Trust in voice calls is declining.
In fact, when consumers receive calls from numbers they don’t recognize, only 14% immediately answer — meaning 86% do not answer unknown calls. They’re more likely to either reject the call immediately (28%) or ignore it and see if the caller leaves a voicemail (41%). Unidentified calls come from phone numbers that are not in an individual’s personal contact list. They may simply display a phone number, a location, or “unknown caller.”
That was one of the findings from Hiya’s State of the Call 2026 report, which surveyed more than 12,000 consumers in six countries.
Download the State of the Call 2026 report >
Consumers want businesses to identify themselves
How can companies get through to customers and prospects when most people won’t even answer their phone? Consumers say they want businesses to identify themselves on caller ID. And the one piece of information that would make them more likely to answer is the business’s name.
Five key trends in 2026
Hiya’s State of the Call 2026 report identified 5 key trends for 2026. Download the report to learn more about each trend.
➔ Trend #1: Consumer frustration with unwanted calls continues to increase year over year.
➔ Trend #2: AI is making voice fraud worse, both in volume and in targeting.
➔ Trend #3: Subscribers believe their mobile network operator should be responsible for protecting them against voice fraud.
➔ Trend #4: Eroding trust is crippling the voice channel.
➔ Trend #5: Mobile network operators with strong spam protection have a huge competitive advantage.
In addition to the 5 key findings, the report also makes a number of recommendations, both for mobile network operators who deliver calls, and for businesses seeking to connect with their customers and prospects.
Recommendations for mobile network operators
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Add spam and fraud protection at the network level to protect subscribers.
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Use AI-powered spam protection to fight back against AI-powered scams — including deepfake voice threats.
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Promote your spam protection services to your subscribers, as it is a key differentiator.
Recommendations for businesses
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Add branded caller ID so consumers will know exactly who is calling.
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Register your business numbers with mobile networks that deliver your calls.
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Protect against inbound call attacks by adding AI voice detection.
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