Stop spam > Stop spam texts

How to stop spam texts on Android & iPhone

It’s unlikely you’ll be able to get the number of spam text messages you receive down to zero, but imagine what a difference it would be to get one or two texts a month instead of 30. 

Imagine what your phone would feel like without the constant pinging.

Updated on: 05 October, 2026

Keep reading to learn how to do this in detail.

Block spam texts from reaching you

Most phones come with some way to filter spam texts before they reach your inbox, whether that’s a built-in setting, a carrier tool, or a third-party app. 

The exact steps depend on your device, so this section is split by platform: iPhone, Android, and Samsung.

How to filter unknown text senders on iPhone

Here are a few things you can do to block spam texts on iPhone:

• Filter text messages from unknown senders
• Block a specific contact on your iPhone
• Turn off the notifications for spam texts from unknown senders
• Report spam messages to Apple
• Block spam texts from a specific number on your iPhone

Let’s look at each option in detail:

Filter unknown senders

This option filters text messages and turns off notifications for texts coming from unknown senders. On iOS 26, Apple renamed this setting “Screen Unknown Senders” and moved it out of the main Settings list. Here’s how to turn it on:

1. Go to “settings,” tap “apps,” then tap “messages.”
2. Scroll to “unknown senders” and turn on “screen unknown senders.”

On iOS 18 and earlier, this setting is called “Filter Unknown Senders” and lives under Settings > Messages directly, without the “apps” step.

While you’re there, it’s worth also turning on “Filter Spam.” 

It’s a separate, newer setting that automatically sorts messages iOS detects as spam into their own Spam folder—on top of, not instead of, the unknown-senders filter above.

This will filter messages from people who aren’t on your contact list.

Note: Once the number gets filtered, you won’t be able to click on any links in the text message until you add that number to your contacts. Some messages from unknown senders aren’t spam. So follow up:

1. Go to your Messages app and tap “filters” in the top-left corner of the screen.
2. Tap “unknown senders.”

TIP: Turn the feature off or check the Unknown Senders tab if you expect delivery. Some couriers and delivery service providers like Door Dash and Uber Eats send texts to notify you and often change sender numbers.

Turn off the notifications for spam texts from unknown senders

If blocking unknown callers seems too extreme, you can change the type of notification you receive for spam texts.

To stop the pinging madness from unsaved contacts:

1. Go to “settings.”
2. Select “notifications.”
3. Tap “messages” and “customize notifications.”
4. Switch off “unknown senders.”

Report spam messages to Apple

Apple does allow you to report spam messages, but only if you’re using iMessage (the blue-colored version of messaging). 

Long-press the spam message, tap “report junk,” then “delete and report junk.”

The message along with the sender’s info will be sent to Apple. Keep in mind that the message will be permanently deleted from your device, but the sender will still be able to reach you through other channels.

Most spam texts come in as regular SMS or MMS (the green messages), not iMessage, so “Report Junk” won’t apply to them. 

For those, forward the message to 7726 (spells “SPAM”) instead. 

It’s a free, carrier-run shortcode that works across every major US carrier and routes the report straight to them for analysis.

Block spam texts from a specific number on your iPhone

Blocking a specific number works the same way whether you start from a text thread or a recent call—it’s the same block list either way, so we cover the full walkthrough once.

Related: How to block an individual contact permanently

How to activate SMS spam protection on Android

There are several things you can do to significantly reduce the number of spam texts you receive on your Android device:

• Block spam text from a specific sender’s phone number
• Enable spam protection on your Android phone

Block spam text from a specific sender’s phone number

Android uses the same block list for calls and texts, so blocking a number from a text thread blocks calls from it too, and vice versa.

Related: How to block an individual contact permanently

Enable spam protection

This is only an option if you’re using the Messages by Google app, but worth mentioning nonetheless. It’s the primary messaging app on many Android devices; you can download it if your phone doesn’t have it by default.

Here’s what you need to do to filter messages on this app:

1. Open the app and tap the three dots in the top-right corner.
2. Tap “settings.”
3. Select “spam protection.”
4. Toggle on the Spam protection feature.

How to stop spam texts on Samsung

Samsung smartphones come with their own messaging app that includes built-in spam protection features. Here’s how to make the most of them:

1. Block and report spam using Samsung Messages:

1. Open the Samsung Messages app.
2. Tap the spam message to open it.
3. Tap the number or sender name at the top.
4. Tap “block number.“
5. (Optional) Check “delete conversation” if you want to remove the message.
6. Tap “block” to confirm.

2. Filter spam and block unknown senders:

1. Open the Phone app.
2. Tap the three dots in the top-right corner > “settings.”
3. Select “blocked numbers.”
4. Toggle on “block unknown/private numbers” to filter out messages from senders not in your contacts.

3. View your blocked messages:

1. Open the Samsung Messages app.
2. Tap the three dots > “settings” > “block numbers and spam” > “blocked messages.”

These Samsung-specific tools add an extra layer of control to help keep spam out of your inbox.

What to do if you’re being text bombed

Text bombing is when someone floods your phone with hundreds of messages in a short time. 

Fraudsters use it as a distraction, so you’re less likely to notice fraudulent activity happening elsewhere—on a bank account, for example. 

If your phone is suddenly hit with a barrage of texts, it’s worth treating as a possible sign that you’re being targeted.

You can ignore the text messages. Instead, check your most important accounts—like your bank—to confirm everything is as it should be.

Emergency fix: do not disturb

Fraudsters want to create a sense of danger, urgency, and chaos. A flood of incoming messages is likely to trigger exactly that response, which makes it harder to think clearly.

Turn on “do not disturb” to stop the messages temporarily while you figure out what to do next.

If the flood doesn’t stop, call your carrier. Most carriers can apply emergency network-level filters during an active attack.

Once it’s over, move any sensitive accounts off SMS two-factor authentication (2FA) and onto an authenticator app. Text bombing is often a sign that someone is already trying to get into an account, and the SMS alerts are what they’re trying to bury.

Prevent future spam texts

Filtering and blocking only deal with messages that are already coming in. 

This section covers habits and settings that reduce how much spam you get going forward, including what to do if you’re suddenly hit with a flood of texts.

Don’t answer or interact

This is more of a preventive measure to take once you receive a spam text. 

Don’t reply or interact with the text message in any way. By replying to a message, you show that your phone number is active and in use, which invites more spam.

If there is a link attached to the message, it’s very likely to contain malware. Pressing on the link may end up being a very costly mistake. Hackers can steal your sensitive information or even take control of your device.

Not sure if a message you got is actually a scam? See our guide on how to identify a fake text message for the warning signs to look for.

Remove your data from data brokers

Filtering unknown senders only manages the messages that already reach your phone. It doesn’t stop your number from being harvested in the first place. 

Spammers pull active phone numbers from public databases to run large-scale text campaigns. If you keep receiving random text messages, then your phone number is probably available on data broker sites.

Before sending you a spam text, the spammer has to know your phone number. There are several options:

• You may have shared it publicly via social media.
• You may have given it to a legitimate company that then suffered a data breach.
• You may have entered it on a scammy website that gives or sells data to spammers.
• Your data may be for sale on data broker sites.

To remove your data, you can contact each data broker individually and use your knowledge of any local laws they operate under to request that they delete your data from their databases. 

Or, you can let Incogni handle hundreds of these requests for you automatically.

It helps remove your information from those databases, so there’s less for spammers to scrape from to begin with.

Contact your carrier to stop spam text messages

Whoever is providing you with mobile service is probably interested in making that service non-annoying to you. 

That’s why you should report spam numbers and emails to your operator. That way, they can update their spam filters.

AT&T ActiveArmor Mobile Security

AT&T offers a service called AT&T ActiveArmor Mobile Security that can help you report spam messages.

Here’s how you use it:

1. Download the AT&T ActiveArmor Mobile Security app.
2. Open the app and sign in to your AT&T account.
3. Go to the “spam and fraud” section.
4. Select the spam message you want to report.
5. Tap on “report spam” to report the message to AT&T.

This tool will let AT&T know about the sender of the spam messages, which will be helpful in preventing future spam messages from reaching your phone.

Enable spam filters on Verizon, US Cellular, or T-Mobile

Most phone carriers have an app that alerts you about incoming spam calls. But don’t fret! Some providers have apps designed to help you deal with spam messages as well:

• Verizon offers the Call Filter app. It provides spam detection, text blocking, filtering, a white-list option for iOS, and a neighborhood spoofing filter.
• US Cellular has the Call Guardian app offering caller ID, spam alerts, and spam reporting. Also, it lets you create a personal spam block list.
• Google Fi has blocking options in the app itself.

Note: If you’re getting texts that originate from an email address rather than a phone number, that’s a different problem—carrier-side email-to-SMS gateway blocks work differently from standard filtering. See our dedicated guide on how to stop spam texts from email addresses for those steps.

Get a spam-blocking app

If your phone’s built-in filtering and your carrier’s tools still aren’t enough, a third-party app can add another layer on top. There are plenty to choose from, and most offer a limited free tier.

However, most spam-blocking apps ask for access to your contacts, messages, and call logs to work. 

Some go further, pulling in your files, photos, location, or financial data. 

A few even double as data brokers themselves, selling on what they collect.

Apps you should be cautious with (because of their invasive privacy policies): 

• RoboKiller
• TextKiller (which runs on RoboKiller’s engine)
• Hiya: Spam Blocker & Caller ID
• Truecaller.

On Android

Spam Text Blocker by Nomorobo is a solid option to start with. 

It’s a separate app from Nomorobo’s call-blocking service, and it isn’t free—there’s a 14-day trial, then a subscription. Take your time comparing others before settling.

On iPhone

Spam Text Blocker by Nomorobo is also available on iOS and worth checking out.

Once you’ve downloaded it, the app should be up and filtering by default.

If Nomorobo isn’t filtering by default, here’s how to enable (or disable) it manually through iPhone settings:

1. Go to “settings.”
2. Tap “messages.”
3. Tap “unknown” and “spam” under message filtering.
4. Pick the filtering app you downloaded and toggle it on.

Related: How to block private numbers on iPhone

Add your number to the FTC Do Not Call Registry

Add your number to the FTC’s Do Not Call Registry (DNC). 

It won’t stop scam texts—scammers don’t follow the rules to begin with—but it does apply to legitimate businesses sending unsolicited marketing texts.

Here’s how:

1. Go to donotcall.gov.
2. Click on “register your phone number.”
3. Enter the phone number you want to register.
4. Verify your phone number.
5. Click “submit.”

Golden rules—how to stay spam-free

The steps above cover the details. Here’s the short version, if you just want a quick reference:

• Never reply to a spam text—not even to say “STOP.”
• Never click links in messages from numbers you don’t recognize.
• Never share your phone number on public forms, contest entries, or social media without checking the privacy policy.
• Block the number and report it to your carrier.
• Move sensitive accounts off SMS 2FA and onto an authenticator app.

Note: Replying “STOP” only works as intended with a company you actually signed up with—a bank, a retailer, a delivery service. 

Sending “STOP” to an unknown or suspicious sender just confirms your number is active, which means more spam, not less.

Not what you are looking for? Check out these related guides:

• How to stop spam emails
• How to stop spam calls
• How to Stop Junk Mail
• How to block texts from emails
• How to stop anonymous calls?

FAQ