Not every phone call and message is a pleasure to receive. Sometimes you wish you could stop certain people being able to contact you wherever and whenever.

And now you can. Thanks to the latest Lumia update to hit the range from Nokia, you can now add people to a blacklist for calls and SMS messages. It will arrive (or has already arrived) as part of the latest update to the ‘extras and info’ app and is downloaded through the Windows Phone store. You’ll need the latest software update from Microsoft to take advantage, though, so at the moment only the Lumia 625, Lumia 925 and Lumia 1020 are affected. Everyone else will get it soon.

It’s super-simple to use. To get started, go to your list of latest calls through the main ‘phone’ tile.

Find the number or person you want to block and long-tap on their entry. Choose ‘block number’. The phone will ask you to confirm, and if you agree, you won’t be getting any calls or text messages from that number on your Lumia from now on.

You can manage the numbers you’ve blocked using a new entry in the settings menu: ‘call and SMS filter’. Here you can see how many calls and messages have been blocked and remove numbers from the blacklist, if you’ve made a mistake.

You can also switch the filter on and off – it may be that you only want to block calls during a certain period, for example.

You can also activate a Live Tile and notifications for your filter. And you can choose to automatically block calls from a ‘private’ number – something that is often the sign of sales call.

‘Call and SMS filter’ is a very simple but effective new option to enhance your Nokia Lumia, fully integrated with the existing software. We trust you’ll enjoy not receiving calls with it.

image credit: Giacomo Carena