Spam Calls Dominate Communication App Complaints: 370 Mentions Across Just 5 Apps
Appeye ResearchSourced from real App Store and Google Play review data in Appeye's catalogue.Communication in the catalogue
Figures as of 28 October 2026.
- mentions of "spam calls" in Communication negative reviews, 28 Oct 2026
- 370
- apps where "spam calls" appears
- 5 apps
- Google Play ratings at 4-5 stars across 1,442 Communication apps
- 83.3%
- Google Play ratings at 1-2 stars, same 1,442-app cohort
- 12.4%
Key takeaways
- 'spam calls' is the most-mentioned complaint phrase in Communication negative reviews: 370 mentions across 5 apps as of 28 Oct 2026.
- 'doesn block' concentrates in just 3 apps but still reaches 88 mentions, the second-highest count.
- Across 1,442 Communication apps, 83.3% of Google Play star ratings are 4-5 stars and 12.4% are 1-2 stars.
- Spam calls, blocking failures and caller ID together make up 523 of the 881 total phrase mentions tracked.
In their words
Communication category: most-mentioned complaint phrases
Review language · mention counts
Negative phrases · mentions
- spam calls370
- doesn block88
- phone calls74
- caller id65
- text messages53
- call quality52
- incoming calls43
- make call42
- missed calls35
- send messages22
- voice mail21
- make calls16
As of 28 October 2026, 'spam calls' appeared 370 times in negative Communication app reviews. That was more than any other two-word phrase tracked in the category. It showed up in only 5 apps.
The next most frequent phrase, 'doesn block', showed 88 mentions across 3 apps. 'Caller id' reached the same 5 apps as 'spam calls' but with 65 mentions. The gap between the top phrase and the rest stays wide.
Only 5 apps generate 370 mentions of 'spam calls', an average of 74 mentions per app.
Google Play's own star ratings for the category tell a different story. Across 1,442 Communication apps, 83.3% of ratings are 4 or 5 stars. 12.4% are 1 or 2 stars, and 4.3% sit at 3 stars.
Distribution
Communication: star rating split
Distribution · %
- 1-2*12.4%
- 3*4.3%
- 4-5*83.3%
The phrase data and the star distribution answer different questions. One shows what a small number of apps get complained about in detail. The other shows how the whole category is rated. Reading them together avoids overstating either one.
Ranked
Communication: how many apps mention each phrase
Ranked comparison · apps
- 1
spam calls
5 apps - 2
doesn block
3 apps - 3
phone calls
4 apps - 4
caller id
5 apps - 5
text messages
4 apps - 6
call quality
4 apps - 7
incoming calls
4 apps - 8
make call
4 apps - 9
missed calls
4 apps - 10
send messages
4 apps - 11
voice mail
3 apps - 12
make calls
3 apps
What does the 370 mentions of 'spam calls' actually measure?
It's a count of how many times the exact phrase 'spam calls' appeared in negative reviews of Communication apps, measured on 28 October 2026. The phrase showed up in 5 different apps, not across the whole category.
How does that compare with other complaint phrases in the same data?
The next phrase, 'doesn block', had 88 mentions across 3 apps, less than a quarter of the spam-calls count. 'Caller id' reached the same 5 apps as spam calls but with only 65 mentions.
Does 370 mentions in 5 apps mean the whole Communication category has a spam problem?
No. Google Play's star ratings for 1,442 Communication apps show 83.3% at 4 or 5 stars and 12.4% at 1 or 2 stars, as of the same date. The phrase data points at a handful of apps, not the category average.
Could a few apps be driving the whole count?
Yes. With 370 mentions spread across 5 apps, the average works out to 74 mentions per app, higher than most other phrases' per-app averages in this set. 'Doesn block' averages about 29 mentions per app across its 3 apps.
Is this App Store data or Google Play data?
The phrase mentions aren't split by store in this dataset. The 83.3% / 12.4% / 4.3% star split is Google Play only, since the App Store doesn't expose a public ratings histogram.
What should an app owner in this category actually check first?
Search negative reviews for 'spam calls', 'doesn block' and 'caller id', the three phrases tied to call-blocking and identification. Together they account for 523 of the 881 total phrase mentions in the dataset, about 59%.
What this means for you
- Marketer
- Avoid claiming an app 'blocks all spam calls' in store copy. That exact complaint drives 370 mentions in just 5 apps, and comparison shoppers read reviews before install.
- App owner
- Check your own negative reviews for 'spam calls', 'doesn block' and 'caller id'. Together they account for 523 of the 881 phrase mentions in this dataset.
- Agency
- When pitching Communication clients, use the 5-app concentration of 'spam calls' complaints as evidence that call-blocking accuracy, not general UI, is the review theme to address first.
Explore this in the catalogue
All Communication apps (1444 tracked)
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