Robocall
A robocall is a call delivered using an autodialer or a prerecorded or artificial voice. The term describes the technology used to place the call, not whether the call is welcome or lawful.
By Graham Thomson · Updated August 2, 2026
Definition
Definition
In everyday use, robocall means an unwanted automated call. In US law it is narrower and more mechanical: the Telephone Consumer Protection Act attaches obligations to calls placed with an automatic telephone dialing system or delivered with a prerecorded or artificial voice. Legality turns on consent and on who is being called, not on whether the recipient found the call annoying. Plenty of lawful calls meet the definition — appointment reminders, pharmacy notifications, school closure alerts, fraud warnings from a bank.
The consent standard varies with purpose. Purely informational calls to a mobile number generally require prior express consent. Calls that market or advertise require prior express written consent, a higher bar that the caller has to be able to evidence later. Business-to-business calling, calls made with a live human agent and no autodialer, and certain emergency communications sit outside parts of the framework. The practical consequence is that two calls with identical content can land on opposite sides of the line depending on how they were dialled and what the recipient agreed to.
The FCC's 2024 declaratory ruling closed a question the technology had opened: calls using AI-generated voices count as artificial under the TCPA. That means an AI placing outbound calls carries the same consent obligations as a prerecorded message, and the caller must identify itself. It does not follow that every automated system is a robocall — software that answers a call the consumer dialled is not placing one.
When this matters
This distinction matters most for small businesses that assume any automation is forbidden and therefore avoid tools that would be perfectly lawful, or that assume none of it applies to them and start dialling lists they have no consent for. The exposure is real: TCPA claims are commonly brought as class actions with statutory damages per call.
How VeraDial relates
How this fits with VeraDial
Answering a call is not placing one
Vera answers calls that customers dial themselves. That is categorically not robocalling, whatever the automation involved, because no call is being originated to anyone who did not ask for it.
Outbound AI calls identify themselves
VeraDial's outbound AI calling, available on Vera Plus, opens by stating that it is an AI assistant and naming the business it is calling for. Consent for who you call and why remains the account holder's responsibility — no vendor can supply that for you.
Sources
References used for this definition
- FCC guidance on unwanted robocalls and texts
Official consumer-facing summary of robocall rules, consent, and call blocking.
- FCC ruling on AI-generated voice calls (2024)
Declaratory ruling that calls placed using AI-generated voices are 'artificial' under the TCPA.
FAQ
Are all robocalls illegal?
No. A robocall is illegal when it lacks the consent the law requires for that type of call, spoofs caller ID with intent to defraud, or ignores do-not-call obligations. Appointment reminders, delivery notifications, and fraud alerts are routinely lawful robocalls because the recipient agreed to receive them.
Is my appointment reminder system a robocall?
If it dials automatically or plays a recorded message, technically yes — and that is usually fine. Informational reminders to customers who provided their number for that purpose generally satisfy the consent standard. The risk appears when the same system is repurposed for promotion, which requires a stricter form of consent.
Does an AI voice make a call a robocall?
For outbound calls, yes. The FCC's 2024 ruling treats AI-generated voices as artificial under the TCPA, so an AI placing calls carries prerecorded-message obligations including consent and identification. An AI answering an inbound call is not covered, because nobody was dialled.
What is the penalty for an illegal robocall?
The TCPA provides statutory damages per violating call, with a higher tier for wilful violations, and it permits private lawsuits. Because the damages are per call, volume is what turns a compliance mistake into a serious financial exposure. Consult a lawyer about your own situation rather than relying on a definition page.
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