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