How to Stop Spam Calls & Texts on Your iPhone

Spam calls and suspicious text messages have become an unfortunate part of owning a smartphone.

You block one number, only to receive another call from a different number. You delete a suspicious text, and another appears the next day.

Fortunately, your iPhone has some surprisingly powerful tools to helpPhone has some surprisingly powerful tools to help.

Between Apple’s built-in call-screening and message-filtering features and the protections your cellular provider offers, you can reduce unwanted interruptions without spending a dime.

Here are three free ways to get started, plus a bonus tip for reporting suspicious messages.

One of the most useful features available on newer versions of iOS is Call Screening.

Instead of ringing immediately, your iPhone can answer an unfamiliar caller, ask for their name and reason for calling, and display their response so you can decide whether to answer.

The caller doesn’t know whether you’re looking at your phone, and you don’t have to interrupt what you’re doing to find out who’s calling.

To find these settings:

1. Open Settings.
2. Scroll down and select Apps.
3. Tap Phone.
4. Find the options for handling calls from unknown numbers.

Depending on your iOS version, you’ll see options such as:

Never: Unfamiliar callers can ring your phone normally.

Ask Reason for Calling: Your iPhone screens unfamiliar callers and asks them to identify themselves before you decide whether to answer.

Silence: Calls from unfamiliar numbers are silenced and sent to voicemail.

For most people with a supported iPhone, I recommend starting with Ask Reason for Calling.

After all, an unfamiliar number isn’t necessarily a scammer. It could be your doctor’s office, a delivery driver, a prospective employer, or someone else you actually want to hear from.

Call Screening helps you distinguish between unwanted interruptions and potentially important calls.

Note: Availability depends on your iPhone’s software version, language, and region.

Your iPhone isn’t the only thing that can help protect you from unwanted calls.

Many cellular providers offer services that identify suspicious numbers, flag potential scams, and sometimes block calls before they reach your phone.

In the United States, the three major carriers offer basic spam protection at no additional charge, though features and eligibility can vary.

AT&T: ActiveArmor

AT&T customers can use the ActiveArmor app to access spam and fraud call protection, along with additional security features.

Download: AT&T ActiveArmor

Verizon: Call Filter

Verizon’s Call Filter service offers spam detection and filtering features. A free tier is available for eligible customers.

Learn more: Verizon Call Filter

T-Mobile: Scam Shield

T-Mobile offers Scam Shield to help identify and manage suspicious calls.

One particularly useful feature is Scam Block, which can block calls identified as likely scams at the network level.

To activate Scam Block:

1. Open the Phone app.
2. Dial #662#.
3. Press Call.

To deactivate it, dial #632#.

Learn more: T-Mobile Scam Shield

Outside the United States?

Many international carriers offer similar services.

Contact your cellular provider and ask:

“Do you offer free spam or scam call protection, and is it already enabled on my account?”

You may already have protections available that you aren’t using.

Spam calls are frustrating, but suspicious text messages can be particularly dangerous.

Scammers frequently impersonate delivery companies, financial institutions, government agencies, and familiar businesses to trick people into clicking malicious links or sharing sensitive information.

Fortunately, your iPhone can help separate suspicious messages from your everyday conversations.

To find your message filtering settings:

1. Open Settings.
2. Select Apps.
3. Tap Messages.
4. Look for settings related to unknown senders, message screening, or spam filtering.
5. Enable the available protections that make sense for you.

The exact settings and available options depend on your iOS version and cellular provider.

Once configured, Messages can separate suspected spam from your regular conversations.

To review messages identified as spam:

1. Open the Messages app.
2. Tap the Filter button in the upper-right corner.
3. Select Spam, if available.

You can review flagged messages and recover legitimate conversations that were incorrectly identified.

Remember that filtering and blocking aren’t the same thing.

Filtering helps organize or separate suspicious messages. Blocking prevents communication from specific numbers or contacts.

Neither method guarantees that every unwanted message will disappear.

Here’s something many iPhone users don’t realize: you can help improve spam detection by reporting suspicious messages.

There are two common ways to do it.

Option 1: Report Through Messages

When you receive a suspicious message from an unfamiliar sender, look for a reporting option within the conversation or when deleting it.

Depending on the message type, iOS version, and carrier, you may see options such as Report Spam, Report Junk, or Delete and Report Junk.

These options can help report suspicious messages to Apple, your carrier, or the relevant messaging provider.

Option 2: Forward Spam Texts to 7726

Many cellular providers support a special number for reporting suspicious text messages:

7726

The numbers spell SPAM on a telephone keypad.

If your carrier supports this service, you can forward a suspicious text message to 7726.

Your carrier may respond with additional instructions, such as asking for the sender’s phone number.

Keep in mind that forwarding support and the process for forwarding messages can vary by iOS version and carrier.

One important distinction: Reporting a message doesn’t necessarily block the sender, and blocking someone doesn’t automatically report them.

These are separate actions.

No setting or service can eliminate every unwanted call or suspicious message.

Scammers continually change their tactics, and even the best filtering systems occasionally make mistakes.

But by combining your iPhone’s built-in features with your cellular provider’s protections, you can make your phone considerably less frustrating to use.

Start with call screening, check what your carrier offers, and make sure your message filtering settings are configured.

A few minutes spent adjusting these features today could save you countless interruptions down the road.

And if you’d like to discover even more useful things your iPhone can do, check out my video covering five surprisingly useful iPhone features you probably didn’t know existed.