Your iPhone now only vibrates and emits sound notifications. For what ? Phone numbers belonging to people who are completely unknown to you quickly send you countless messages filled with advertising and other unwanted content. Everything is getting frustrating and right now it's almost impossible for you to concentrate on what you have to do. Your phone buzzes continuously like a call center.
So you have taken charge of the situation. You sat down at your computer and started scouring the internet for a solution to the problem. You asked Google “how to stop unwanted text messages on iPhone”, and here you are. So, while you're at it, let me help you out by telling you how to block spam messages on your iPhone.
Why are you receiving unwanted text messages on your iPhone?
You receive unwanted text messages on your phone because the sender is trying to extract information from you to scam you. As we mentioned in another article answering the same question, unwanted SMS or spam messages contain malware that can steal your private information when installed (by clicking on sent links, etc.).
You may also receive unwanted text messages because some companies you signed up with have shared your number with telemarketers. Therefore, they have your number in their target list for their products or services. These telemarketers are hard sellers who market their products by force using any unethical means. As I explained above, you can file a complaint or complaints and pursue them using a bot revenge service.
How to Stop Unwanted Text Messages on iPhone
Next, I will show you how to stop unwanted text messages on iPhone from one contact or multiple contacts using three different methods:
Filter messages received from unknown numbers via iMessage
Step 1: Launch the iPhone Settings app
Again, the Settings app is characterized by a gray gear-shaped icon in the home page of your device.
Step 2: Tap Messages
Scroll down and select the Messages option. It is located in the fifth group of items in the “Settings” menu.
Step 3: Tap on “Message Filtering” and enable the “Filter Unknown Senders” button.
Scroll down the menu and turn on the white switch named Filter Unknown Senders. After toggling the button, it will turn green.
At this point, iPhone will automatically filter messages from unknown senders (not present in the contact list) by displaying them in a separate tab in the Messages app.
There will be two tabs in the Messages app: Contacts & SMS and Unknown Senders. Note that you will not be notified of messages automatically placed in the “Unknown” tab.
Also Read: How to Text Someone Who Blocked You on Android and iPhone Apps
Block the sender from the Messages app
This procedure is perfect for blocking the receipt of messages sent by a specific person, whether or not they are saved in the iPhone address book.
Step 1: Launch the iPhone Messages app
Tap the iPhone Messages app. It is a white bubble on a green background.
If the number you want to block contacted you by phone, launch the Phone app, go to the Recent tab, then continue to the next step.
Step 2: Select SMS
Tap the message you received from the person you want to block. You can block any contact or phone number you received a text message from.
If you see an existing chat screen after launching the Messages app, tap the “Back” button in the upper left corner of the screen to return to the main app screen.
Step 3: Tap the information icon “ⓘ”.
This is in the upper right corner of the screen. The page will display the details of the selected conversation.
Step 4: Tap the name or number of the message sender.
Once you do that, the page will display detailed contact information.
Step 5. Tap “Block This Caller”.
Scroll down to be able to select this option. It is at the bottom of the “Info” screen.
Step 6. Tap the Block Contact button when prompted
This will add the selected contact or number to your iPhone's blocked senders list. All future messages from the specified number will be automatically blocked, and the sender will not receive any notifications.
If you need to remove a number or contact from the blocked list, follow these steps:
Also Read: What Happens When You Call Someone Who Blocked You?
How to block a contact from the Settings app
1: Launch the iPhone Settings app
The Settings app has a gray gear icon in your device's home screen.
This method is ideal when you need to block one of the existing contacts in your phone's address book and prevent them from sending you a text message. However, you cannot perform the same operation with a number, which is not in the directory. You can use this method to block receiving further text messages from an unknown number that has already contacted you.
Also read: How to unblock someone on Duo
2: Tap Messages
Scroll down and select the Messages option. It’s about halfway through the “Settings” menu.
3. Tap “Blocked”.
You will need to scroll down the Messages screen to be able to select the Blocked item. It's in the middle of the page, in the SMS/MMS section.
4. Select “Add New”.
Scroll through the new menu and touch the Add new… item. It is at the bottom of the list of blocked numbers.
If the list of blocked numbers is empty, only the indicated option will be present, so you will not need to scroll down the page.
5. Find the contact you need to block
Scroll through your phone's address book until you find the person you want to block, then tap their name. This person will be added to the list of blocked contact names.
Note
Unfortunately, the iOS operating system does not allow you to block the reception of all SMS messages, except those sent by authorized numbers. Therefore, it is only possible to block numbers already in your phone's address book or those from which you have already received an SMS.
Adding a phone number to the blocked list is impossible without having received a call or having it in the device's address book.
Advice
Contact your mobile carrier if you continue to receive numerous text messages from unknown senders. Your service provider can directly stop the unwanted text messages you receive, since the support staff has much more powerful tools than can typically be found online.
Are there apps to stop spam text messages on iPhone for free?
Yes there is ! TextKiller is one of the best free spam blockers on the App store. Truecaller is also a powerful free spam blocking app that you can download from the App store.
Also Read: 10 Best Free and Paid Spam Call Blocker Apps for iPhones and Android Phones.