How to block a number on an iPhone

Block a single phone number or contact on your iPhone

At best, unwanted calls and messages are annoying. At worst, they can put you at risk and seriously disrupt your daily life. Sales companies, exes, scammers, bots, and stalkers can cause you a huge amount of stress if they get your phone number. The good thing is that you can block them through the Phone and Message apps with just a few taps.

Through the Phone app

To block spam calls, take the following steps:

1. 1.Open your Phone app.
2. 2.Under "Recents," tap the ⓘ button next to the phone number or contact you want to block.
   
3. 3.Scroll down and then tap "Block caller."
   
4. 4.To confirm, tap "Block contact."
   

After implementing these steps, you will no longer receive calls from that contact. If several numbers are constantly disturbing you, you'll have to block each of them individually.

Through the Messages app

To block spam messages, follow these steps:

1. 1.Open the Messages app.
2. 2.Open the conversation with the person you want to block.
3. 3.Tap on the contact's name or number at the top of the screen.
   
4. 4.Tap "Info."
   
5. 5.Tap "Block caller."
   
6. 6.Confirm by tapping "Block contact."
   

Unblock a blocked contact

You can view the list of blocked contacts and unblock them:

1. 1.Go to Settings.
2. 2.Tap "Apps."
   
3. 3.Select "Phone."
   
4. 4.Tap "Blocked contacts."
   
5. 5.Swipe left over the entry and tap "Unblock."
   

How to enable the "Silence unknown callers" feature

It can be uncomfortable receiving a call from someone under the "unknown caller" and "No caller ID" tag. Fortunately, you can silence calls from unknown numbers. Follow these steps:

1. 1.Open Settings.
2. 2.Choose "Phone."
   
3. 3.Tap "Silence unknown callers."
   
4. 4.Switch the toggle button.
   

Remember that this doesn't block unwanted calls — your phone will send them straight to voicemail.

Block spam phone numbers with third-party apps

A handful of iOS apps designed to block spam and robocalls on your iPhone work by filtering phone numbers known for spam. If you often receive robocalls, this might be a way to get rid of them once and for all.

Blocking phone numbers can also be entertaining. The Robokiller app employs an army of bots to receive calls from scammers and spammers. The app wastes the caller's time and records the conversations, which you can later listen to.

Filter messages from unknown phone numbers on iOS

If you don't wish to receive messages from unknown phone numbers, you can filter them through your iPhone settings.

1. 1.Open Settings.
2. 2.Scroll down and find "Apps."
   
3. 3.Select "Messages."
   
4. 4.Scroll down and turn on "Filter unknown senders."
   

What happens when you block someone?

Apple allows you to block numbers, contacts, messages, and emails on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch. If somebody tries to contact you on multiple channels, you can block that person on all of them. If a suspicious number keeps sending you SMS links, they could be trying to infect you with malware, so blocking them is often the safest solution.

When you block a phone number or contact on your Apple device, the caller can leave you a voicemail, but you won't be notified about it. A person may notice some signs if they want to check whether you've blocked their number, but they'll never know for sure.

You can even turn on the "Silence unknown callers" feature, which silences calls from numbers not in your contact list and sends them directly to your voicemail. This feature has its drawbacks, though, as you can miss calls from harmless numbers like an Uber driver, a pizza delivery guy, or your child's teacher.

How to avoid having to block someone in the first place

It's good to know how to block and filter unwanted calls and messages, but you can do a few things to prevent them in the first place and save yourself a headache. 

• Never share your phone number on social media. 
• Don't give out your phone number when signing up for services unless necessary.
• Ask companies to stop marketing-related calls or text messages. 
• Create strong passwords and enable two-factor authentication to prevent malicious actors from stealing your contact details.
• Set up a VPN for an iPhone to enhance online data protection.

NordVPN encrypts your traffic and masks your IP address, mitigating the risk of getting hacked. With one NordVPN account, you can protect up to 10 different devices.