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AT&T offers many services and features for its mobile customers. While some services cost extra, others like Call Protect are free. Learn more about this service and what it does along with the reasons why it stops working and the top ways to fix it.
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What is AT&T Call Protect?
Nuisance calls are annoying and can occur in the middle of the day or at night. They include spam calls from scammers who want to get your money as well as calls from local businesses. While you can block each number, there’s no guarantee that it will stop the caller. Scammers often use dozens of phone numbers and can even spoof numbers that are already saved in your phone.
AT&T Call Protect is a service designed to stop those annoying calls. It is free to use and helps you stop calls you don’t want. Not only can you block fraud calls, but it lets you deal with scammers and suspected scam calls.
If you’re a new customer, simply call AT&T and tell the rep that you want to enroll in the program. As an existing customer, you can download the app and start using it right away. Some of the top features and benefits of AT&T Call Protect include:
- It blocks calls from numbers not saved in your phone and lets you verify the numbers later.
- You can automatically block calls from unwanted numbers in seconds.
- AT&T alerts you of any breaches associated with businesses you use.
- It offers a private connection to save you from online hazards when you’re in public.
- Identity monitoring tracks your name and identity on the web.
- With reverse lookup, you can look up the numbers that call you before you answer.
- AT&T offers both a free plan and a premium version with more features for a monthly fee.
- Any calls from unknown numbers go right to your voicemail.
- With device security, you can check the strength of your passwords.
AT&T Call Protect Not Working: 7 Causes & Fixes
Now that you know the basics of AT&T Call Protect, you can learn about some of the reasons why the app stops working. We found solutions for all of those causes, too.
1. Confirm Eligibility
While AT&T claims that all customers are eligible for Call Protect, some customers tried downloading the app from Google Marketplace and found that it didn’t work.
While you can download the app, you cannot use it until you enroll in the program through the company. You can either visit the closest AT&T store for help or enroll over the phone.
Check your online account as some customers can sign up online, too. You usually need a phone with voice commands to sign up. AT&T may not offer the service in your city or state and can prevent you from joining because you have the wrong type of service plan. AT&T does not offer Call Protect for its prepaid users.
2. Check Your Plan
A few customers had problems using Call Protect because they tried to use the premium version without paying for it. The premium version includes some features that aren’t available through the free version such as the ability to set up a private connection when you use a public network.
Check your plan to see if you tried to use premium features with the free version. As a free user, you still have access to great features. You can send unwanted calls to your voicemail and look up any number that calls you. There’s a chance that you have problems with the app because you are a free user.
3. Turn On the Service
Another thing to check is whether you turned on the service. Did you download the app but didn’t open it? Maybe you signed up over the phone but never added the app to your phone. Once you sign up, log into your online account and make sure AT&T enabled it on your phone.
You also need to download the Call Protect app and log in with your account details. If the service doesn’t work and you signed up, make sure you have the right version on your phone.
4. Enable Your Plan
Simply checking the plan and making sure you’re eligible isn’t enough because you must also enable Call Protect. Use the mobile app or the website to log in to your account. Go to Account Settings and My Digital Phone. Click on Check or Manage Voicemail & Features. Open Phone Features and select Call Protect.
If you see your phone listed here, it tells you that the service is on and that you need to contact support for help. However, you may not see your phone. AT&T provides you with some simple instructions that help you set up Call Protect and enable it on your phone. You need to follow the same instructions to use it on a different phone or another mobile device.
5. Server Issues
To use Call Protect, you need the AT&T server network. While this is one of the big cell phone providers in the world, the company can still have problems with its server that keep you from connecting. Before you call AT&T to speak with a rep, try turning your phone on and off.
This can clear out the bugs that keep the app from working and restore your service. You should also check the AT&T website. During a network outage, the app will not work. You can’t use Call Protect even if you connect to your home network.
6. Software Bugs
Software bugs are minor problems that affect your phone’s software. As with other apps, Call Protect has updates that you need to install. Turning on automatic updates on your phone allows it to download and install updates for this app and others as soon as they’re available.
Check the app store if you used Call Protect for a few months or longer before it stopped working. When you load the app in the store, you can see if AT&T released any updates you missed. Click on the update and install it. You can also go to Settings and look for updates through the menu.
7. Uninstall App
You can also uninstall Call Protect from your phone. Restart your phone and then use the marketplace to install a new copy. You also need to log in and enable it. If Call Protect still doesn’t work, call AT&T for help.
The company will ask if you uninstalled and reinstalled the app and if you restarted your phone. During the call, the rep will also check your account to ensure everything works on their end and try to find a remedy for the issue.
Conclusion
AT&T Call Protect is a service available through AT&T that helps you block unwanted calls and scams. It comes with an app that you can use on almost any phone and features such as sending calls to voicemail and checking for online threats. When AT&T Call Protect stops working, check the network, make sure you’re eligible to join, and try some other helpful tips to get it working again.