How to Block Spam Calls and Spam Texts on iPhone and Android (2026)

Life is busy capable without wasting clip connected spammers, scammers, and telemarketers. Whether you are suffering insistent wounded lawyers, fraudulent car warranty representatives, oregon a drunk-dialing ex, determination is simply a mode to halt the endless calls and messages. The large carriers and telephone manufacturers person upped their crippled against unwanted calls and messages successful caller years, truthful let’s look astatine however you tin efficaciously artifact them.

We besides person guides connected however to debar spam with disposable interaction info, defender against smishing attacks, and debar phishing scams. Frustrated by the full concern and funny wherefore nary one’s been capable to halt the barrage of spam calls? Check retired WIRED elder writer Lily Hay Newman’s nonfiction connected our perpetual robocall hell.

What to Keep successful Mind

Before we dive into blocking options, determination are a fewer things to know:

• If possible, don’t reply immoderate calls from numbers you don’t recognize. Callers with thing important to accidental volition apt permission a connection anyway. Sadly, this won’t enactment for radical with businesses oregon interests that impact a batch of calls from chartless numbers.
• Never click connected a nexus oregon attachment successful a spam substance connection due to the fact that it could trigger malware. If possible, debar opening them altogether.
• Never respond to a spam substance message, arsenic it volition corroborate that your fig is valid.
• If you are acrophobic that the telephone oregon connection mightiness beryllium from a morganatic company, effort typing the fig into your preferred hunt engine. While it tin beryllium tricky to corroborate a scammer’s number, it is casual to verify a morganatic one. If you can’t find thing connected the number, beryllium cautious and disregard it. We volition explicate however to artifact numbers, but it’s besides important to study unwanted calls and messages. If it’s telemarketing, scam, oregon spam, you tin study it to the FTC here. You tin besides adhd your fig to the Do Not Call Registry, though it lone works for income calls from reputable companies. Sadly, galore organizations and scammers disregard it. We volition spell into however to study numbers to manufacturers, carriers, and 3rd parties below. The much radical bash this, the easier it is to place and preemptively artifact oregon statement nuisance numbers.

How to Block Calls and Texts connected an iPhone

It’s casual to artifact idiosyncratic numbers connected your iPhone. Here’s how:

• In the Phone app, pat Recents, past pat the Information icon adjacent to the fig oregon interaction you privation to block. Scroll down and pat Block This Caller.
• In the FaceTime app, pat the Info icon adjacent to the number, contact, oregon email code you privation to block, past scroll down to pat Block This Caller.
• In the Messages app, unfastened the speech with the interaction you privation to block, pat the interaction astatine the top, past pat the Info button, scroll down, and pat Block This Caller.

Once a caller is blocked, you won’t get notifications erstwhile they telephone oregon nonstop a message, but they won’t beryllium capable to archer that they person been blocked and volition inactive beryllium capable to permission voicemails. You tin reappraisal and unblock callers anytime:

• Open Settings, Phone, and pat Blocked Contacts.
• Open Settings, FaceTime, and pat Blocked Contacts nether Calls.
• Open Settings, Messages, and pat Blocked Contacts nether SMS/MMS.

Filtering Unknown Callers and Senders

Unfortunately, blocking idiosyncratic numbers isn’t precise effectual erstwhile telemarketers oregon scammers are contacting you, arsenic they usage aggregate numbers and alteration them frequently. But determination is thing other you tin do:

• Open Settings, Phone, and scroll down to pat Silence Unknown Callers. When you toggle this diagnostic on, it automatically silences calls from numbers not saved successful your contacts. They tin inactive permission a voicemail, and the calls volition look successful your caller calls list.
• You tin bash the aforesaid happening for messages by going to Settings, Messages, and scrolling down to toggle connected Filter Unknown Senders.

If you unfastened a connection that turns retired to beryllium spam, ever pat the Report Junk nexus nether the connection and past Delete and Report Junk.

How to Block Calls and Texts connected an Android Phone

It’s straightforward to artifact numbers connected an Android phone, too, but the method does disagree from shaper to manufacturer.

• On a banal Android device, similar Google’s Pixel phones, unfastened the Phone app and pat connected the Recent tab. Long-press the fig you privation to artifact and pat Block/Report Spam. You tin take whether to uncheck the container marked Report telephone arsenic spam and past pat Block.
• On a Samsung phone, unfastened the Phone app and spell to Recents, pat the fig you privation to block, past prime the Information icon and pat Block.

Filtering Unknown Callers and Senders

If you are getting a batch of unwanted calls and messages and the numbers support changing, you mightiness privation to filter retired immoderate chartless numbers.

• Open the Phone app and pat the three vertical dots connected the apical right, past Settings, Blocked numbers, and toggle connected Unknown (or Block chartless callers connected a Samsung phone).
• You tin besides crook connected caller ID and spam protection. Open the Phone app and pat the three vertical dots connected the apical right, past Settings, past pat Caller ID and Spam to get options to See caller and spam ID and Filter spam calls. (You tin simply toggle connected Caller ID and spam protection connected a Samsung phone.)
• If you person a Google Pixel, effort call-screening to person Google Assistant reply for you and make a transcript. To effort it, unfastened the Phone app and pat the three vertical dots astatine the apical right, past Settings, Call Screen, and take the dependable you want. If you person turned the spam filter on, it should surface your calls automatically, but you tin besides pat Screen call erstwhile a telephone comes in.
• Open the Messages app and pat the three vertical dots connected the apical right, past Settings, Spam protection, and toggle connected Enable spam protection.

How to Block Calls oregon Texts With Your Carrier

The large carriers connection apps that tin assistance you to admit nuisance numbers and artifact calls oregon messages from them.

• AT&T offers the ActiveArmor app. The basal mentation is escaped and offers spam and fraud telephone blocking, nuisance telephone alerts, and chartless telephone blocking. The Plus mentation costs $4 per period per enactment and adds caller ID, reverse fig lookup, and further nuisance telephone controls.
• Verizon has a akin app called Call Filter. It offers spam detection and filtering, a white-list enactment for iOS, and a vicinity spoofing filter. The Plus mentation costs $3 per period for 1 enactment oregon $8 per period for 3 oregon more, and adds caller ID, spam look-up and hazard meter, and a idiosyncratic artifact list.
• T-Mobile has the escaped Scam Shield app, which offers caller ID, scam detection and blocking, and adjacent a proxy fig you tin usage erstwhile you don’t privation to stock your existent number.
• Google Fi offers assorted blocking options and caller ID for escaped successful the Google Fi app.
• US Cellular has the Call Guardian app offering caller ID, spam alerts, and spam reporting. The Premium version, astatine $4 per month, offers enhanced alerts, caller ID, and automatic telephone blocking.

You tin besides study spam messages to your bearer for escaped by forwarding them to 7726.

What About Third-Party Apps?

There are countless Android and iOS apps claiming to connection spam extortion and robocall blocking, but we counsel caution if you’re reasoning astir utilizing one. For these apps to enactment decently you indispensable assistance them entree to your telephone logs and contacts. While apps similar RoboKiller ($5 per month) oregon Nomorobo ($2 per month) are legitimate, determination are galore unscrupulous apps retired determination that whitethorn stock oregon merchantability your information oregon neglect to clasp it securely. Do immoderate homework earlier trying a third-party app, and support their concern exemplary and privateness argumentation successful mind.