How to Block a Number on iPhone (iOS 26): Calls & Texts

Spam calls, pushy sales lines, scam texts and people you'd rather not hear from can all be stopped in a few taps. This guide shows how to block a number on iPhone in iOS 26 (where Apple moved the blocked list to Privacy & Security) and on iOS 18 and earlier. It covers blocking from the Phone, Messages, FaceTime and Mail apps, adding a number straight to your blocked list in Settings, stopping spam and unknown callers without blocking each one, reporting junk texts, group chats, what a blocked person sees, and what to do when a "blocked" number still gets through.

Quick answer: Open the Phone app, tap Recents (or Calls in the Unified layout), tap the number (or the Info button in Classic view), scroll down and tap Block Caller. One block stops that number's calls, texts and FaceTime calls on every Apple device signed in to your Apple Account. To block a number that hasn't contacted you yet in iOS 26, go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Blocked Contacts → Add Blocked Contact. On iOS 18 or earlier, the list lives in Settings → Phone → Blocked Contacts. For spam from ever-changing numbers, use Settings → Apps → Phone → Screen Unknown Callers and Call Filtering instead.

Every step comes from Apple's own pages: Block phone numbers, contacts, and emails on your iPhone or iPad, the iPhone User Guide pages Prevent contacts from communicating with you on iPhone and Report spam and block senders in Messages, Manage unknown callers on iPhone and the Personal Safety guide Block, screen, and filter communications. We last checked them on November 8, 2026.

Block vs Silence Unknown Callers vs Screen Unknown Senders vs Focus

Before you start blocking numbers one by one, it helps to know which tool fits your problem. A block is aimed at one person or number. The other settings deal with everyone you haven't saved, or with when your phone is allowed to ring.

Rule of thumb: block a person, screen or filter strangers, and Focus for time-based quiet. Many people use all three together.

How to block a number on iPhone from the Phone app

This is the quickest route when the number has just called you, and it works the same on iOS 26 and older versions.

1. Open the Phone app.
2. Tap Recents. (In the iOS 26 Unified layout, your call history sits under Calls.)
3. Tap the phone number or contact you want to block. In Classic view, tap the Info button (the small "i") next to it instead.
4. Scroll down and tap Block Caller, then confirm with Block Contact.

The number doesn't need to be saved in your contacts. Any number in your recent calls, including a missed call or a call that was screened, can be blocked this way.

Tip: if the spam call was filtered, open Phone, tap the Filter button at the top, then Spam or Unknown Callers to find it and block it from there.

Block a saved contact from the Contacts list

If the person is saved in your contacts, you don't need to wait for them to call:

1. Open the Phone app and tap Contacts (or open the Contacts app).
2. Tap the contact.
3. Scroll to the bottom and tap Block Contact (on some versions it reads Block this Caller), then confirm.

Blocking a contact blocks every number and email address on that card. If the card holds a shared family landline or a work switchboard, you'll block that too, so edit the card first if needed.

How to block text messages on iPhone (Messages)

If the unwanted contact is texting you:

1. Open the Messages app.
2. Open the conversation.
3. Tap the contact's name or icon at the top of the conversation. (In iOS 26 you may need to tap Info next.)
4. Scroll down and tap Block Caller or Block Contact, then confirm.

Apple's Messages guide notes that when you block someone in Messages, they're also blocked in Mail, Phone, FaceTime, Calendar and other apps. The sender isn't told their messages are blocked. Messages they send while blocked aren't delivered, and they won't show up later if you unblock them.

Block and report spam texts

For a one-off scam text from a stranger, reporting is often better than just deleting:

1. In Messages, if you haven't opened the text, swipe left on it, tap the delete button, then Delete and Report Spam.
2. If you've opened it, tap the Report Spam link at the bottom of the message (it appears for unknown senders), then Delete and Report Spam.

iMessage reports go to Apple with the sender's details. For SMS, MMS or RCS, depending on your carrier and country, the report is shared with your carrier. Apple is clear that reporting doesn't stop the sender: if they keep texting from the same number, block them as well. You also can't report a message after you've replied to it, so don't reply "STOP" to obvious scams first.

Filter texts from unknown senders

To stop strangers' texts from buzzing your phone at all:

1. Open Messages and tap the Filter button at the top of the conversation list.
2. Tap Manage Filtering.
3. Turn on Screen Unknown Senders (shown as Filter Unknown Senders on older iOS) and make sure Filter Spam is on.

Texts from numbers not in your contacts then go to a separate Unknown Senders list and you aren't notified. Check it now and then for one-time passcodes and delivery updates, or save those senders to Contacts. If a real message lands in Spam, tap it, tap Not Spam, then Move to Messages.

Block a caller in FaceTime

1. Open the FaceTime app.
2. Tap the Info button next to the phone number, contact or email address you want to block.
3. Scroll down and tap Block Caller.

FaceTime has a separate Silence Unknown Callers switch under Settings → Apps → FaceTime for unknown FaceTime callers.

Block an email sender in Mail

1. Open the Mail app and open an email from the sender.
2. Tap the sender's name at the top.
3. Tap View Contact Card (or the sender's name again).
4. Tap Block this Contact.

Apple says email from a blocked address goes to the Trash folder, and email blocking works across all your Apple devices. For newsletters, try Unsubscribe first; save blocking for senders that ignore it.

How to block a number in Settings on iOS 26

iOS 26 added a central blocked list under Privacy & Security. You can add a contact directly, without opening a call or chat first. Apple's steps:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap Privacy & Security.
3. Tap Blocked Contacts.
4. Tap Add Blocked Contact, then choose or enter the contact you want to block.
5. Tap Block Contact.

This is also the place to review everyone you've blocked. Numbers and emails you never saved are grouped under Unknown. If you're looking for "Blocked Contacts" under Phone settings and can't find it, that's why: Apple moved it here in iOS 26.

Blocking a number you haven't saved, before it calls: the Add Blocked Contact picker works from your contacts, so save the number first (for example as "Spam – loan offer"), then add that contact to the list. Some people keep one "Spam" contact and add many numbers to it, then block that one card.

How to block a number on iOS 18 and earlier

Older versions don't have the Privacy & Security list. You can block from Recents, Contacts, Messages or FaceTime exactly as above, or use Settings:

1. Open Settings → Phone → Blocked Contacts.
2. Tap Block Contact at the bottom of the list.
3. Choose the contact to block.

Messages, FaceTime and Mail also have their own Blocked screens on older iOS (Settings → Messages → Blocked Contacts, Settings → FaceTime → Blocked Contacts, Settings → Mail → Blocked), but a number blocked in one of them is blocked in Phone, Messages and FaceTime together.

Not sure which version you have? Go to Settings → General → About and check iOS Version.

How to block spam and unknown callers on iPhone

Blocking works on one number at a time, so it's the wrong tool for spam that comes from a new number every day. Apple offers three settings for those, all under Settings → Apps → Phone:

1. Screen Unknown Callers: choose Ask Reason for Calling to have your iPhone answer unsaved numbers and ask who's calling before it rings, or Silence to send them straight to voicemail. They still show up in your call list. Choose Never to turn this off.
2. Call Filtering → Spam: calls your carrier identifies as potential spam or fraud are silenced and moved to a Spam list.
3. Call Filtering → Unknown Callers: missed calls and voicemails from unknown numbers move to an Unknown Callers list, which keeps your main list clean.

To review filtered calls, open Phone, go to Calls (Unified layout) or Recents (Classic layout), tap the Filter button, then tap Unknown Callers or Spam.

Before you turn on Silence, save important numbers such as family, your doctor, your bank and your child's school so their calls still ring. Apple also notes that calls aren't screened while you're roaming, and that call screening turns off for 24 hours after you call emergency services. On iOS versions earlier than 17, Live Voicemail also had to be on for call screening.

Which setting should you pick?

• Lots of spam but you get real calls from new numbers (deliveries, recruiters, clinics): Ask Reason for Calling.
• Almost every unknown call is spam: Silence, plus check voicemail daily.
• You want zero change in behavior but less clutter: turn on Call Filtering for Spam and Unknown Callers only.

Block "No Caller ID" and hidden numbers

You can't block a "No Caller ID" or "Unknown" call with Block Caller, because there's no number to add to the list. Instead:

• Set Screen Unknown Callers to Silence or Ask Reason for Calling. Calls with no caller ID count as unknown and won't ring through.
• Turn on a Focus (such as Do Not Disturb) that only allows calls from your contacts, if you only need quiet at certain times.
• Ask your carrier: many offer free anonymous call rejection or spam blocking in their app or account portal.

Block business, scam and robocall numbers

Scam calls often spoof local numbers or pretend to be your bank, a delivery company, a tax office or Apple. A few habits help more than any single block:

• Don't call back or reply to unexpected numbers asking for codes, payments or "verification". Hang up and contact the company using the number on its official website or card.
• Block repeat offenders from Recents, and report spam texts with Delete and Report Spam.
• Turn on Call Filtering → Spam so carrier-flagged calls never ring.
• Use your carrier's free spam tools if they offer them; they work at the network level before calls reach your iPhone.
• Third-party call-blocking apps can be added under Settings → Apps → Phone → Call Blocking & Identification. Only install well-known apps and check what data they collect, because they see your incoming numbers.

Apple's support article on social engineering scams says Apple will never ask you for your Apple Account password or verification codes by phone, so treat any such call as a scam.

What happens when you block someone on iPhone

According to Apple:

• A blocked number can still leave a voicemail, but you won't get a notification for it. It sits in a separate Blocked Messages section at the bottom of your voicemail list.
• Calls and messages from the blocked number aren't delivered to you.
• The person isn't notified that their call or message was blocked. Apple says a sender can't find out if they're blocked.
• Email from a blocked address goes to Trash.
• Outgoing calls and emails to a blocked contact are still allowed; blocking only affects incoming contact.

What a blocked caller sees and hears

Apple doesn't publish exactly what a blocked caller experiences, but in practice:

• Their call usually rings briefly or not at all on their side, then goes to your voicemail, so it looks like you're busy or your phone is off.
• Their iMessages look sent on their screen but don't show Delivered or Read, because they never reach you. SMS texts simply aren't delivered to you.
• Their FaceTime calls ring out without connecting.

None of these is a guaranteed tell, because a dead battery, airplane mode or a Focus can look the same, which is part of why Apple's block is discreet.

Side effects of blocking

Apple's Personal Safety guide lists a few things that also change when you block someone:

• If you block someone on one device, they're blocked on all Apple devices signed in to the same Apple Account.
• If you were sharing your location in Find My with them, it stops. In iOS 26 Apple says they aren't notified; on older versions they may be.
• If they were one of your emergency contacts, they're removed.
• Shared notes, calendars and other items aren't automatically removed. Use Safety Check (Settings → Privacy & Security → Safety Check) to review and stop sharing.

Does blocking work in group chats?

Partly. Apple's Messages guide says you can't block a group conversation. You can still be in a group with someone you've blocked: you won't see their messages, but they'll see yours. Your options:

• Leave the group: open the chat, tap the group name at the top and tap Leave this Conversation. Apple says you can only leave a group with at least three other people (iMessage), and everyone sees a note that you left.
• Mute it: in the same menu, turn on Hide Alerts to stop notifications without leaving.
• Spam groups from unknown numbers: report them as junk and turn on Screen Unknown Senders so new ones stay out of your main list.

A blocked number is still getting through? Troubleshooting

If you blocked someone but still hear from them, work through this table:

How to unblock a number later

Changed your mind, or blocked a courier or bank number by mistake? On iOS 26 go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Blocked Contacts, swipe left on the number and tap Unblock (or tap Edit, the delete button, then Unblock). Unsaved numbers are inside the Unknown entry. On iOS 18 or earlier, use Settings → Phone → Blocked Contacts. Messages sent while the number was blocked won't arrive afterward.

For every step, including Mac and iPad sync, side effects that don't switch back on, and a checklist for texts that still don't arrive, see our full guide on how to unblock a number on iPhone.

Typical scenarios

• A spam number keeps calling: block it from Recents in the Phone app right after the call. It takes four taps.
• Spam calls from a different number every day: turn on Call Filtering → Spam and set Screen Unknown Callers to Ask Reason for Calling.
• Scam texts with delivery or bank links: use Delete and Report Spam, then turn on Screen Unknown Senders. Never tap the link.
• An ex or a contact you want distance from: block their contact card so calls, FaceTime, texts and email all stop at once. They won't get an alert. Then run Safety Check to stop any location or item sharing.
• Promotional emails that ignore unsubscribe: block the sender in Mail so new messages go straight to Trash.
• A noisy group chat: you can't block a group, so leave it or turn on Hide Alerts.
• Helping a parent with scam calls: set up blocking and Screen Unknown Callers on their iPhone. Because blocking syncs only within one Apple Account, blocking on your phone won't protect theirs.
• Selling or handing down your phone: your blocked list is tied to your Apple Account, so it comes with you to your next iPhone. Before you hand the old one over, see how to factory reset an iPhone.

Verdict for each type of user

• Most people: use Block Caller in Phone or Messages for numbers that have already reached you, and turn on Call Filtering → Spam.
• On iOS 26: use Settings → Privacy & Security → Blocked Contacts to add contacts in advance and see your whole list.
• On iOS 18 or earlier: use Settings → Phone → Blocked Contacts.
• Heavy spam: Screen Unknown Callers → Ask Reason for Calling and Screen Unknown Senders do more than any single block.
• Email-heavy users: block senders in Mail; it applies on every Apple device you use.
• Anyone worried about missing real calls: blocked and silenced callers can still leave voicemail, so check voicemail and the Unknown Callers list now and then.

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