Apple doesn’t yet offer an easy way to mark, block, and delete unwanted incoming text messages. It also doesn’t identify patterns of text to see if they should go directly into your Bit Bucket, like Mail apps and iCloud.com do to mark commercial or fraudulent emails. Here are some things you can do to block unwanted texts on your iPhone.
Use SMS filters
You can install third-party SMS filters. This is an option that Apple has allowed since 2017. These filters check the content of SMS messages, which poses a privacy risk, but the companies involved have detailed policies and are responsible for them. If your message is compromised. I wrote about how to use these filters in 2017, and the process is still the same today (except in iOS 18, settings are handled as follows): setting > app > message > Unknown & Spam).
To find apps that offer SMS filtering, visit the iOS App Store and search for “SMS Filter.” The App Store doesn’t have a category dedicated to this task.
Apple allows you to use third-party apps that can check your SMS messages for spam. Tagged messages are sorted into filtered categories.
foundry
Due to Apple’s end-to-end encryption and privacy intentions for iMessage, Apple does not provide third-party filtering for that category of messages. However, all iMessage posts require a verified Apple ID account, so you can be sure to block the iMessage source. Unlike the possibility of creating a fake phone number to send a text message to, it doesn’t just generate an infinite number of iMessage accounts.
Develop manual reflexes
We’ve developed a simple set of actions to block unwanted text. It would be great if this could be made into an iOS shortcut, but there seem to be too many elements that aren’t available in shortcuts.
If I receive a fraudulent text, or a text from a genuine source that I haven’t given permission to send texts to, I do the following:
- Tap a conversation to view your messages.
- Tap the profile link at the top.
- Tap. information button.
- tap block caller.
- Tap the back button (<) in the upper left corner.
- tap Hide alerts.
- Tap the back button again to go to the top of the message.
- Swipe left on the conversation and Delete conversation Trash icon.
What this does is:
- Block further calls and text messages. It’s become even more reliable since the FCC tightened its rules for verifying phone numbers in caller ID several years ago.
- Prevents notifications if that block is somehow circumvented.
- Remove conversations from view and reduce clutter in your messages.
Contact Mack 911
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