The simple iPhone feature that’s infuriating the rich and famous by letting any user act like a Hollywood agent

Apple’s expanded call‑screening tool is rapidly changing the way Americans use their phones and how their calls get answered. 

The tool, introduced with iOS 26, forces unknown callers to state their name and reason for calling before the phone rings – a process the Wall Street Journal reported has become a surprise friction point among Hollywood insiders and tech investors. 

Attorney Alan Jackson, whose client roster has included Karen Read and Nick Reiner, told WSJ that colleagues had begun after unexpectedly encountering his iPhone’s robotic screener. 

In one case, a friend calling from an office line wasn’t recognized by Jackson’s phone and was greeted by the automated prompt instead.

That annoyance has become more common. As WSJ noted, Apple’s rollout has effectively turned millions of iPhones into the modern equivalent of the old Hollywood gatekeeper – the assistants who guarded a star’s phone line.

Meanwhile, the reactions across Silicon Valley have been mixed.

Venture capitalist Bradley Tusk told the WSJ that call screening irritates him when he encounters it, but he can’t fault people for using it given the relentless flood of spam. 

‘It’s like, ‘Well, you get spam all day, so how do you blame them?’ he said.

Publicist Elijah Harlow said he finds the automated follow‑ups, such as the system telling callers the user will return the call later, to be impersonal, adding that a simple text would feel more human.

Some tech leaders stopped answering unscheduled calls altogether. 

Mark Cuban said he only answers calls that were arranged or texted ahead of time, and Jason Calacanis rarely picked up for unknown numbers, comparing cold‑calling in 2026 to showing up unannounced at someone’s house in the 1990s.

Spam fatigue drove wider adoption. Americans received more than two billion robocalls a month, pushing professionals toward Apple’s tool or Google’s Pixel version just to keep their phones usable. 

Vantage founder Ben Schaechter said he was overwhelmed by sales calls until discovering the feature, which dramatically improved his phone use.

Younger users have reportedly shifted expectations as well, increasingly treating calls as a last resort and leaning on messaging and FaceTime. 

Even business contacts often expected a text first. Slow Ventures’ Sam Lessin told the WSJ the change wasn’t about status – just convenience in an era when surprise calls have felt intrusive.

The Daily Mail has reached out to Apple for comment.