On September 9, Apple will release its new operating system iOS26. One of the headline features is Call Screening, designed to give consumers more control over incoming calls by showing who’s calling and why before they decide to pick up.
At Hiya, we see this as an important step toward making transparency in voice communication the norm — something we've been working on for years. Call Screening itself isn’t new: Google introduced it on Pixel in 2018, and Hiya launched a similar capability in our own app more than eight years ago. But Apple’s rollout will bring this functionality to millions more people, and with it, changes for businesses: how calls are received, displayed, and ultimately answered on iPhones will look different.
In this post, we’ll walk through what Call Screening is, the impact it could have on branded calls and performance metrics, and how you can prepare for the rollout.
It’s important to note what this is not: Call Screening is not spam protection. It doesn’t block or evaluate spam or scam calls. It simply provides more information to the recipient.
Branded calls are designed to build trust. They show your company name, logo, and reason for calling, making your business recognizable and clearly different from spam.
While branded calls do not bypass Call Screening in iOS26, your brand’s identity will still appear to recipients during screening and in call history. This visibility reinforces trust and makes it clear the call came from a legitimate business.
Because Call Screening doesn’t block or label spam, it doesn’t replace services like Hiya Protect. Spam detection and labeling remain critical to protect people from unwanted and fraudulent calls.
One clear takeaway is that answer rate metrics may not look the same. As consumers adopt Call Screening, they may choose to answer fewer calls. At the same time, Apple may log an interaction with the screener — such as the caller providing their name and reason — as an “answer,” even if the recipient never picks up. This combination could make answer rates appear inflated or harder to interpret.
Hiya’s reporting will not be impacted. Our performance data already filters out iOS devices, so Hiya answer rate reporting will remain consistent and reliable. Customers can continue to rely on historical trends for an accurate picture of branded call effectiveness.
To get ahead of these changes, consider the following steps:
We’ve been delivering call screening and spam protection for years, and we’ll keep a close eye on how iOS26 rolls out. As adoption grows, we’ll share guidance along the way to help our customers navigate the changes with confidence. And if you have any questions, please reach out to us. We’re here to help.