Your package could not be delivered. You won a $1,000 gift card. Your bank account is locked — verify now. The texts arrive at all hours, from numbers you have never seen, and deleting them one by one never ends the stream. The good news: your phone already has the tools to cut most of them off — a filter that hides strangers, a report button that teaches the filters, and a block that ends a number for good. Set them up once and the stream slows to a trickle.
iPhone: turn on Filter Unknown Senders
Filtering is the single most effective step on iPhone, because it catches spam from numbers you have never seen — before they ever buzz your phone. Apple says a known sender is anyone you have added to Contacts or sent a message to; everyone else is filtered.
- Open Settings, then go to Apps > Messages. On older iOS versions the path is simply Settings > Messages.
- Scroll down to Message Filtering and turn on Filter Unknown Senders. On newer iOS versions the same switch is called Screen Unknown Senders.
Messages from unknown senders move to a separate folder and you get no notification for them. To check the folder, open Messages, tap Filters in the top-left corner of the conversation list, then tap Unknown Senders.
iPhone: report junk and block the sender
Filtering hides spam, but reporting and blocking are what stop a number that keeps coming back. The two do different jobs, and Apple is explicit about the difference: reporting junk does not prevent the sender from sending more messages — only blocking does.
To report a junk iMessage:
- If you have not opened the message, swipe left on it in the conversation list, then tap Delete and Report Junk.
- If you have already opened it, a Report Junk link appears at the bottom of any message from an unknown sender. Tap it, then tap Delete and Report Junk.
The report — the sender's information and the message — goes to Apple, and the message is permanently deleted from your iPhone. For SMS, MMS or RCS spam, Apple says the report may instead be shared with your carrier and its affiliates, depending on your carrier and country. One limit to know: you cannot report a message after you have replied to it. If you already replied, skip reporting and block the number instead.
To block the sender:
- Open the conversation and tap the name or number at the top.
- Tap Info, scroll down, then tap Block this Caller.
Blocking stops texts, calls and FaceTime from that number, and the sender is never told they are blocked. To see or change your blocked list later, go to Settings > Apps > Messages > Blocked Contacts. Our guide to blocking a number covers the same steps on Android too.
Android: turn on spam protection in Google Messages
Google Messages, the default texting app on most current Android phones, has built-in spam protection that warns you about messages that look like spam or scams and moves some of them out of your inbox. Check that it is on:
- Open Google Messages.
- Tap your profile picture (or the three-dot menu) at the top.
- Tap Messages settings, then Protection & safety.
- Tap Spam protection and turn on Enable spam protection.
The feature is not available on every phone or in every country, and the exact menu names can vary by phone maker — if you do not see it, update Google Messages from the Play Store first. Leaving it on costs you nothing: it runs quietly and only steps in when a message looks suspicious.
Android: block and report a spam conversation
When a spam text still reaches your inbox, do not just delete it. In Google Messages, reporting a conversation also blocks the sender and moves the chat to your Spam & blocked folder — one action, three results.
- In the conversation list, touch and hold the spam conversation.
- Tap Block, keep Report spam checked, then tap OK. You can also do this inside an open conversation: tap the three-dot menu, then Details, then Block & report spam.
Google says the report sends the spammer's phone number and their last 10 incoming messages to Google, to improve spam detection — and a separate reporting conversation may send the number and the most recent text to your carrier. You can also report spam without blocking the contact, if you only want the report. To undo a block, open Spam & blocked, tap the conversation, then tap Unblock.
Samsung Galaxy: block numbers and spam
Samsung phones have their own spam controls inside Samsung Messages. To block one number:
- Open Samsung Messages and touch and hold the conversation with the unwanted number.
- Tap More, then tap Block, and confirm.
To manage the list or add numbers directly, open Samsung Messages, tap the three-dot menu, then Settings > Block numbers and spam > Block numbers, type the number and tap Add. The same menu holds Block phrases, where you can filter messages containing a specific word or phrase, and Blocked messages, where you can review what was caught.
Report spam texts to your carrier: forward to 7726
Your carrier can fight spam at the network level, before it reaches your phone — but only if it knows about it. In the US and the UK, carriers share the short code 7726 (which spells SPAM on a phone keypad) for spam reports:
- Forward the spam text to 7726 — long-press the message, choose forward, and send it to 7726.
- Your carrier may reply asking for the sender's phone number. Send it and the report is complete.
Forwarding to 7726 does not block the number on your phone, so still block it in Messages. Think of it as the network-level half of the job: your phone's filter stops the number, the carrier's report helps stop the campaign. Most carriers also offer free spam filtering in their own app or account portal — check yours if the texts keep coming from new numbers every week.
Legit marketing texts vs scams: reply STOP only to the first
Not every unwanted text is a scam, and the right response depends on which one it is. A marketing text from a brand you signed up with — a shop, a delivery service, a loyalty scheme — usually stops if you reply STOP, and Google Messages shows an Unsubscribe option on some business conversations. A scam text is different: replying tells the sender your number is live, which can bring more spam, and tapping its links can lead to a fake login page.
- It is a brand you know and signed up with: reply STOP, or tap Unsubscribe if the app offers it.
- It is a prize, a parcel you never ordered, a bank warning or a job offer from a stranger: do not reply, do not tap any link, do not call any number in it. Report it (Report Junk on iPhone, Block & report spam on Android, or forward to 7726) and block the sender.
- It claims to be your bank, a delivery company or a government service: go to the real app or website yourself and check there. A genuine company will never ask you to verify an account through a link in a text.
Which tool stops what
| Method | What it does | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Filter Unknown Senders (iPhone) | Moves strangers' texts to Unknown Senders and silences notifications | Real messages from new numbers land there too — check the folder |
| Report Junk (iPhone) | Sends the message to Apple or your carrier and deletes it | Does not block the sender — block separately |
| Block this Caller (iPhone) | Stops texts, calls and FaceTime from that number | Spam from a new number starts over |
| Spam protection (Google Messages) | Warns about and moves suspicious messages | Not on every phone or in every country |
| Block & report spam (Google Messages) | Blocks the sender, moves the chat to Spam & blocked, reports to Google | Stops that number only |
| Block numbers and spam (Samsung) | Blocks numbers and keyword phrases | Samsung Messages is going away on Android 12+ |
| Forward to 7726 | Reports the spam to your carrier | Does not block the number on your phone |
If spam texts keep coming
- A message you wanted landed in Unknown Senders or Spam & blocked. Check those folders when you are expecting a message from a new number — a delivery update or appointment reminder from a number not in your contacts can be filtered. On iPhone, open the message and add the sender to your contacts; in Google Messages, open Spam & blocked, tap the conversation and tap Unblock.
- The same spam arrives from a new number every time. Blocking one number cannot stop spammers who rotate numbers. Keep the filter on and keep reporting each new one — Report Junk, Report spam and 7726 all feed the filters that catch the next wave.
- Filter Unknown Senders is missing on iPhone. Update iOS (Settings > General > Software Update). On older iOS the path is Settings > Messages; on newer versions it is Settings > Apps > Messages, where the switch may be called Screen Unknown Senders.
- Spam protection is missing in Google Messages. Update Google Messages from the Play Store. If it is still missing, the feature is not available on your device, carrier or in your country — block and report each spam conversation manually instead.
- You replied to a spam text. On iPhone you can no longer report that message as junk — block the number instead, and never tap its links. If you tapped a link or entered details, change the affected passwords from the official app or website.
- Spam calls are the problem, not texts. The fixes are different: our guide to silencing unknown callers covers that side of it.
FAQ
Does reporting a spam text block the sender?
On iPhone, no — Apple says reporting junk does not prevent the sender from sending more messages, so block the number separately. In Google Messages, yes — reporting a conversation as spam also blocks the sender and moves the chat to Spam & blocked.
Will blocking a number stop its texts and calls?
On iPhone, yes: blocking stops texts, calls and FaceTime from that number. In Google Messages, blocking stops that number's messages; to stop its calls too, block it in the Phone app as well.
What happens if I reply STOP to a spam text?
It depends on the sender. A genuine marketing text from a brand you signed up with should stop after STOP — that is how legitimate short-code marketing works. A scam text is different: replying tells the sender your number is live, which can bring more spam. Never reply STOP to a prize, parcel or bank warning from a stranger — report and block it instead.
Can I report a spam text after I replied to it?
On iPhone, no — Apple says you cannot report a message after you have replied to it, so block the number instead. In Google Messages you can still block and report the conversation after replying.
Why do I still get spam from new numbers?
Spammers rotate numbers, so one block stops one number and the next message comes from another. The fix is layered: keep Filter Unknown Senders or spam protection on, report each new one (Report Junk, Report spam, or 7726), and let the filters learn the campaign instead of only deleting each message.
Will filtering hide messages I actually want?
It can. Delivery updates, appointment reminders and verification codes from numbers not in your contacts can land in Unknown Senders or Spam & blocked. Check those folders when you are expecting a message, and once you recognise a sender, add it to your contacts so future messages reach your main inbox.
Sources checked on 2026-11-08: Apple Support: Block, filter, and report messages on iPhone, Google Messages Help: Report spam in Google Messages, Samsung Support: Block a phone number or contact on your Galaxy phone.