Block phone numbers, contacts and email addresses on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch

You can block phone numbers, contacts and email addresses on your device. You can also filter iMessages from unknown senders and report iMessages that look like spam or junk mail.

Block a phone number, contact or email address

There are a few ways you can block phone numbers, contacts and email addresses.

Phone

If you're in the Phone app under Recents, tap the Info buttonInfo button next to the phone number or contact you want to block. Scroll down, then tap Block this Caller.

FaceTime

If you're in the FaceTime app, tap the Info buttonInfo button next to the phone number, contact or email address you want to block. Scroll down, then tap Block this Caller.

Messages

If you're in Messages, open the conversation, tap the contact at the top of the conversation, then tap the Info buttongrey info button. Tap infoblue info button with person icon inside scroll down, then tap Block this Caller.

Mail

If you're in the Mail app, open the email that has the contact you want to block, then tap the contact at the top. Tap Block this Contact.

When you block a phone number or contact, they can still leave a voicemail, but you won't get a notification. Messages that are sent or received won't be delivered. Also, the contact won't receive a notification that the call or message was blocked. When you block an email address from Mail, it goes to the Bin folder. Email blocking works across all of your Apple devices.

You can also enable settings to block spam phone calls.

Manage your blocked phone numbers, contacts and email addresses

To see the phone numbers, contacts and email addresses that you've blocked from Phone, FaceTime, Messages or Mail:

Phone

Go to Settings > Phone and tap Blocked Contacts to see the list.

FaceTime

Go to Settings > FaceTime. Under Calls, tap Blocked Contacts.

Messages

Go to Settings > Messages. Under SMS/MMS, tap Blocked Contacts.

Mail

Go to Settings > Mail. Under Threading, tap Blocked.


From these screens, you can add or remove blocked phone numbers, contacts or email addresses.

To add a contact from Phone, go to Settings > Phone > Blocked Contacts scroll to the bottom of the screen, then tap Add New. Then tap the contact you want to block. To add a contact from Messages or FaceTime, go to Settings > Messages or Settings > FaceTime, tap Blocked Contacts. Then scroll down, tap Add New, then select the contact you want to block. To add a contact from Mail, go to Settings > Mail, then tap Blocked. Scroll down, tap Add New, then enter the contact you want to block. To unblock a phone number, contact or email address, swipe left over the entry, then tap Unblock.

Filter messages from unknown senders

You can filter messages from people who aren't saved in your Contacts.

iPhone showing how to filter Unknown Senders

To filter messages, go to Settings > Messages and turn on Filter Unknown Senders.

iPhone showing a filtered message

In Messages, tap Filters, then tap Unknown Senders. You won't receive notifications for these messages.

Report spam or junk mail in the Messages app

You can report iMessages that look like spam or junk mail from the Messages app. If you receive an iMessage from someone who's not saved in your Contacts, you'll see a Report Junk link under the message.

iPhone showing how to report junk mail in the Messages app

Tap Report Junk, then tap Delete and Report Junk. Messages will forward the sender's information and the message to Apple, as well as delete the message from your device. You can't undo deleting a message.

Reporting junk mail doesn't block the sender from being able to send you another message. If you don't want to receive these messages, you have to block the contact.

To report SMS and MMS messages, contact your network provider.

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