How to block outgoing calls on Android devices?

IT admins often struggle with the questions 'Can I stop or block outgoing calls?' and if yes, 'How to disable or stop outgoing calls?' In organizations where corporate handheld devices are used by employees, it's important to restrict or block outgoing calls to help cut down the telecom expenses occurring from personal cellular usage or bogus calls. Some organizations also require the option to block outgoing calls to a specific number. MDM provides various on-device feature restrictions along with the capability to block all outgoing calls on Android devices. Blocking outgoing calls on Android devices can be achieved using an MDM device management profile.To learn how to block outgoing calls on Android devices read below.

Steps to block outgoing calls

To block or stop outgoing calls on Android devices using Mobile Device Manager Plus, follow the steps given below: 

• On the MDM server, click on the Device Mgmt tab.
• Select Profiles from the left pane and navigate to Create Profile -> Android.
• Provide the Name and Description for the profile and click on Continue.
• Navigate to Restrictions -> Phone.
• Under Calls, find the Outgoing calls option and click on Restrict to block outgoing calls on Android devices. 
• Next, Save and Publish the restrictions profile.
• It is recommended to test the profile on a test device before associating it with your production environment. You can also associate profiles to groups for which you want to stop/block a outgoing call.

NOTE: You can block or restrict outgoing calls on Samsung devices and Android devices provisioned as fully managed devices (Device Owner)

Alternate methods to block outgoing calls

Another option to block or stop outgoing calls on Android devices is to make the phone/dialer app inaccessible to the users. MDM facilitates this with the following features to block outgoing calls on Android devices.

App Blocklisting

With App blocklisting, you can Blocklist undesirable apps which you don't want you employees to access. Blocklist the phone/dialer app on managed Android devices to make it inaccessible by your employees. This way you can block all outgoing calls from the devices. 

Kiosk mode

Kiosk mode is an advanced security feature supported by Mobile Device Manager Plus which lets you lock down Android devices to run specific apps. As long as you don't select the phone/dialer app to be available in Kiosk mode, it will be inaccessible by your employees, thereby allowing you to block all outgoing calls on devices.

If you're looking for more granular call management features such as options to block outgoing calls to a particular number or maintaining/monitoring device call logs, you can raise a request to prioritise your requirement

How can I block an Outgoing SMS on Android devices?

In addition to the options to block outgoing calls, Mobile Device Manager Plus also provides options to block incoming and outgoing SMS and MMS on Android devices:

To block outgoing SMS, follow the steps given below:

• On the MDM server, click on the Device Mgmt tab.
• Select Profiles from the left pane and navigate to Create Profile -> Android.
• Provide the Name and Description for the profile and click on Continue.
• Navigate to Restrictions -> Phone.
• Under SMS, find the Outgoing SMS option and click on Restrict to block Outgoing SMS on Android devices. 
• Next, Save and Publish the restrictions profile.
• It is recommended to test the profile on a test device before associating it with your production environment. You can also associate profiles to groups for which you want to stop/block outgoing SMS.