenever he or she wants. The service also allows you to choose from different options and switch on or off one feature according to your requirement.
There was a time when the telemarketers’ numbers used to begin with +9114 so it was easy to recognize them. But the numbers of the same telemarketers have been allotted to 70xxx series of ten digits. So you can now easily recognize them.
So even if you are not registered with NCPR you can easily identify them. If you have already registered with NCPR you can check your registration status at http://www.nccptrai.gov.in/nccpregistry/search.misc
How to block those promo calls?
The process of activating and using the DND service is the same across all networks. So whether you use Vodafone or Airtel, Jio or Aircel, you can follow the process given below to activate the DND on your phone –
- “Start 0”: Type this on your phone messages and send it to 1909. This will fully block all the promotional calls and messages on your phone. You can also call 1909 and press 0.
- “Start 1”: Do the same with this on your phone and send it to 1909. This will block all the banking and finance related promotional calls and texts.
- “Start 2”: Similarly you can type this number and send it to 1909 to block all the calls and texts related to real estate if you get them.
- “Start 3”: Are you getting a lot of educational promotional messages? Then type this and send it to 1909. All those promos will be blocked.
- “Start 4”: A lot of time you are called and asked to do health insurance or mediclaim. Some would even say that they are terrified of the horrors. Simply send this to block all health related promo calls.
- “Start 5”: then there are the consumer goods promo calls which again can be quite annoying. Block them by sending this text to 1909.
- “Start 6”: By typing Start 6 and sending it to 1909 you will be blocking all entertainment and IT related news, gossip, promos, and more.
- “Start 7”: Getting a lot of tourism and vacation related calls? Type “Start 7” on your phone and send it to the above mentioned number.
Confirm with a Yes or No after the initial message and you are done.
| Serial No. | Data | Info |
| 1 | You can lodge complaint at | www.nccptrai.gov.in |
| 2 | DND NCPR cannot block | Your bank SMS, online bookings, third party personal calls, etc. |
| 3 | Back to back DND request after a gap of | 3 months |
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