How to Block a Number on iPhone

September 11, 2026

Block a phone number from Recents in the Phone app or from a Messages conversation, then review or unblock numbers under Blocked Contacts.

A spam caller or someone you no longer want to hear from keeps calling or texting. Blocking the number stops their calls, FaceTime calls, and messages from reaching you. The fastest route is through the Phone app.

Open the Phone app and tap Recents

Open Phone and tap Recents at the bottom. Find the call from the number you want to block. If the number is not in your call history, tap Contacts instead, open the person's card, and skip to the third step.

Tap the info button next to the number

Tap the (i) icon on the right side of the entry. This opens the contact card, or a details screen for an unknown number.

Scroll down and tap Block Caller

Scroll to the bottom of the screen and tap Block Caller. It appears in red. Confirm when asked. The number is now on your blocked list and the button changes to Unblock Caller.

Block from Messages if the person only texted you

Open Messages and open the conversation. Tap the name or number at the top of the thread. Tap Info if it is shown, then scroll down and tap Block Caller. This works the same way for iMessage and SMS conversations.

Review the blocked list in Settings

Open Settings, Apps, Phone, Blocked Contacts to see every blocked number in one place. On iOS 17 and earlier there is no Apps section, so open Settings, Phone, Blocked Contacts instead. Tap Edit, then the red minus next to a number, to unblock it. Tap Add New at the bottom to block someone directly from your Contacts.

Blocked callers can still leave voicemail. A blocked call never rings your phone and goes straight to voicemail. The caller can still record a message, which lands in a separate Blocked Messages section at the bottom of the Voicemail tab rather than in your main list. Blocked text messages are dropped silently, and the sender is not told they were blocked.

For unknown or hidden numbers. Blocking only works on a specific number. To quiet calls that show as No Caller ID or Unknown, open Settings, Apps, Phone, Silence Unknown Callers and turn it on. Those calls go to voicemail and still appear in Recents, so nothing is lost if a real person calls from a new number.