Life is busy enough without wasting time on spammers, scammers, and telemarketers. Whether you are suffering from insistent injury lawyers, fraudulent car warranty representatives, or a drunk-dialing ex, there is a way to stop the endless calls and messages. The major carriers and phone manufacturers have upped their game against unwanted calls and messages in recent years—let’s examine how you can effectively block them.
WIRED also has guides on how to protect yourself from AI scam calls, avoid spam with disposable contact info, guard against smishing attacks, and avoid phishing scams. Frustrated by the whole situation and curious why no one’s been able to stop the barrage of spam calls? Check out WIRED senior writer Lily Hay Newman’s article on our perpetual robocall hell.
Updated June 2026: I tested the outlined steps, updated details throughout, and added new testing photos.
What to Keep in Mind #
Before we dive into blocking options, there are a few points to know:
- If possible, don’t answer any calls from numbers you don’t recognize. Callers with anything important to say will likely leave a message anyway. Sadly, this strategy won’t work for many business owners or people who have interests that involve a lot of calls from unknown numbers.
- Never click on a link or attachment in a spam text message, because doing so could trigger malware. If possible, avoid opening such texts altogether.
- Never respond to a spam text message, as doing so will confirm that your number is valid.
- If you are concerned that the call or message might be from a legitimate company, try typing the number into your preferred search engine. While it can be tricky to confirm a scammer’s number, it is easy to verify a legitimate number. If you can’t find any information about the number, be cautious and ignore it.
- I'll explain below how to block numbers, but it’s also important to report unwanted calls and messages. If you're dealing with telemarketing, a scam, or spam, you can report it to the FTC here. You can also add your number to the Do Not Call Registry, though this only works for sales calls from reputable companies. Sadly, many organizations and scammers ignore it. Below, I will go into how to report numbers to manufacturers, carriers, and third parties. The more that people do this, the easier it will become to identify and preemptively block or label nuisance numbers.
How to Block Calls and Texts on an iPhone #
It’s easy to block individual numbers on your iPhone. Here’s how:
- In the Phone app, tap Recents, then tap the number or contact you want to block (or the Information icon in Classic view). Scroll down and tap** Block Caller**. - In the FaceTime app, tap the number, contact, or email address you want to block, then scroll down to tap Block Caller. - In the Messages app, open the conversation with the contact you want to block, tap the contact at the top, then Block Caller.
Once a caller is blocked, you won’t get notifications when they call or send a message, but they won’t be able to tell that they have been blocked and will still be able to leave voicemails. You can review and unblock callers anytime. To do so, follow this sequence:
- Open Settings,** Privacy & Security**, and tap** Blocked Contacts**.
How to Filter Unknown Callers and Senders on an iPhone #
Unfortunately, blocking individual numbers isn’t very effective when telemarketers or scammers are contacting you, as they use multiple numbers and change them frequently. But there is something else you can do to filter unknown callers and senders:
- Open Settings,** Apps**,** Phone**, and scroll down to tap** Screen Unknown Callers**. Then, select** Ask Reason for Calling**, which requests more information from unsaved numbers before ringing your iPhone, or** Silence**, which automatically silences calls from numbers not saved in your contacts. They can still leave a voicemail, and the calls will appear in your recent calls list. - You can establish the same process for messages by going to Settings,** Apps**,** Messages**, and scrolling down to toggle on** Screen Unknown Senders**. This will hide notifications and move messages to the Unknown Senders list. You may also want to toggle on** Filter Spam**here to hide messages from known spam sources.
If a message looks like spam, you can swipe left without opening it, tap the trash can icon, and then Delete and Report Spam. If you open a message that turns out to be spam, always tap the Report Spam link under the message and then Delete and Report Spam.
How to Block Calls and Texts on an Android Phone #
It’s straightforward to block numbers on an Android phone, too, but the method differs among manufacturers.
- On a stock Android device, like a Google Pixel phone, you'll open the Phone app and tap on the Home tab. Long-press the number you want to block, and then tapBlock or Report. You can choose whether to uncheck the box marked** Report call as spamor to check the box next to Report call as scam**. Either way, you'll tap** Blockafter selecting. - On a Samsung phone, open the Phone app and go to Recents, then tap the number you want to block, then select the Menuicon and tap Block**.
How to Filter Unknown Callers and Senders on an Android Phone #
If you are getting a lot of unwanted calls and messages, and the numbers keep changing, you might want to filter out any unknown numbers. Here's how to do that on an Android:
- Open the Phone app and tap the Menu icon, then three vertical lines at the top left, then** Settings**,** Blocked numbers**, and finally toggle on** Unknown**(or** Block unknown callerson a Samsung phone). - You can also turn on caller ID and spam protection. To do this, open the Phone app and tap the Menu icon on the top left, thenSettings**, then tap** Caller ID and Spamto get options to See caller and spam ID**. (You can simply toggle on** Caller ID and spam protectionon a Samsung phone.) - If you have a Google Pixel, try call-screening to have Google Assistant answer for you and generate a transcript. To try it, open the Phone app and tap the Menu icon at the top left, thenSettings**, then** Call Screen**. Next, choose** Automatic Call Screen**, and pick the level you want. If you turn on the spam filter, it should screen your calls automatically. But you can also tapScreen call when any call comes in. - Open the Messages app and tap your profile picture on the top right, then Messages settings,** Protection and safety**, and toggle on** Spam protection**.
How to Block Calls or Texts With Your Carrier #
The major carriers offer apps that can help you recognize nuisance numbers and block calls or messages from them.
offers the ActiveArmor app. The basic version is free and offers spam and fraud call blocking, nuisance call alerts, and unknown call blocking. The advanced version costs $7 per month per line and adds caller ID, reverse number lookup, and additional nuisance call controls, among other features.AT&T has a similar app called Call Filter. It offers spam detection and filtering, a whitelist option for iOS, and a neighborhood spoofing filter. The Plus version costs $4 per month for one line or $11 per month for three or more lines. It adds caller ID, spam detection, a spam risk meter, and a personal block list.Verizon has the free Scam Shield app, which offers caller ID, scam detection and blocking, and even a proxy number you can use when you don’t want to share your real number.T-Mobile offers various blocking options and caller ID for free in the Google Fi app.Google Fi has the Call Guardian app offering caller ID, spam alerts, and spam reporting. The Premium version, at $4 per month, offers enhanced alerts, caller ID, and automatic call blocking.US Cellular
You can also report spam messages to your carrier for free by forwarding them to 7726.
What About Third-Party Apps? #
There are countless Android and iOS apps claiming to offer spam protection and robocall blocking, but I advise caution if you’re thinking about using one. For these apps to work properly, you must grant them access to your call logs and contacts. While apps like RoboKiller ($90 per year) or Nomorobo (from $3 per month) are legitimate, they won't necessarily do a better job than the methods outlined above, and there are many unscrupulous apps out there that may share or sell your data or fail to hold it securely. Do some homework before trying a third-party app, and keep their business model and privacy policy in mind.
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