Spam text messages on your iPhone can be very annoying.
It gets worse when the same unwanted person keeps texting you.
Fortunately, you have a way to block text messages so that the same number or contact can’t keep texting you.
You can block text messages on your iPhone 13 by opening a text message dialog, tapping a name or number at the top of the screen, selecting Info, tapping Block This Caller and then Block Contact.
How to block an iPhone from texting
- open the messages.
- Select a conversation.
- Touch the name or number at the top of the screen.
- Select information.
- Click Block this caller.
- Select Block Call.
Our guide continues below with more information on how to block text messages on iPhone 13, including pictures of the steps.
More often than not, you receive unwanted text messages on your iPhone.
Whether they’re coming from someone you know but don’t want to talk to, marketing emails from a company, or spam messages from telemarketers or spammers, you’ll probably want to stop them from coming.
Fortunately, iPhone has a tool that you can use to block calls from contacts or phone numbers.
This article will discuss how you can block these contacts, as well as some other things on your iPhone that are related to blocking text messages and may be useful.
Related: Learn how to delete contacts on iPhone if you have saved contacts but no longer speak to them.
How to prevent text messages from being sent to your iPhone
The steps in this article were done on an iPhone 13 running iOS 16.
Step 1: Open the Messages app on your iPhone.
Step 2: Select a text message with the contact or phone number you want to block.
Step 3: Touch the sender’s name or number at the top of the screen.
Step 4: Click on the Information button.
Step 5: Click on the Block This Caller button at the bottom of the list.
Step 6: Select Block Contact to confirm that you no longer wish to receive messages from that contact.
Now that you know how to block text messages on iPhone 13, you can prevent unwanted messages from being sent to the number or contact you have blocked.
How to unblock someone on iPhone
If you previously blocked someone from texting you on your iPhone and it was either by mistake or you changed your mind, you have the option to unblock that person as well.
Step 1: Open the Settings app.
Step 2: Select Messages.
Step 3: Scroll down and select Block contacts.
Step 4: Swipe left on the contact you want to unblock and then tap the Unblock button.
You can block and unblock contacts on your iPhone as many times as you want.
How to filter text messages from unknown senders
Another useful option related to texting contacts is the ability to filter messages from people you haven’t saved as contacts.
When this option is enabled, a new list will be created in the Messages app where you can view messages that fall into the following categories:
- All messages
- known messengers
- Unknown senders
- Unread messages
- Recently deleted
You can enable this iPhone message filtering and start filtering out unknown senders by following these steps:
Step 1: Open the Settings app.
Step 2: Scroll down and select the Messages option.
Step 3: Scroll down and select the Unknown & Spam option.
Step 4: Click the button to the right of Filter Unknown Senders to turn it on.
Now when you go back to the Messages app, you will see a button in the upper left corner of the screen called Filters. If you click on this button, you will be able to select the known senders option.
If this is the active view in the Messages app, you’ll only see text messages from people you’ve saved as contacts on your iPhone.
You’ll need to open the Unknown Senders List or All Messages List if you want to see messages from people who aren’t saved as contacts on your iPhone.
How to report a text message as junk
While you can use the steps in our guide above if you want to block someone sending unwanted text messages, you can also go one step further and report the message as spam.
Step 1: Open the Messages app.
Step 2: Select the conversation you want to report.
Step 3: Click the Report Junk button below the message they sent you.
Step 4: Tap the “Delete and Report Spam” button to confirm.
As you can see from this confirmation pop-up, your report information will be sent to your carrier or carrier as well as Apple.
More information on how to block spam on iPhone
When you block a contact from texting you on the iPhone, it also prevents them from calling you, sending you emails, or trying to contact you via FaceTime.
Unfortunately, the iPhone lock feature only applies to certain numbers or contacts.
If you have a company or person spamming you, you will need to block each number individually when you receive a call or text.
Speaking of which, you can also block numbers that have called you on your iPhone by going to Phone > Recent > tapping on the ‘i’ next to the phone number > tapping on Block This Caller > then tapping on Block Call.
If you block a number on your iPhone, you will not be able to see their text messages or phone calls. However, you can still call them and send texts or emails. Only incoming attempts to contact them will be blocked.
They won’t get a specific indication that you’ve blocked them, but when they call you, they’ll go straight to voicemail.
If there is a phone number that you want to block but they haven’t called or texted you yet, you can also block it beforehand.
First, you’ll need to go to the Contacts app (or Phone > Contacts tab) and create a new contact with the phone number or email address you want to block.
You can then go to Settings > Messages > Blocked Contacts > scroll down and select Add New > then select the contact you just created.