To block a number from texting, open your phone or messaging app, tap the conversation or number, then choose Block to stop messages and alerts.
If you’re tired of unwanted texts, you can stop them fast on iPhone, Android, or inside popular chat apps. This guide shows the exact taps, what blocking really does, and how to report junk so it doesn’t come back. You’ll also find quick tables you can scan when you’re in a hurry.
Blocking A Number From Sending Texts: Phone And App Steps
The fastest route lives in the app that received the message. In most cases, you open the thread, tap the sender’s name or number, then pick a block option. The details below cover the common paths on iPhone and Android, plus WhatsApp and Telegram for good measure.
Quick Reference: Where To Tap
| Platform/App | Menu Path | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone (Messages) | Thread → top name/number → “Info” → “Block Caller” | Also turn on “Filter Unknown Senders” in Settings → Messages. |
| Android (Google Messages) | Thread → top-right ⋮ → “Details” → “Block & report spam” | You can unblock later in Spam & blocked. |
| Samsung Messages | Messages → ⋮ → Settings → “Block numbers and spam” | Add from thread, recents, or contacts. |
| Chat → top name → “Block” | Option to report and block in one step. | |
| Telegram | Chat → top name → ⋮ → “Block user” | Works across devices for that account. |
| Carrier Tools | Carrier app or account page → security/spam controls | Some carriers add network-level filters. |
Step-By-Step On iPhone (Messages)
Apple’s Messages app lets you silence a sender in a few taps. Open the thread. Tap the name or number at the top. Tap “Info,” scroll, and pick “Block Caller.” That contact can still send SMS or iMessage from their device, but nothing lands in your inbox. You won’t get badges or sounds from them either.
To make unknown numbers less intrusive, go to Settings → Messages and enable “Filter Unknown Senders.” New iMessage texts from people not in Contacts drop into a separate list, away from your main inbox. For group chats, you may still see group activity if others reply; leaving the group ends all traffic from that thread.
Apple keeps a block list you can review. Head to Settings → Messages → Blocked Contacts to see or remove entries. The same list affects Phone and FaceTime, so the sender can’t call you either from that number or Apple ID.
Apple’s own guide explains these controls with screenshots; see Apple’s block guidance for full paths and extra filters.
Step-By-Step On Android (Google Messages)
Open the thread in Google Messages. Tap the three dots in the top right, pick “Details,” then choose “Block & report spam.” You can leave the report box unchecked if the sender is a person you know and you just want silence. To review later, tap your profile icon in Messages → Spam & blocked.
Many phones let you block from the Phone app too. From Recents, tap the number, pick info, then use the block option. That mutes calls from the same number and tightens things up if texts and calls come from a single source.
Google’s help page lists the current menus and wording; see block senders in Google Messages for variations you might see on your device.
Samsung Messages Tips
On Galaxy phones using Samsung Messages, open Messages → three dots → Settings → “Block numbers and spam.” You can add a number from a thread, your call log, or Contacts. To unblock later, return to the same screen and remove the entry. If you use Google Messages as the default on a Galaxy phone, use the Google paths above instead.
Blocking On Chat Apps
Open the chat, tap the contact name at the top, scroll, and press “Block.” You can also report and block in one step to flag abuse. The person no longer sees your last seen or online status, and messages from them won’t deliver to you.
Telegram
Open the chat, tap the name, tap the three dots, then pick “Block user.” Messages and calls from that account stop landing in your Telegram. If the person uses a new account or number, you’ll need to block that as well.
What Blocking Does—and What It Doesn’t
What You Can Expect
- No message alerts from the blocked number in the app where you set the block.
- Existing threads stay, but new texts from that sender stop appearing.
- On iPhone and many Android setups, a Phone-app block also silences calls from the same number.
- The sender isn’t notified that you blocked them.
Limits Worth Knowing
- If the sender switches numbers, you’ll need to block the new number too.
- Group chats can still show other people’s replies; leave the group to end that thread.
- Cloud chat apps block by account; a new account bypasses the old block until you block again.
Cut The Junk: Report Spam And Phishing Texts
Forward junk texts to 7726 (that spells “SPAM”) to help your carrier filter look-alike blasts. The FCC guide on robocalls and texts confirms the 7726 path and includes tips for Do-Not-Call rules, opt-out words like STOP, and complaint routes. In many regions, carriers read 7726 reports to tune their blocking systems. Reporting inside your messaging app helps too, since those flags feed the app’s junk filters.
Clean Up Your Inbox: Filters And Auto-Sorting
Two simple switches can keep noise low even after you block the worst senders:
Filter Unknown Senders On iPhone
Settings → Messages → “Filter Unknown Senders.” This moves iMessage texts from numbers outside Contacts to a separate list. You can still open those messages when you want, but they won’t buzz your lock screen like normal threads.
Spam Protection On Android
In Google Messages, tap your profile icon → Messages settings → Spam protection. Leave this on. It flags suspicious threads and can auto-sort them away from your main view.
When You Should Use Your Carrier’s Tools
Many carriers offer extra filters or premium blockers inside their apps. These tools can scan links, mute short-code blasts, and add network-level blocks. The trade-off is that they may require an app install or a plan add-on. If a sender keeps dodging your device block, a network block gives you another layer.
Fixes For Common “Why Is This Still Happening?” Moments
| Symptom | Likely Cause | Quick Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Texts from a new number keep coming | Sender switched numbers or short code | Block the new number; report to 7726 |
| Group chat still pings | Block doesn’t mute groups | Leave the group; start a fresh thread without them |
| Calls still ring from that contact | Only the messaging app was blocked | Block in the Phone app too |
| Junk shows up in main inbox | Filters off | iPhone: enable “Filter Unknown Senders.” Android: turn on Spam protection |
| Business texts keep arriving after STOP | Sender not honoring opt-out | Reply STOP once, then report inside the app and to 7726 |
| Old thread still shows unread count | Cached badge or a hidden draft | Open the thread, send nothing, back out; restart the app |
Privacy And Safety Notes
Don’t click links in suspicious texts. If the message looks like a bank alert, package notice, or prize, verify on the real site or app you already use. Never share one-time codes by text. If a friend’s account gets hijacked, messages may come from a real name with odd requests. Move that chat to a call or a fresh thread to confirm it’s them.
How To Unblock If You Change Your Mind
On iPhone
Go to Settings → Messages → Blocked Contacts. Tap Edit to remove entries. You can also visit Settings → Phone → Blocked Contacts to manage the same list.
On Android (Google Messages)
Open Google Messages → profile icon → Spam & blocked. Pick a number and choose Unblock. If you blocked in the Phone app, open the Phone app → Settings → Blocked numbers to remove it there too.
Simple Routine That Keeps Texts Clean
- Block the sender in the app where you got the message.
- Report junk inside the app when offered.
- Forward spam to 7726 to help your carrier filter copies.
- Turn on inbox filters (iPhone) or Spam protection (Android).
- Review your block list once a month and prune old entries.
Troubleshooting: When Blocking Doesn’t Stick
If fresh spam slips through, check for multiple threads from slightly different numbers. Spammers rotate senders to dodge filters. Block each one as it appears. Next, scan your installed apps for any that requested SMS access they don’t need and remove those permissions. If you switched messaging apps, make sure only one app is set as the default so filters work as designed.
Still getting messages from the same brand after STOP? Keep a screenshot of the opt-out, then report inside the app and to 7726. Repeat offenders can be escalated through your carrier and the FCC complaint portal linked in the robocall guide above.
Why Reporting Matters
Blocks protect your phone. Reports protect everyone. When you flag a message in your app or forward to 7726, carriers and app teams learn the exact phrases, links, and sender patterns that need to be filtered. That data cuts down on copy-paste blasts and smishing lures that would land in other inboxes tomorrow. One forward today can stop dozens of look-alike messages across the network.
Final Take: The Fastest Paths That Work
Open the thread, block the sender, and turn on your app’s spam tools. Send junk to 7726 so the next batch gets filtered upstream. Keep filters on and your contact list tidy. With those steps, texts from that source go quiet—and your inbox stays that way.