Why I Downloaded RoboKiller – Robocall Blocker App
Before RoboKiller, I was using the free spam blocker that came with my phone carrier. It worked okay, but my kids started noticing these weird calls coming through during dinner, especially ones that claimed there was a problem with my Social Security number. I don’t need that kind of nonsense around my family. I saw RoboKiller featured in the App Store and read that it had these “Answer Bots” that could trick telemarketers into staying on the line so they’d leave me alone. That sounded like a much smarter way to deal with the problem. I’m not a tech person, I just want my phone to ring for people I actually know, like my sister or my kid’s school. So I figured I’d give it a shot. After a few months of using it, I can say it’s way more effective than what I had before. My phone barely buzzes with spam anymore, and when it does, I know the robots are handling it.
Standout Features
The thing I like most is the “Answer Bots.” I never thought I’d enjoy hearing a telemarketer get stuck talking to a robot about how many cats they own or why their boss is named “Fluffy,” but it honestly makes me laugh. My husband came home last Tuesday and heard one playing through the speaker — a recording of a scammer trying to sell a fake car warranty to a robot voice that kept asking if the warranty covered aliens. We both cracked up. Another feature I use all the time is the block list. I can set it so any number not in my contacts gets sent straight to voicemail or the Answer Bots. That’s huge for my peace of mind. The call log also shows me exactly which calls were blocked and which were allowed, which helps me check if I missed anything important, like a call from my kid’s doctor. The app also scans incoming numbers against a database of known spammers, and it catches most of them before they even ring. I’d say it stops about 95% of the junk I used to get.
Daily Use Experience
For daily use, RoboKiller is pretty simple, which I appreciate because I don’t want to fiddle with settings every day. It runs in the background and I basically forget about it until my phone lights up with a blocked call notification. I will say the app can be a bit slow to load when you open it to check the history, maybe a couple seconds of spinning. Not a huge deal, but noticeable. The other thing is that sometimes a legitimate call gets flagged as spam. It happened once last month when my daughter’s friend’s mom called from a number I didn’t save, and it went straight to the Answer Bot. She thought it was hilarious, but I felt bad. I just added her number to my contacts and it hasn’t happened again. There’s also a bit of battery drain compared to not using any blocker, maybe 5-10% more per day. I charge my phone every night anyway so it didn’t bother me, but if you’re someone who runs low on battery often, it’s something to keep in mind.
Cost Breakdown
RoboKiller is free to download, but you get a 7-day trial and then it asks for a subscription. I pay about $4.99 a month, which is cheaper than the coffee I buy at the gas station once a week. After the trial, I almost canceled because I wasn’t sure if it was worth paying for something my carrier offered for free. But after hearing two more scam calls sneak through the carrier’s filter in one morning, I gave in and paid. Looking back, I think it’s fair. You’re paying for the Answer Bots and the smarter database, not just a basic block list. The annual plan is something like $39.99, which breaks down to about three bucks a month, and I might switch to that next year. There’s also a family plan, but I only need it for my phone. No hidden fees or surprise charges that I’ve seen.
Support Experience
I contacted their support once because the app wasn’t blocking calls from a specific area code that I kept getting spam from. I sent a message through their website on a Thursday. I got an automated reply right away saying they got my request, but then nothing for a few days. On Sunday evening I got a real email from a person named Rachel. She apologized for the delay and walked me through how to manually add area codes to the block list from within the app settings — something I didn’t know was there. It worked right after that. The response was helpful, but I wish it had come faster. If you’re dealing with an urgent problem, days can feel like a long time. That said, Rachel was polite and knew her stuff.
Privacy Verdict
I don’t love that the app needs access to my call log and contacts to work. I get why — it has to know who’s in my address book to decide what’s a spam call — but it still feels a little invasive. Their privacy policy says they don’t sell your data and they use encryption, and I checked that before I signed up. For my family, the trade-off is worth it because the app stops so many scam calls that could trick my kids or waste my time. I’m not sharing anything sensitive through my phone calls anyway. But if you’re really private about your contact list, you might want to think about it. I’d call it safe enough for a regular parent like me.
How do RoboKiller's Answer Bots actually work to stop telemarketers?
Answer Bots are automated voice responses that engage telemarketers in absurd conversations, like asking if a car warranty covers aliens, to waste their time and discourage them from calling again. You can hear recordings of these interactions in the app, and they help ensure scammers stay on the line instead of bothering you.
Can I set RoboKiller to automatically send unknown numbers to voicemail or Answer Bots?
Yes, you can use the block list feature to send any number not saved in your contacts directly to voicemail or the Answer Bots. This gives you peace of mind by preventing unknown callers from ringing your phone, while still allowing calls from people you know.
What should I do if RoboKiller accidentally blocks a legitimate call?
If a legitimate call gets flagged as spam, simply add that number to your contacts, and RoboKiller will allow it through in the future. You can also check the call log to see which calls were blocked or allowed, so you can quickly identify and fix any false positives.
Why does RoboKiller sometimes slow down when I open the app to check call history?
The app can take a couple of seconds to load when you open the call history due to the data it processes from blocked and allowed calls. This is a minor delay, and it doesn't affect the background blocking performance, so you can still rely on it to stop spam without daily fiddling.
How does RoboKiller compare to the free spam blocker that comes with my phone carrier?
RoboKiller is far more effective than most carrier-provided blockers, stopping about 95% of spam calls compared to the basic filtering you might get for free. It also adds unique features like Answer Bots that trick telemarketers, whereas carrier blockers typically just label or silence suspected spam without engaging them.
