How to stop spam emails on iPhone
Tired of your iPhone screen lighting up just to see a Nigerian prince offer you his inheritance for the 50th time this week? We don’t blame you. Spam emails are super annoying. On top of that, they can also be a serious cybersecurity threat if you’re not careful enough.
While there is no single solution that would make all spam disappear forever, there are things you can do to phase it out of your life. Follow this guide to reduce the number of spam emails on your iPhone or iPad.
Updated on: September 13, 2023
Block spam emails on your mail apps
Most mail applications allow you to block emails and report them as spam. This is not a perfect one-click solution for blocking all spam, but blocking spam emails individually is one of the most certain ways to reduce the number of unwanted emails. Let’s take a look at how you can do it on the most popular email platforms.
Block senders through your iPhone settings
This one is pretty straightforward. Simply add the senders of spam emails to the block list through the settings of your iPhone.
- Open your iPhone Settings and find the “Mail” option.
- Find and press the “Blocked” settings option.
- Tap “Add new” and enter the contact you want to block.
Block spam on the iOS Mail app
You can connect your email to the Mail app that comes pre-installed on all iOS devices. It’s easy to set up and use, which is why it has become very popular with iPhone users. Here’s how you can block unwanted emails on your Mail app:
- Open the Mail app.
- Open a spam email that you would like to block and tap on the name of the sender.
- Click on their name/email highlighted in blue.
- Press on the “Block this contact” option.
- When prompted “Are you sure you want to block this contact?” Tap “Block this Contact”
Block spam mail on Gmail
Gmail is by far the most popular email platform in the world, so you would expect them to be at least decent at dealing with spam. And to be fair, they do reasonably well at filtering out unwanted emails. However, some slip through the cracks. Here’s how you can block them on your Gmail app:
- Open the Gmail app.
- Choose an email from the sender you want to block.
- Click on the three horizontal dots to the right of the sender’s name.
- Press “Block [sender’s name]” to stop getting emails from them.
Block unwanted emails on Yahoo Mail
Just like Gmail, Yahoo Mail is a long-standing email service that is used by millions of people. They do a pretty good job of filtering obvious junk mail, but some more sophisticated scams do find their way into your inbox. You can get rid of them by following these simple steps:
- Open your Yahoo Mail app.
- Select an unwanted email or click “Edit” to select multiple emails at once.
- Tap on the “More” icon with three horizontal dots underneath it.
- Choose the “Mark as spam” option to make sure all further emails from the sender go straight to the spam folder.
Stop spam emails on Outlook
Unlike all of the aforementioned email service providers, Outlook does not allow you to block spam on your iPhone app. You will have to do it through Outlook.com instead. Here’s the process:
- Login and go to your Outlook mail inbox.
- Select an email that you want to block.
- In the middle of the top-part of the page, select “Junk” and “Block”.
- Confirm by pressing “OK”.
You can also block spam on Outlook through their Junk email settings, where you can enter specific emails or domains and add them to the blocking list.
Block spam on AOL
The process for blocking spam emails on AOL is very similar to most other email applications. The key difference here is that AOL does not have a dedicated email app for iPhone, so you will have to access email through the AOL app on Windows.
- Press the New emails button to access your email on the AOL app.
- You’ll find an empty checkbox near all of your emails. Check the ones you want to mark as spam.
- Click “More” under the three horizontal dots in the bottom right corner of the app.
- Tap on “Mark as spam” to send the emails to the spam folder.
Get rid of spam through iCloud Mail
Leave the best for last, as they say. Blocking spam through iCloud Mail is one of the best options for iPhone users to get rid of spam. But be aware that this process requires a computer to complete.
- Connect to your iCloud Mail account.
- Click the “Cog Wheel” and then “Preferences”.
- Find the “Rules” option and select “Add a rule”.
- Configure the rule to “if a message is from”.
- Enter the email of the spam sender.
- Select “Then” and “Move to trash”.
Once you set up any of the spam-blocking options from the list above, the amount of spam you receive will be drastically reduced. The only downside here is that it’s a very manual process. You’ll have to keep blocking spam from new senders as it comes into your inbox.
Remove your personal information from broker databases
If you truly want to get rid of spam, you need to start attacking the issue at its roots. Spammers have to have your email address to send you emails. There are multiple ways for that to happen.
You may have filled out a form with your email address, subscribed to a newsletter, or simply entered your email when creating an account on some website. This will often lead to some harmless spam, such as special offers. But it can also lead to malicious spam if your data gets into the wrong hands.
This usually happens in one of two ways. Hackers may have gotten into the database of a website you visit. But it’s more likely that your data was sold to data brokers, who then sold it to bad actors. No matter how it happens, your data getting into the hands of criminals is never good.
Thankfully, personal information removal services like Incogni exist. They get in touch with data brokers on your behalf and make sure that your data gets deleted from their databases. While you can try to do it yourself, it would take hundreds of hours. Why waste that time if you can get an affordable service to do that for you?
Unsubscribe from unwanted emails
As briefly mentioned above, not all spam is harmful. All of us are guilty of subscribing to newsletters we don’t read, or entering our email to get a discount code, only to receive news about products and promotions in the future.
The amount of spam you receive will drop drastically as soon as you unsubscribe from such emails. Doing so is pretty easy. Most of these emails will include an unsubscribe link somewhere at the bottom. Click on it to stop getting similar emails in the future. If this doesn’t work, you can usually unsubscribe on the company’s website or by emailing its support team.
Be very careful before clicking any links, and make sure the email comes from a legitimate sender. Most phishing emails are designed to look like legitimate emails yet include malicious links that will end up harming you. So, don’t click on any links unless you’re sure they’re safe.
Don’t interact with phishing emails
If you receive a suspicious email, don’t interact with it any more than you need to in order to block it. While just opening the email probably won’t do any harm, it can let the bad actors know that the email address is active, which leads to more spam. The same applies to replying to any such emails.
Needless to say, if the email also has links or files attached to it, do not click on or download anything. While doing that won’t lead to even more spam emails, it can result in information theft and damage to your device.
Use a secondary email address
Now you know that spam often comes from your interactions with various online marketplaces and other websites that require your email to create an account. With this knowledge in mind, it only makes sense that you shouldn’t use your personal email to create such accounts.
Creating a secondary email account is one of the best things you can do to reduce the number of spam messages you receive in your primary inbox. The idea behind it is simple. Most spam emails would go to your secondary account, keeping your primary email account clean.
Use third-party email filtering apps
Your email service provider may be doing a good job of filtering out spam and sending it straight to the junk folder. But two filters are better than one. So if you want an extra protective screen, third-party email filtering apps are an option to consider.
There are plenty of options to choose from, such as SpamTitan, Spamdrain, Mailwasher, or Trustify just to name a few. Many of them are free or offer free plans next to their premium alternatives. So you can test the applications out and see if they work for you without spending any of your hard-earned money.
Is it possible to keep your email spam-free?
Yes, it is possible to clear your inbox of spam if you follow the tips above and stick to them. A big portion of the spam emails you receive is a direct result of your activity online. But just because you’re getting plenty of spam now, it doesn’t mean you can’t get rid of it.
More guides on how to stop spam:
- How to stop spam calls on landline
- How to stop spam texts AT&T
- How to stop spam texts iPhone
- How to stop spam risk (spam/scam likely) calls
- How to stop spam texts on Android
- How to stop spam text messages on Samsung
- How to block texts from emails
- How to stop spam emails in Gmail
- How to stop iPhone calendar spam
- How to Stop Junk Mail
- How to stop spam texts on Android
- How to stop spam calls on iPhone
FAQ
Does iPhone have an email spam blocker?
While the iPhone does not have an automatic email spam filter, it does have mail settings that allow you to block spam email senders. Here’s how you can do that:
– Open your iPhone Settings and find the “Mail” option.
– Find and tap on the “Blocked” settings option.
– Tap “Add new” and enter the contact you want to block.
Why am I suddenly getting spam emails on my iPhone?
There are two common reasons for a sharp increase in the number of spam emails you’re receiving:
1. Your data may have been leaked, which gave hackers and other bad actors access to your email address. Don’t interact with such emails, the more you do, the more spam you’ll receive;
2. You may have simply subscribed to more newsletters and services than you realize. Many websites have the subscription box automatically ticked, if you don’t untick the box before creating an account or completing a purchase, you subscribe to their newsletter. Simply unsubscribe from them to reduce the spam.
