Orum and Apple's iOS 26 Call Screening

With the announcement that Apple’s iOS 26 will include a native call and message screening feature, the sales world responded with a collective pause. At Orum, we’ve been getting customer questions already. Will this change cold calling forever? Is this the beginning of the end for outbound phone outreach? Is the option to parallel dialing completely gone now?

Short answer: no. Slightly longer answer: This isn’t new, and Orum is already built for it.

There have been constant changes to telephony over the years, and each one reaffirms what we already know: Having a platform that helps you connect with the right people at the right times will always be important.

Prospects have shown that they're always keen to have a conversation with the right caller. We're excited about the potential these features have to enable even more live conversations. As industry leaders, we're always excited when the phone becomes more powerful.

Here’s what’s new and what it means.

Apple’s Call Screening and Cold Calling

The idea of an AI-powered call screener might sound revolutionary in a press release, but it’s not exactly new in practice. Our data and customer experiences show minimal disruption to real-world calling outcomes from such features.

And it’s worth remembering: the people most likely to use these tools are often the least likely to pick up any cold call to begin with. You're not losing high-intent buyers—you’re avoiding low-probability connects. That’s not a problem. That’s efficiency.

Orum Was Built for Improving Connect Rates

Sales teams using Orum aren’t waiting for a silver bullet. They're already navigating the complex web of gatekeepers, voicemail systems, dial trees, and carrier filters.

Call screeners are just another node on that network.

Here’s what Orum already does to help you adapt:

• Click-to-Call and PowerDialer Modes: When our system detects barriers, such as dial trees or potential screeners, it flags them for manual attention, allowing you to approach with precision, not automation.
• Boost Connect: Our AI-powered caller ID management helps maximize connectability while minimizing spam flags—before the call even happens.
• Voicemail Drop: We’ve seen reply rates increase significantly when voicemails are left. When a rep leaves a voicemail, future connect rates improve by 25%. It works because it’s an opportunity for the seller to provide context for their outreach. Call screening will do the same. Our system enables efficient, compliant voicemail drops that help your message reach even those who stand in the way.
• Parallel Dialing with Smart Logic: We don’t just go fast, we go smart. Adjusting parallelism settings dynamically enhances your ability to bypass filters while maintaining high connection quality.

What Orum is doing to navigate iOS 26 Call Screening

Orum’s Product and Engineering teams are already using the developer beta version of iOS 26 for testing and evaluating the best path forward for Orum customers. These include:

• Automated Intros: Orum leverages insights from over 1.5 million dials per day to craft the best possible opening lines that cut through screening tools. (See below for examples)
• Automated Detection & Tagging: Use Orum’s existing AI features to identify automatically and flag numbers using call screening, so reps know what to expect with each outbound dial.
• Smartlist Routing for Screened Numbers: Automatically segment screened numbers into their own Smartlists, enabling tailored strategies and talk tracks for higher success.

What Sales Teams Using Orum Should Do Now

The full impact of iOS’s new feature won’t be clear until it’s released publicly in September. But proactive teams can start preparing with these Orum-backed tactics:

1. Use Voicemails StrategicallyScreeners may block unknown numbers, but they display your message. Don’t skip the chance to leave a compelling voicemail. It’s your pitch, your value, and your personality—delivered asynchronously.

2. Optimize Call DurationsAvoid short ( less than 30-second) calls that can be flagged as spam-like behavior. Real conversations or clear voicemails that extend call length are more likely to be viewed as legitimate.

3. Rotate “Call From” NumbersUse clean, rotated numbers to protect your reputation. For harder-to-reach contacts, dedicate specific numbers to those calls to isolate potential impact. Turning on Boost Connect will ensure this occurs automatically for you. 

4. Leverage Click-to-Call When NeededUse Orum’s Click-to-Call for flagged prospects or when targeting high-value contacts who may be behind a gatekeeper: human or AI.

5. Have a Great Opener ReadyWhether you’re talking to a person or triggering a screening AI that transcribes your opener to the prospect, your first 3 seconds matter more than ever. Some options:

• “Hey Tom, this is Amir from ShipStation—how are you?”
• “Hi, is this Linda?” (then introduce yourself)
• “Hey Jerry, how are you doing today?”

Warmth. Clarity. Human tone. Those are your best tools, whether you’re live or recorded.

Call Screeners are not revolutionary

We’ve seen this before. “Do Not Disturb” and Focus modes were supposed to “kill” cold calling. They didn’t. People still take calls if the conversation is relevant to them. Conversations remain the best way to drive pipeline. This change is an opportunity to ensure those conversations are with the right people more often.

Orum has always believed in empowering sellers to earn those conversations. That hasn’t changed either. And if a gatekeeper (human or AI) helps ensure buyers only take calls they want? Great. That’s time better spent for everyone.

The truth is, buyers still want to be connected to solutions that solve real problems. The method may evolve, but the goal is the same: conversations that matter.

Cold calling is not dead

Call screening isn’t a death knell. It’s a signal: that quality matters more than ever.

Sales teams who focus on relevance, strategy, and smart tools (like Orum) will win, not because they dodge the screener, but because they deliver something worth answering for.

So while the industry spins up fear, we’ll do what we always do: test, learn, adapt, and keep sellers talking.

Orum’s ready.