You hear the sound of an incoming text message and excitedly check your phone. But it's just a junk message sent to you by a spammer trying to con you into tapping a link, opening an attachment, calling a number, or doing something else likely to cause you trouble. Show
Robotexts and spam messages are a fact of life, just like robocalls and junk email. They may not be as invasive as a spam call, since you can largely ignore them, but that doesn't make them harmless. Some phone plans may charge you for incoming text messages and smishing (SMS phishing) attacks can be even more dangerous if you're not careful. However, you don’t have to put up with them. Just as you can fight against robocalls, you can block and stop robotexts with the right tricks and tools. Do Not RespondHow To Stop Robocalls and SpammersLike What You're Reading?Sign up for Tips & Tricks newsletter for expert advice to get the most out of your technology. This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.
Your subscription has been confirmed. Keep an eye on your inbox! Sign up for other newslettersAbout Lance WhitneyContributor I've been working for PCMag since early 2016 writing tutorials, how-to pieces, and other articles on consumer technology. Beyond PCMag, I've written news stories and tutorials for a variety of other websites and publications, including CNET, ZDNet, TechRepublic, Macworld, Popular Science, Time, Fortune, US News & World Report, and AARP Magazine. I spent seven years writing breaking news for CNET as one of the site’s East Coast reporters. I've also written two books for Wiley & Sons—Windows 8: Five Minutes at a Time and Teach Yourself Visually LinkedIn. Spam texts can be incredibly irritating — you get a notification and stop what you’re doing to check your phone, only to find somebody is trying to sell you something you don’t want. How can you prevent it? Unfortunately, there are no absolutes in preventing text spam. But there are some ways you can at least minimize the number of spam texts that get through. Here are some strategies to try. Do not answerTop of the list is — as you probably already know — never reply to a spam text, and never ever click on a link within a spam text. If you’re not sure whether a text is spam or legitimate, hold off on replying until you’ve done a bit of research.
This story is part of Keep it Locked: how to protect yourself online. Use the spam filter on your phoneAndroid phones and iPhones have spam-filtering features that you can enable. If you have an Android phone:
If you want to see what numbers you’ve marked as spam, you can go to “Spam & blocked” in the initial menu.
Go to Settings > Spam protection.
Toggle on “Enable spam protection.” If you have an iPhone:Apple’s spam blocking is a little more basic than Android’s: it blocks phone numbers that you don’t have saved in your contacts list and haven’t been in contact with before, which could be an issue (say, if you’re expecting a call from a car service).
Scroll down to Unknown & Spam.
Toggle on “Filter Unknown Senders.” Block specific textsWhen you get a spam text, you can block that individual number from contacting you again. If you have an Android phone:When you tap on a message that Android tags as suspicious, the OS will often give you the opportunity to report it as spam (or verify that it’s not spam). But if you get a spam text that wasn’t flagged:
Note that this process can differ depending on which Android phone you’re using.
Android often gives you the chance to report spam.
You can just block a spam text, or you can report it. If you have an iPhone:
Select “info” and then click “info” again on the next page.
At the bottom of the page, select “Block this Caller.” If you want to report an iMessage you received as spam, then look for the “Report Junk” link under the message, tap it, tap “Delete,” and then “Report Junk.” Note that this doesn’t automatically block that phone number; you’ll have to do that separately. Forward the text to 7726If you’re using one of the major carriers (Verizon, AT&T, or T-Mobile), you can report a spam text by forwarding it to 7726. (This spells “SPAM” on your phone keyboard.) This may also work with other carriers; to find out if it’s possible, check with your carrier. This isn’t just a US thing, by the way. Ofcom, which regulates the UK’s communications services, also accepts reports of spam texts forwarded to 7726. Block spam using your carrier’s servicesMost major carriers these days offer spam-blocking services for phone calls, and these can carry over to texts. Carrier sites will give details about free and for-pay security services offered by AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon; if you use a different carrier, check its website. Use a third-party spam-blocking serviceIf you’re really frustrated and the above strategies aren’t working for you, you can try using a third-party anti-spam service. These are not free. For example, RoboKiller costs $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year after a seven-day trial, while Nomorobo costs $1.99 per month per device after a 14-day trial. If you do decide you need a third-party service, you can use the trial to see if it works for you before committing yourself. Related
Update June 30th, 2021, 9:20AM ET: This article was originally published on June 29th, 2020, and has been updated to add that forwarding to 7726 can also be done in the UK. Update December 9th, 2021, 9AM ET: Updated to reflect current options for apps and phones. Join the conversation Most Popular
Verge Deals/ Sign up for Verge Deals to get deals on products we've tested sent to your inbox daily. Email (required)Sign up By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. How do I get spam texts to stop?Report spam texts to your wireless carrier
Reporting spam to your carrier can help it spot and block these text messages before they even make it to your device. Weisman says to forward all spam text messages to 7726, which spells out spam on your keypad.
Why am I suddenly getting spam texts on my iPhone?Spam messages usually originate from a spammer's getting hold of your cell number, often via data leaks, the sale of personal data or even simply by random number generation. However the spammers got your number spam texts are at best an annoyance, and at worst a downright security hazard.
Why am I getting spam texts all of a sudden?Why am I getting spam text messages? Spam texts are both intrusive and pose a security threat. If you are getting spam texts, it's more than likely that whoever is sending you a spam text message is trying to get access to your personal information—bank accounts, passwords, social security number, online IDs and more.
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How do you stop spam texts on iphone
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