There are several ways to block a phone number on your iPhone. You can do it within the Settings app, or the Phone, Messages, and FaceTime apps.
We all have people we wish would stop calling and texting us. Maybe it’s a bill collector or an ex who just can’t let go. In years past the only way to ensure these people couldn’t get a hold of us on our mobiles would be to change our phone number and have brief relief until they got a hold of our new one.
Now however iPhone users can simply tell their iPhone to block calls texts emails and FaceTime requests from a person and/or company simply by using the above-listed methods. Once you’ve blocked someone on iPhone, this is what happens – according to Apple:
“When you block a phone number or contact, they can still leave a voicemail, but you won’t get a notification. Messages that are sent or received won’t be delivered. Also, the contact won’t get a notification that the call or message was blocked.”
Apple
The main reason you need to be able to know how to do this, however, is to protect yourself from scammers, as well as stalkers, ex-partners, and annoying friends.
There are two ways to block a phone number from calling your iPhone. The way to do it depends on whether you have the phone number you want to block saved in your Contacts app or not. First, let’s look at the way you block a phone number if you have the number already saved in your Contacts book.
How To Block A Number On iPhone (Contacts Method)
If you have a contact that you no longer what to hear from, the best method for doing this is as follows:
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap Phone.
- Tap Blocked Contacts.
- Tap Add New…
- In the Contacts sheet that pops up, find the name of the contact that you want to block and tap on their name.
That’s it – now that contact you chose to block can no longer call you nor can they messages or FaceTime calls. If you have their email saved in their contact, it will also stop them from sending emails to you, too.
How To Block A Number On iPhone (Phone App Method)
What if you want to block a number, but the person isn’t saved to your phone? Thankfully, there’s an easy way to still block the caller. Just do the following:
- Open the Phone app.
- Tap the Recents tab.
- Find the number you want to block. Next to the number tap the “i” button.
- On the call information screen, tap the red “Block this Caller” button.
- Tap Block Contact.
The contact will now have their calls to your iPhone blocked.
How To Block Contacts Using The FaceTime App In iOS
Apple’s FaceTime allows you to receive audio and video calls. If you don’t fancy that stranger instigating lewd video chats, here’s what you need to do to block them:
- Launch the FaceTime app on the Home screen of your iPhone. It’s green with a white video camera logo.
- You’ll see a list of audio or video calls you’ve received and made. Find the contact you want to block (this could be a name or just a phone number) and tap on the blue Info button next to their phone number or name. The blue info button is an “i” in a circle.
- On the info screen scroll to the bottom and tap on Block this Caller.
- A popup confirmation will appear. Tap on the Block Contact button to block them. This will block that contact from contacting you in the FaceTime app, the Phone app, and the Messages app.
Protect Yourself From Phishing Scams
In the age of text-based marketing, whereby companies get access to your phone number, either by permission or through third-party means, having the ability to block certain callers and contacts on your iPhone has never been more important.
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You also need to worry about phishing scams. These are particularly hard to spot if you don’t know what to look for. Scammers tend to target the non-tech-savvy and olde people, praying on their naivety when it comes to phones and computers.
How a phishing scam works is simple: you get a text or an email instructing you to do something. The scammer will usually pretend to be from your bank or a utility company, for example. The goal is to get you to click a link and enter your personal details. Once the scammer has these, they can pretty much do anything they like. Make no mistake: text and email spam phishing attacks are BIG BUSINESS.
And these kinds of scams are on the rise. According to Verizon’s 2018 Data Breach Investigation, over 30% of phishing messages are opened by the targeted user. For this reason, you HAVE to be vigilant when it comes to random people contacting you. GDPR won’t save you from hackers. You have to be proactive.
And the easiest way to do that is to ALWAYS block numbers that you don’t recognize.
