Google has release an update to its Nexus phone app to include automatic protection against spam callers. The new phone app is available to Nexus and Android One device owners, and will help owners identify and block bothersome phone calls. 

Once the update has landed on your device, if you get a call from a suspected spam caller the phone will ring with a big red banner, with "suspected spam caller" showing underneath the telephone number.  By default, the app has the feature switched on, but you can switch it off if you don't want it. 

To switch off caller ID and spam protection in the updated app, open the phone app then hit the "more" three-dot menu. Tap "caller ID and spam protection", then tap "off". To reactivate the feature, follow the same procedure. 

As part of the service you can both block and flag spam numbers it hasn't picked up yet and whitelist numbers marked as spam incorrectly. 

To mark a call as spam, open the phone app and head to the recent call list. Tap the specific call you want to mark as spam, tap "block/report as spam" and you'll be asked if you want to report the number. Tap "report call as spam" then tap "block".

Once you've done that, Google will be notified about a possible spam number and can help other users by identifying it as a suspected spam call. By blocking manually, you'll never receive a call on your phone from that number again. 

If a number you've received from is wrongly labelled as spam, head to your recent calls list then tap on the call you want to whitelist. Then all you need to do is tap "not spam" to make sure your phone doesn't identify it as a spam call. 

Of course, Google isn't the only company to add this feature to its phones. Both Samsung and BlackBerry have the feature built in to their latest Android devices as standard, while apps like Hiya can be installed on to any other Android phone from the Play Store to add the feature.