Blocking a text sender stops their messages from reaching your phone
When you block someone from text messaging, their texts go nowhere — they do not arrive on your phone, and you will not see a notification. The blocked person usually cannot tell they are blocked, though some phones show them a delivery failure after a delay. The exact steps depend on whether you use an iPhone or Android phone, and whether you want to block just texts or calls and texts together.
Blocking is different from muting or marking as spam. A muted conversation still delivers messages to your phone — you just will not hear a sound. Spam filters catch unwanted messages but may let some through. A block is permanent until you remove it, and the person stays blocked even if they text from a different number.
Key Takeaways
- On iPhone, open the conversation, tap the contact name at the top, scroll down, and tap Block This Caller — this blocks texts and calls together.
- On Android, open the conversation, tap the three dots at the top right, and select Block — the exact wording varies by phone brand.
- You can block someone before they text you by opening their contact card and selecting the block option, even if you have never messaged them.
- Blocked people cannot tell they are blocked from a text message itself, though some phones show them a failed delivery notice after several minutes.
- You can unblock someone at any time by finding them in your blocked list and removing them — this does not notify them.
How to block texts on an iPhone
Open the Messages app and find the conversation with the person you want to block. Tap their name or phone number at the very top of the conversation thread — this opens their contact card. Scroll down until you see the Block This Caller button and tap it. A confirmation message will appear asking if you are sure; tap Block Contact to confirm.
Once blocked, that person's texts will no longer arrive on your phone. Any existing messages from them stay in your Messages app unless you delete the conversation, but new messages will not come through. If you ever want to unblock them, go to Settings > Messages > Blocked Contacts, find their name, and swipe left on it, then tap Unblock.
How to block texts on Android
The exact steps vary slightly depending on your phone brand — Samsung, Google Pixel, and other Android phones have slightly different menu layouts, but the process is similar. Open your default messaging app (usually Messages or Samsung Messages) and find the conversation you want to block. Tap and hold the conversation until a menu appears, then look for an option that says Block, Block number, or Block contact. Tap it and confirm.
If you do not see a block option in the conversation menu, try opening the conversation and tapping the three dots or menu icon at the top right of the screen. From there, select Block or Block number. Once blocked, new messages from that person will not arrive. To unblock them later, go to your messaging app settings, find the blocked contacts or blocked numbers list, and remove them from it.
Blocking someone before they text you
You do not have to wait for someone to text you first. If you have their phone number or contact saved in your phone, you can block them preemptively. On iPhone, open the Contacts app, find the person, tap Edit, scroll down, and tap Block This Caller. On Android, open Contacts, find the person, tap the three dots at the top right, and select Block number or Block contact.
This is useful if you have someone's number but do not want to receive messages from them. The block takes effect immediately, so if they text you after you block them, the message will not arrive on your phone.
What happens when you block someone
When you block someone, their text messages do not reach your phone at all. You will not see a notification, and the conversation will not appear in your inbox. The blocked person usually does not receive a notification that they are blocked — their message simply fails to deliver after a few minutes or hours, depending on their carrier. Some carriers show them a generic "delivery failed" message, but they cannot tell whether you blocked them or if there was a technical problem.
Blocking someone does not delete your old messages from them. If you want to remove the conversation entirely, you can delete it separately. Blocking also does not prevent them from calling you on iPhone — if you want to block calls as well, use the Block This Caller option, which blocks both texts and calls at the same time. On Android, blocking usually covers both texts and calls, though this depends on your phone brand.
Unblocking someone and what they see
You can unblock someone at any time. On iPhone, go to Settings > Messages > Blocked Contacts (or Settings > Phone > Blocked Contacts if you blocked them from the Phone app), find their name, and swipe left, then tap Unblock. On Android, open your messaging app, go to settings, find Blocked contacts or Blocked numbers, find the person, and tap Unblock.
When you unblock someone, they do not receive a notification. They will not know you unblocked them unless you contact them yourself. After you unblock them, their messages will start arriving on your phone again if they text you. Old messages from before the block will still be gone unless you saved them elsewhere.
If blocking is not enough
If someone continues to contact you after you block them from one number, they may try a different phone number. You can block multiple numbers the same way you block one — just repeat the process for each new number. If the harassment continues across many numbers, you may want to report it to your carrier or to local police, depending on the severity.
Some phones also have a spam filter or "filter unknown senders" option that automatically sorts messages from people not in your contacts into a separate folder. On iPhone, go to Settings > Messages and turn on Filter Unknown Senders. On Android, open your messaging app settings and look for spam protection or unknown sender options. These tools catch many unwanted messages without blocking specific people.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can someone tell if I blocked them?
Not directly from a text message. Their message will show as failed to deliver after a few minutes, but they cannot tell whether you blocked them or if there was a network problem. Some carriers show a generic failure message. The only way they would know for certain is if they called you and heard a different response, or if you told them.
What happens to messages I already received from them?
Blocking someone does not delete old messages. They stay in your conversation history unless you delete the conversation yourself. You can still read old messages from a blocked person — blocking only stops new messages from arriving.
If I block someone on text, does it block their calls too?
On iPhone, using Block This Caller blocks both texts and calls. On Android, it depends on your phone brand, but most block both. If you want to block only texts and allow calls through, check your phone's settings — some Android phones let you choose what to block.
Can I block someone without them being in my contacts?
Yes. You can block a phone number even if you have never saved it as a contact. Just open the text conversation or find the number in your call log, and use the block option from there.
What if someone texts me from a different number after I block them?
Each number is blocked separately. If they use a new phone number, those messages will come through unless you block that number too. You can block as many numbers as you need to.