How to Block Text Messages and Calls on iPhone or iPad

To block text messages on iPhone, open the conversation in Messages, tap the person’s icon at the top, tap Info, scroll down, and tap Block Contact. That one block also stops their phone calls and FaceTime calls, and the person is not told that you blocked them.

These steps follow Apple’s current iPhone User Guide for iOS 27, and the same Settings path applies to iOS 26. If your iPhone runs iOS 18 or earlier, the last button is labeled Block this Caller and the blocked list is in a different place. Both versions are covered below. To check your version, go to Settings > General > About.

What Blocking Does on iPhone

A block on iPhone is tied to the contact, not to one app. Apple’s guide to reporting spam and blocking senders in Messages says a contact you block in Messages is also blocked in Mail, Phone, FaceTime, Calendar, and other apps. Here is what changes:

• Text messages: messages from that person or number are not delivered to you.
• Phone calls: the caller can still leave a voicemail, but you do not get a notification for it.
• FaceTime: calls from the blocked contact are blocked as well.
• Email: mail from a blocked sender is moved to the Trash automatically.
• Your other devices: the block applies on every Apple device signed in to the same Apple Account.
• The other person: they do not get a notification that a call or message was blocked.

A block only works in one direction. Apple notes that outgoing phone calls and emails to a blocked contact are still allowed.

Before You Block Someone

Blocking has a few side effects that are easy to miss. Read these first, because some of them happen right away.

• Emergency contacts: if the person is one of your emergency contacts, blocking removes them from that list.
• Location sharing: on iOS 26 and later, sharing your location with that person in Find My stops immediately. Someone in your Family Sharing group can still see the location of your devices.
• Other shared items: a block does not end shared calendars, notes, or similar sharing. On iOS 26 and later, Safety Check prompts you to review that sharing.
• Group conversations: you can still be in a group conversation with someone you blocked. You will not see their messages, but they will see yours.

Apple’s personal safety guide to blocking, screening, and filtering communications lists all of these effects. It is worth reading if you are blocking someone because you feel unsafe.

How to Block Text Messages From the Messages App

This is the fastest route, and it works for numbers that are not saved in your contacts.

1. Open the Messages app.
2. Tap the conversation with the person or number you want to block.
3. Tap the person’s icon at the top of the conversation.
4. Tap Info.
5. Scroll down and tap Block Contact. Some versions label this button Block Caller.

Before you tap the last button, check the name or number at the top of the screen so you block the right sender. If your iPhone asks you to confirm, confirm the block.

On iOS 18 or earlier: open the conversation, tap the name or number at the top, tap the info button, scroll down, and tap Block this Caller.

How to Block Calls From the Phone App

Use the Phone app when the person has been calling instead of texting. The result is the same block, so their texts stop too.

1. Open the Phone app.
2. Tap Recents to find a recent caller, or tap Contacts to find a saved contact.
3. Tap the phone number or contact you want to block. In the Classic layout, tap the Info button next to the call instead.
4. Scroll down and tap Block Caller or Block Contact, depending on which one your screen shows.

The same option is in FaceTime. Open the FaceTime app, tap the phone number, contact, or email address, scroll down, and tap Block Caller. Apple’s page on blocking phone numbers, contacts, and emails lists the route for each app.

On iOS 18 or earlier: in the Phone app, tap Favorites, Recents, or Voicemail, tap the info button next to the name or number, scroll down, tap Block this Caller, then tap Block Contact.

How to Block a Contact From Settings

iOS 26 added one central list of blocked contacts. Use it when you do not have a recent call or message from the person.

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap Privacy & Security.
3. Tap Blocked Contacts.
4. Tap Add Blocked Contact.
5. Choose the contact you want to block.

You can add unknown numbers and email addresses to this list as well as saved contacts. The steps are in Apple’s guide to preventing contacts from communicating with you, and Apple’s blocking support article lists Settings > Privacy & Security > Blocked Contacts for iOS 26.

How to Check Who Is Blocked and Undo a Block

To confirm a block worked, look for the person in your blocked list.

1. Open Settings and tap Privacy & Security.
2. Tap Blocked Contacts. Saved contacts appear by name. Numbers that are not saved are grouped under an Unknown entry.
3. To undo a block, tap the contact, scroll down, and tap Unblock Contact. You can also tap Edit, tap the delete button next to an entry, and tap Unblock.

Unblocking in one place unblocks the person in every app. Messages they sent while the block was on are not delivered afterward.

On iOS 18 or earlier: on iOS 18, the list is at Settings > Apps > Phone > Blocked Contacts. On iOS 17 and earlier, it’s Settings > Phone > Blocked Contacts. Messages and FaceTime settings show the same list. For those older paths, read how to see blocked numbers on iPhone. To take someone off the list, follow how to unblock a contact on iPhone.

Other Ways to Cut Down Unwanted Texts and Calls

Blocking stops one person or number. It does not stop a spammer who uses a new number each time. For that, iPhone has screening and filtering tools that work differently.

Screen texts from unknown senders

Screening moves messages from people you do not know into a separate Unknown Senders folder, and you are not notified about them unless you choose to be. Nobody is blocked.

1. Open Messages.
2. Tap the filter button at the top right of the conversation list, then tap Manage Filtering.
3. Turn on Screen Unknown Senders.
4. Optional: tap Allow Notifications and turn on the categories you still want alerts for, such as verification codes. The options vary by country and region.

Apple’s guide to screening and filtering text messages has the full list of options. If the folder is not where you expect, see where the Unknown Senders folder is in iPhone Messages.

Report a spam text

In the conversation list, swipe left on the message, tap the report button, and tap Delete and Report Spam. In an open message from an unknown sender, tap the Report Spam link at the bottom instead. You cannot report a message after you have replied to it.

Reporting does not block the sender, so they can still send you more messages. Block the number as well if you want it to stop.

Screen or silence unknown callers

Go to Settings > Apps > Phone. Under the call screening options, Ask Reason for Calling asks unknown callers for more information before your iPhone rings, and Silence sends calls from unsaved numbers to voicemail. Each setting is explained in Apple’s guide to screening and blocking calls.

Be careful with Silence. Calls from a doctor’s office, a school, or a delivery driver will not ring if that number is not saved. We explain the setting in more detail in how to silence unknown callers on iPhone, and how to turn off spam calls on iPhone covers the spam call filters.

Block Messages or a Contact on iPad

On iPad, open Messages, open the conversation, tap the person’s icon, choose Info, and scroll to Block Contact. Check the sender before confirming. Current iPadOS also offers Settings > Privacy & Security > Blocked Contacts > Add Blocked Contact for a saved contact. Select a blocked contact there and choose Unblock Contact to reverse it. Apple’s iPad Messages guide documents these controls.

Older iPad software labels the conversation option Block this Caller and keeps the list under Messages or FaceTime settings. Blocking applies across supported apps; it does not end every shared note or calendar. A group conversation cannot be blocked as one contact.

If you’d rather not get your iPhone texts on the iPad at all, you can stop them from going to your iPad.

Troubleshooting

The button says something different

Apple has used several labels for the same action: Block Contact, Block Caller, and Block this Caller on older versions. If you see any of them at the bottom of the contact details, that is the right button.

There is no Blocked Contacts option in Privacy & Security

The central list was added in iOS 26. On iOS 18 or earlier, look in the Phone, Messages, or FaceTime settings for Blocked Contacts, or update your iPhone in Settings > General > Software Update.

The same person is still getting through

They are probably using a different phone number or email address. Apple’s tip is to add the new number or address to that person’s contact card, which extends the block to it. If the messages arrive in another app, such as a social or chat app, use that app’s own block feature. An iPhone block only covers Apple’s apps.

Someone is blocked and you did not block them

This can happen when two contacts share a detail, such as the same phone number or email address. Open the Contacts app and compare the details on both cards.

If the two cards are linked as one contact, unlink the contacts on your iPhone so the block applies only to the person you meant.

There is no Report Spam option

The link appears only for messages from unknown senders, and it disappears once you reply. For SMS, MMS, or RCS messages, the option also depends on your carrier and country or region. If it is missing, contact your carrier.

Frequently Asked Questions

More iPhone Guides

• How to block an email sender on iPhone
• How to turn read receipts on or off on iPhone