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How to block unwanted message senders and callers in Messages

October 19, 2022
Jill D. Clifton

If you receive unwanted calls to your phone number on an iPhone, SMS or iMessages in the Messages app, or unwanted incoming calls in FaceTime, you can block them by phone number or email address. Any number or address you add to a blocked list via FaceTime, Messages, or Phone serves as a ban on all three apps and related services.

A phone number is blocked for incoming calls and incoming SMS. If the phone number is also linked to an iCloud account, that person won’t be able to send you an iMessage or initiate a FaceTime call either. An email address must be linked to an iCloud account to block that person – they can’t send an iMessage or start a FaceTime call.

Block a number or email address in Messages as follows:

  • On iOS/iPadOS, tap a conversation, tap the icon at the top of the message history, tap The informationand tap Block this caller.
  • In macOS, select a conversation, then select Conversations > Block Person. Confirm by clicking block.
You can block phone numbers and email addresses in several places in Apple’s operating systems. Here I block a specific SMS number in Messages for macOS.

In FaceTime, you can only block a number or address in iOS/iPadOS with existing calls: Tap the info button i to the right of someone’s name or phone number in the recent calls list and tap “Block this caller” at the bottom . Screen.

In the Phone app on an iPhone, in the Recents list, tap the i-Info icon to the right of an entry, then tap Block This Caller at the bottom, just like in FaceTime.

You can manually remove or add phone numbers and email addresses in several places:

  • On iOS/iPadOS, go to settings > FaceTime > Blocked Contacts; or settings > Messages > block contacts; or settings > phone > Blocked Contacts. Swipe to the bottom of the list and tap Add new to enter a number or address to block. Swipe left on an entry and tap it unlock to remove it, or tap To edit in the top left corner for bulk editing.
  • In macOS, go to Messages > settings > iMessage > clogged or go to FaceTime > Settings blocked. You can click the plus icon to add entries, or select an entry and click the minus icon to remove it.

This Mac 911 article answers a question from Macworld reader Nick.

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