Simple trick to know who’s calling without picking up your phone

September 2, 2023

By Kim Komando

I’m psychic. I know who’s calling me without even looking at my phone. I’m just kidding. If I really were psychic, I’d know all the winning lottery numbers and be living on a private island in the Maldives.

The trick is to give each of your contacts a custom vibration. This way, you know from the discrete buzzes if this is a call you can’t miss or should ignore. Think of it as the quiet version of custom ringtones since so many of us keep our phones silenced these days.

This is a pet peeve of mine. You know who you are. In public, from your phone comes … incessant sounds from games or playing a video so loudly everyone has to listen to it. Stop that. (Was that a collective “Thank you, Kim,” I just heard?)

On your iPhone

Here’s how to set up custom vibrations the easy and fun way:

• Go into your Contacts, tap the person’s name, select Edit and then Text Tones. 
• Tap Vibration and select one from the list. 
• Have fun with it. Maybe you select the heartbeat vibration for your partner and the alert vibration for your kid away at school. 

You can use this same menu to give each contact a custom ringtone and text alert sound. You might as well go all the way while messing around in settings.

On your Android

Every Android manufacturer and model is slightly different, so your steps might differ slightly.

• In your Contacts menu, select More and then Vibration Pattern. 

From now on, you’ll know exactly who is calling without picking up your phone. 

I phoned out about it

Ever want to call someone and don’t want them to know your phone number? Oh, you’re gonna love this. It works for all smartphones and landlines. Open your phone’s keypad and dial * 6 7, followed by the number you’re trying to call. 

One final bit of phone tech wisdom for you. Did you know calling back a strange number can confirm your place on a spam list? Hide your number first if you really can’t resist calling back.