Spam calls and messages aren’t only annoying but sometimes carry the risk of identity or digital theft. That’s why it’s important to be vigilant. One of the easiest measures to outsmart this situation is to block phone numbers that send spam calls and SMS. Follow along as we break down phone number blocking and the steps to block a phone number on your iPhone.
What Happens When You Block a Number on iPhone?
One of the most common questions people have around phone number blocking is what actually happens when you block someone on your iPhone. The short answer is that when you block someone on your iPhone, they can no longer reach you via calls, iMessage, or FaceTime. Basically, their calls end up in your voicemail. When a voicemail is sent, it ends up in the Blocked Messages folder at the bottom of your voicemail list. iMessage and regular text messages, on the other hand, appear to end up with the sender but never arrive on your device. Similarly, FaceTime calls appear to be sent, but you don’t receive them. For any of these situations, the sender, whose number you’ve blocked, won’t be notified about the same. They would, however, eventually come to know that you’ve blocked them since you’d never respond to their communications. Also, you should note that outgoing calls and messages from your end will still be forwarded to the other number or contact since you have blocked the sender.
How do I Block a Phone Number on my iPhone?
Since the release of iOS 7, Apple has made it much easier to block phone numbers on the iPhone with the built-in block feature. So now, you can easily block incoming calls and messages without having to use third-party apps. In the latest versions of iOS, you can block a phone number in several ways. Note, however, that when you block a phone number on your iPhone – regardless of which method you use – you are essentially blocking its communications for both calls and messages, including FaceTime calls and iMessage.
Block a Phone Number on iPhone Using the Phone App
If you have received a spam call from an unknown caller, you can block it directly from the Phone app. Do this:
- Open the Phone app and select the Recents tab.
- Click the i info icon next to the number you want to block and tap the Block this Caller button. Then tap Block Contact to confirm. Alternatively, if you want to prevent unwanted calls from a contact in your Contacts list, follow the steps below:
Block a Phone Numberon iPhone Using the Messages App
If you’re being spammed with messages from a phone number or have a contact you no longer want to chat with via SMS, you can block them in the Messages app. To do this, follow the steps below: Also, in case of a FaceTime spam call, you can block the number either from the FaceTime app or from the Photos app itself since the Phone app combines both regular calls and FaceTime. To do this, follow the steps listed under the method for the Phone app.
How to Manage Blocked Phone Numbers on Your iPhone
When a blocked number tries to send a text message, it will not be allowed through. If for some reason, you have a phone number (or contact) blocked on your iPhone and would like to unblock it or find out who you have blocked, you can access your block list. To view and manage the block list on your device, use one of the following methods.
Using the Phone App
How to Unblock a Number on iPhone?
To unblock a number on iPhone, first, go to your blocked contacts list. To do this, open Settings and either go to Phone or Messages. From there, select Blocked Contacts and tap on the Edit button at the top. Next, hit the minus (–) button next to the number you want to unblock and click Unblock.
Cut Down on Spam and Unknown Communications
With this tutorial, you can easily block phone numbers on your iPhone and prevent spam and unnecessary messages from random people. Another way to deal with spam on Apple iPhone is to use caller identification services like Truecaller, which will tell you if a phone number is spam or legitimate. This way, you’ll immediately know if they’re spam numbers and can reject such unwanted calls. Do note that when you block a number on iPhone, you essentially block out any communication from that number, including phone calls, messages (and iMessages), and FaceTime calls. So no matter whether you block a number in the Phone or Messages app, it wouldn’t be able to reach out to you over call or message. Tap Report Junk, then tap Delete and Report Junk. The message will be forwarded to Apple, along with the sender’s information. When a message is reported as junk, it does not prevent the sender from sending another message. Block the contact if you don’t want to receive these messages.
