iPhone Callers Block: How To Keep Unknown Callers Out

We’ve all been there before. Whether it’s an annoying telemarketer or a friend that you’ve decided to give the silent treatment to, there are times when you want to block someone from contacting you. The good news is that Apple has added the ability to block callers in iOS 7.

This guide is meant for users running iOS 7 and above, but if you’re running an older version of iOS, we have something for you in the FAQ below too.

To clarify, there are four different scenarios where you will want to block a person:

1. The person’s contact details are saved on your phone.
2. An unknown person calls your phone.
3. An unknown person texts your phone.
4. An unknown person who sent you a FaceTime request.

This guide is going to teach you how to block and unblock a person or phone number from contacting you when the scenarios above do occur. For non-iPhone number blocking, we have a different article.

Block incoming calls and texts

Block someone who is already in your contacts list

There are two methods to achieve this. The first is directly within the contact card itself, which is my preferred method as I find it simpler. The second method is via the Settings menu.

Method 1:

1. Find and open the contact of the person you want to block on your iPhone.
2. Scroll to the bottom of the contact card and tap Block this Caller.
3. Tap Block Contact.

Method 2:

1. Go to settings.
2. Tap on Phone.
3. Tap on Blocked.
4. Tap on Add New.
5. Search for the contact that you want to block and select it.

Block an unknown person who called your phone

1. Tap the phone icon on your iPhone.
2. Tap the Recents button.
3. Tap on the circled “i” next to the unknown caller that you want to block.
4. Scroll to the bottom and tap Block this Caller.
5. Tap Block Contact.

Block an unknown person who texted you

1. Tap on the Messages icon.
2. Open the message from the unknown person that you want to block.
3. Tap Contact on the upper right.
4. Tap on the circled “i”.
5. Scroll to the bottom and tap Block this Caller.
6. Tap Block Contact.

Block someone who sent you a FaceTime request

1. Tap on the FaceTime icon.
2. Tap Recents.
3. Tap on the circled “i” next to the contact that you want to block.
4. Scroll to the bottom of the contact card and tap Block this Caller.
5. Tap Block Contact.

An alternative method, especially if you’re on iOS 6 or older

One alternative method to avoid calls before Apple introduced the blocking feature in iOS 7 was to create a contact card (for example a contact called “Ignore”) and keep adding numbers that you want to ignore to that contact card by selecting “Add to Existing Contact”. That way, when the person calls you’ll know it’s someone you want to avoid.

If you’re on iOS 7, you can use a variation of this method and add the single contact to your blocked list using the method listed above.

Unblock incoming calls and texts

Unblock a contact that was previously blocked

Method 1:
This is my preferred method as I always use the iPhone’s built-in search to find a contact, because I find it slightly faster than digging through the settings menu used in Method 2.

1. Find and open the contact of the person you want to block on your iPhone.
2. Scroll to the bottom of the contact card and tap Unblock this Caller.

Method 2:

1. Go to settings.
2. Tap on Phone.
3. Tap on Blocked.
4. Swipe the name of the contact that you want to unblock to the left.
5. Tap the red Unblock button.

To unblock an unknown person that you’ve blocked

1. Go to settings.
2. Tap the on Phone icon.
3. Tap on Blocked.
4. Swipe the number that you want to unblock to the left.
5. Tap the red Unblock button.

FAQ

Will people I’ve blocked be able to tell if I’ve blocked them?

No they won’t, but that doesn’t mean that they won’t be able to guess what you’ve done. When blocked contacts try to call you, they’ll immediately be sent to voicemail or hear a busy tone, which usually indicates that your phone is not contactable, but if they notice that this happens every time they try to call you, he might be able to guess what happened.

The good news is that text messages or iMessages sent to you will appear to be sent properly, but you will not receive them. So it will just look like you’re ignoring them.

Will I still be able to contact the person that I’ve blocked?

Yes. The blocking only works one way, so if you decide to call or text the blocked contact, feel free to do so. Contacting that person also won’t undo the fact that you’ve already blocked them.

If the blocked contact is calling me using a hidden number will it work?

If the caller is deliberately hiding his caller ID using a method like Star 67 then the call will not be blocked as your iPhone won’t have an incoming number to match with the list of blocked phone numbers.

My enemy has suffered enough, we’re now friends again. Can I see those previously blocked messages?

Unfortunately, no. The blocked messages are discarded and you won’t receive them if you unblock the contact.

Can I block someone from sending an iMessage to my Mac?

Apple has included the ability to block contacts from sending you an iMessage on Mac since OS X 10.9.2 (Mavericks). To block someone from sending you an iMessage on OS X, that person will need to be in your contacts list.

1. Open the Messages app.
2. Click on Messages in the menu bar and select Preferences.
3. Click on the Accounts tab.
4. Click on your iMessage account.
5. Click on the Blocked tab.
6. Click on the “+” button.
7. Find and select the contact that you want to block.

What about contacting my carrier?

One of the benefits of managing your blocked contact lists on your iPhone itself is that you won’t need to go through the hassle of contacting your carrier and pay possible fees. However if you’re running iOS 6 or earlier, it wouldn’t hurt to try contacting your carrier and request that a specific phone number be blocked.

Any other advice?

If you’re facing a barrage of telemarketing calls, you should also consider adding your phone number to the National Do Not Call Registry.

Conclusion

We hope that this article will help you keep unwanted calls and contact requests out. If you still have any questions regarding blocking or unblocking calls or texts on iOS, or if you know of an easier/better way to do this, feel free to let us know in the comments below.

Matthew Chung
Categories: Apple
Tags: iOS, iPhone