efficient way to block text spammers on an iphone

August 13, 2019 6:57 PM

My current method takes ten taps. Is there a shortcut?

Here's what I'm doing now: open the text, tap the sender, tap info, tap the sender again, block this caller, agree to block contact, hit the back button, tap done, tap the back button, and swipe/tap to delete the text. Ten steps. I get several spam texts per week and I resent spam making me do this work.

I'm hoping there is an IFTTT solution or something like that out there. Thanks in advance!

posted by a moisturizing whip to Technology (4 answers total)

Best answer: I know of no other way, but i suggest re-writing your question as a feature request and submitting it to Apple’s feedback page for Messages. (Your middle paragraph sums up the problem well.) You’re not likely to get a response, but Apple does pay attention to feedback submissions and it increases the chance that Apple might add a quick shortcut someday.

(I looked to see if the iOS Shortcuts app provided enough controls to do this, but nope.)
posted by D.C. at 8:05 PM on August 13, 2019 [1 favorite]

Best answer: There are third-party apps that make this much easier. Linked article refers to spam calls, but the app I use added a SMS reporting feature a while ago.

I have a small “report all messages” link underneath the most recent message from anyone not in my contacts.

I grumble over the $20/year subscription to use the app, but the text blocking and flagging incoming robo/spam/scam calls work very well. I keep paying.
posted by FallibleHuman at 11:21 PM on August 13, 2019

settings > messages > filter unknown senders
posted by zippy at 11:40 AM on August 14, 2019

I have RoboKiller; have had it for a month. I haven’t noticed an uptick in spam calls beyond normal variation yet. (I don’t use the prank answerers; there’s an option to just play a boring message that says something along the lines of “The person you are calling is using the RoboKiller service to screen for suspected spam calls. Please leave a message.” I figure that’s safer in the event of a false positive — I won’t accidentally insult a family member, friend, colleague, employer, etc. with a prank.)

However, it has not blocked one single spam text yet, and I get a bunch. I report each and every one. No use. So I’d say it’s useless for spam texts at the moment. (Yes, I really do have RoboKiller SMS filtering turned on in settings. I’ve checked several times.) If anyone can recommend a service that does more than fuck-all for spam texts, please name names.

Also, FYI, the native iOS filter under Settings — Messages — Filter Unknown Senders only filters out iMessages from numbers not in your contacts. It does nothing to filter other, non-iMessage SMS spam. Might as well turn it on, but don’t expect much effect.
posted by snowmentality at 3:12 PM on August 14, 2019