Over the past several weeks we’ve received reports from several Android Call Control users that they have been experiencing an issue where their contacts were disappearing from the native Android contacts and would reappear only after users rebooted their device.  Once Call Control was disable or removed from their device, the problem subsided, which definitely indicated a problem with Call Control interfering with the contacts functionality on certain Android devices.

While we have been unable to reproduce this exact issue in our lab, we have released an update to Google Play today (version 3.1.7) that our test users (a big thank you to these folks for testing for us) have indicated has fixed the problem.  We encourage all Call Control users to update Call Control via Google Play.

To summarize, Call Control accesses your contacts in a read only fashion to provide the ability to automatically white list incoming calls from your contacts / address book.  Call Control does not write data to your contacts nor does it alter the data in any way.

We believe the issue surrounds the interval at which Call Control reads the contacts in order to synchronize Call Control with your contacts and a potential interference with other apps installed on devices that do the same thing (e.g. Facebook, messaging apps, etc.).  What we think is happening is that too many apps are attempting to synchronize contacts at the same time which is causing the native Android contacts app to fail and causing users contacts to disappear.  When the phone is rebooted the contacts then reappear, showing that they weren’t deleted but rather were just inaccessible.

We’ve decreased the interval that Call Control checks for updates to contacts which seems to have solved the problem.  We will continue to monitor this issue, please email our support team at support@everycall.us if you believe you are still experiencing this issue after updating to version 3.1.7.

We apologize to our users who have experienced any frustration relating to this issue and appreciate your help and patience while we investigated and worked on solving the problem.  We are committed to supporting Call Control and making it the best, most feature rich privacy and call blocking application available.

We have received many support requests lately regarding the extensive list of permissions that are required for Call Control to run on Android phones.  We decided to write this post to explain what each permission is and how we use it within Call Control.

We maintain extremely high ethical standards surrounding the permissions you grant to us and the private information Call Control has access to and are committed to using this information only to make Call Control function in the manner that you specifically determine.

Note: Since Android has no native “Call Blocking” mechanism within it’s API for developers to access directly, we have to use several work-arounds in order to make Call Control function, which then require additional permissions.  With each release of a new Android OS comes new restrictions placed on developers, further limiting our ability to handle call routing / blocking in a straightforward manner.

Call Control Permissions Explanation

This guide will show you how to block calls from Rachel at Card Services on your Android or Blackberry phone.

If you’re getting spammed by Rachel at “Card Services” or “Card Holder Services”, you’re not alone, recently the FTC made Rachel Enemy #1.  We have received over 500,000 call reports about Rachel and thousands of new reports each week.

Fortunately you can use Call Control to block calls from Card Services permanently and regain control of your phone.  There are several methods and settings within Call Control to block calls from Card Services, depending on how restrictive you want to make your privacy settings.

Call Control has a Community Blacklist, personal Blacklist, and a privacy mode combined with a whitelist that you can configure to virtually eliminate all of these calls.  The steps below range from the least restrictive to most restrictive / most likely to block all of the Card Services calls.

Step 1 - Download Call Control for your Android or Blackberry smartphone. It’s a free download and if you’re happy, consider supporting us with an upgrade to the PRO version.  It may be the best $7.99 you ever spend.

Step 2 - Enable the Community Blacklist. Card Services calls from thousands of different numbers using spoofing technology - our Community Blacklist tracks these calls and will block many of them automatically for you.  Navigate into the Settings screen within Call Control and make sure the Community Blacklist is enabled.

Step 3 - Report Calls and Add to your Blacklist. If calls from Card Services sneak through and aren’t blocked, be sure to REPORT them to the Community Blacklist by clicking the “Report” icon on the home screen of Call Control.  After you file a report, you’ll be prompted to add the caller to the blacklist, which will ensure calls from that number never bother you again.

Step 4 - Privacy Mode - Contacts / Whitelist Only. This feature is the most restrictive but will virtually guarantee all of the Card Services calls are blocked.  Navigate into either the Schedule or Settings screen and set “Privacy Mode” to “Allow Contacts and Whitelist Only”.  This will allow only callers who are in your address book or on your whitelist to ring through to your phone.

• We suggest that you configure the blocking mode to “Send Calls to Voicemail”, it’s unlikely that Card Services will leave a voicemail and this way important callers call leave a voicemail and you won’t miss their calls entirely.
• We suggest that you add your local area codes to your whitelist so local calls still ring through.  Generally card services calls from non-local area codes.

We offer Call Control LITE on Google Play and Blackberry App World which has tons of great features that are all available for FREE such as blocking unwanted calls, reverse lookup, blocking unknown and private calls and a one-time update of the powerful Community Blacklist.

If you’re wondering what Call Control PRO does that’s not included in the free version, here’s a quick overview.

• Community Blacklist - You get unfettered access to the Community Blacklist - the most powerful spam fighting tool available on the market.  The Community Blacklist blocks thousands of spam calls and texts reported by the community without the lift of a finger.
• Unlimited Blacklist - The LITE version is limited to three blacklist entries, PRO users get unlimited entries in the blacklist and whitelist.
• Schedules - You can create custom schedules to allow calls when you want them, and block them when you don’t.
• Free Product Updates and Support - PRO customers receive priority customer support and free product updates.

We are starting a campaign to bring Call Control, and call blocking and spam protection in general, to the iOS/iPhone platform.  We love Apple products and can’t believe that Apple doesn’t allow developers the ability to write call blocking applications.  So we are hoping to change that by initiating a write in campaign to Apple to convince them to work with us to develop Call Control for iPhone!

Here’s how you can help bring call blocking to iPhone:

Visit Apple’s iPhone feedback website and let them know that you’re an Apple customer who would like to use Call Control on your iPhone, we’ve crafted a sample to get you started below.

Sample Message:

I am an Apple customer who uses an iPhone and I am writing you to ask that you consider changing your policy to allow developers like the Kedlin Company, who have created Call Control for Android and Blackberry, to create call blocking applications for the iPhone.  I feel that call blocking applications like Call Control are a critical tool for protecting my privacy and would like to see this essential functionality extended to my iPhone.  Apple’s competitors all offer these kinds of applications and it would be great to see Apple catch up!

Apple reads customer feedback, so we’re hoping that they start to get the message from our users!

Call Control strives to provide 100% compatibility, making sure that everyone who wants to prevent their privacy being compromised, can do so.  The latest OS from Blackberry is of course no exception.  Call Control is proud to announce complete support for Blackberry OS 7!  For all those upgrading to the Bold 9900 and 9930, you will be pleased to learn Call Control will be coming along with you.

More info on Blackberry OS7 here:

http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/02/rim-announces-blackberry-os-7/

Nice little write-up in Cell Phone Reviews (dot) com!

http://acellphonereviews.com/call-control-tips-how-to-block-calling-in-blackberry.html

“Call Control to the rescue! This app has so many amazing features that it is as much an android “must,” as angry birds. There is a premium version that runs you $7.99 (has a free 14 day trial) and a free version.”

Practically Android has given us a remarkable and wonderful review! They rightly point out Call Control’s unique Community Blacklist feature, as well as reverse lookup and customizable privacy modes. A great endorsement!

Read more at Practically Android!!

‎#CallControl in the Android Activist! Announcing our PRO LICENSE giveaway at http://apps.facebook.com/callc​ontrolgiveaway/

Thanks Android Activist!
http://androidactivist.org/new​s/call-control-giving-away-the​ir-pro-version-free-for-you-to​-review/

Hello World!
The latest version of Call Control has been launched on Android Marketplace! Remember, you can also download it directly from http://everycall.us/store/

Call Control now includes the following features:
- Send spam callers straight to voice mail on Android version 2.3 Gingerbread.
- Black and White List Backup/Restore service has been improved!
- CallControl service notification now shows your current privacy mode
- Users now have the option to hide call blocking notifications
- Several other small bugfixes and improvements have been added

If you like Call Control, why not give us a like?
http://facebook.com/everycall