An AskWoody member was having issues with spam/scam text messages going to their iPhone, so I wanted to take a moment to outline the main ways one can block spam/scam text messages from going to one’s iPhone.
Phone Numbers and Apple ID Email Addresses
First of all, there are two ways iPhone users can receive spam/scam messages on iPhones: through phone numbers or through one’s Apple ID email address. iPhone users can receive messages over traditional SMS or MMS, as well as iMessage (Apple’s messaging service), and iMessage is tied to both the iPhone’s phone number and any email addresses associated with one’s Apple ID.
Method One: Block on iPhone Itself
For iPhone users receiving spam/scam messages from particular phone numbers or email addresses, the quickest way to block these messages is directly on the iPhone itself. This article shows how easy it is to do it, plus one can also enable a filter for unknown senders so all messages from unknown senders go into a separate tab the iPhone user can review. Spam/scam messages can also be reported directly to Apple.
Method Two: Block at the Network Level
iPhone users can also block messages at the network level. The method to add blocks at the network level will depend on the wireless carrier of the iPhone user. Since I am a Verizon customer, I will post instructions for Verizon customers. To temporarily block scam texts from a particular phone number at the network level (good for 90 days), Verizon can use the free Blocks feature in My Verizon. To permanently block particular phone numbers at the network level, an iPhone user would need to enroll in the $4.99/month Smart Family feature and add those phone numbers to the Not Allowed list in My Verizon. Verizon also offers a free and premium Call Filter service, but it is only for blocking scam calls, not messages. This article outlines the differences between all three services. Verizon also offers a video on managing Blocks using My Verizon. Under the FAQ’s for Blocks, Verizon mentions a way to report spam/scam messages directly to Verizon (usually sending them to 7726).
If iPhone users completely want to block text messages or particular message types (such as MMS) at the network level, Verizon also offers Service Blocks that offer this which can be done in My Verizon as well. These instructions outline how to do this. This is a bit overkill for most users, but it is a nuclear option.
Method Three: Third-Party Message Blocking Apps
Some of the popular spam/scam blocking apps also offer the ability to filter and block spam/scam messages in addition to spam/scam calls. RoboKiller and Malwarebytes are two popular apps that offer this (I personally use RoboKiller). Once enabled, the apps will filter and block most spam/scam messages, as well as allow iPhone users to report spam/scam messages to them.
Nathan Parker
