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Q. Hi, I read your Wonder of Tech article on how to stop spammers from calling and texting me. But spam texts are still coming and I’m missing texts from my friends because I’m getting so many spam text messages.
It’s probably my fault because I didn’t take your advice in the article and I hit the Unsubscribe link in a spam text. Now I’m getting flooded with spam texts and I’m getting tired of going through the steps to block each one.
Is there anything else I can do to deal with these spam texts without going crazy?
A. Great question. You’re not alone, spam text messages have definitely been increasing along with the annoyance about them. Towards the end of last year, makers of the Robokiller app predicted that 157 billion spam texts would be sent to Americans in 2021, a 55% increase over 2020. See, Robokiller blog, Americans On Pace to Receive 157 Billion Spam Messages in 2021
While you can keep blocking the spammy senders and deleting their text messages, you may start missing important text messages if you get a lot of spam texts.
But some people are tempted to click links in spam texts. Whether text messages are from a store offering you a free gift card, a cell phone provider offering a reward to thank you for paying your bill on time, or a political candidate you haven’t even heard of asking for a contribution, these texts may contain links to malware that could infect your phone. Or links that confirm to the spammer that your phone number is legitimate.
Never click on a link in a spam text. Even if it says “Unsubscribe.”
Want to block robocalls? Check out => Apps to Block Annoying Robocalls
About Filtering Text Messages from Spammers
There are many reasons you may not want to ever see text messages from spammers. By avoiding spam texts, you won’t be tempted to tap a link offering you a reward, gift card, or opportunity to contribute to some unknown political candidate. You won’t be tempted to respond to spam text messages to unsubscribe.
And the good news is that now you can filter text messages on your iPhone so you don’t have to see text messages from spammers.
By filtering text messages from unknown senders, you automatically send spam text to a separate section in the Messages app on your iPhone. That way, when you open the Messages app, you’ll only see text messages from people in your Contacts list.
With this setting turned on, text messages from numbers not in your contact list go to the Unknown Senders section of the Messages app. You can easily check that section if you are expecting a text message from someone not in your Contacts list, so you don’t miss important text messages.
How to Filter Text Messages from Spammers
You can filter text messages from unknown senders on your iPhone in three easy steps. Go to Settings 
=> Messages => Filter Unknown Senders => On
With this setting turned on, messages from spammers will go to the Unknown Senders folder in your Messages app.
Next, open the Messages app and tap Filters at the top of the screen.
On the next screen, you’ll see the folders for your messages:
- All Messages
- Known Senders
- Unknown Senders
If you only want to see messages from people in your Contacts list, tap Known Senders.
With this setting turned on, you’ll no longer have your Messages app clogged with spam messages. Those messages will be tucked away, hidden from view unless you choose to see them. You no longer will have to worry about missing an important text message in a long list of spammy texts.
How to See Text Messages from Unknown Senders
If you want to check your messages from unknown senders, you can do so easily. Open the Messages app, then tap Filters.
On the next screen, you’ll see folders for your text messages. Tap Unkown Senders to see messages from accounts not in your Contacts list.
For more helpful tips, check out => 10 Easy Ways to Make Tech Less Annoying
What Else You Need to Know
What’s great about filtering text messages from unknown senders is that these messages aren’t blocked. So if you’re expecting a text from an unknown sender, such as a repair person or a delivery driver, you’ll still be able to see the text message. Just tap Filters => All Messages when you’re expecting an important text from an unknown sender.
With the iPhone setting to block unknown callers turned on, you don’t receive calls from callers not in your Contacts list, such as a delivery driver or a repair person. But with the Filter Unknown Senders setting turned on in Messages, you can easily switch to the All Messages folder in the Messages app to avoid missing an important text from someone not in your Contacts list.
Another helpful feature of this setting is that you won’t be able to accidentally open a link in a spam email. According to Apple, “You canʼt open any links in a message from an unknown sender until you add the sender to your contacts or reply to the message.”
Your Thoughts
Are you frustrated by spam texts? Have you ever missed an important text message because of spam texts? Have you turned in Filter Unknown Senders in the Messages settings?
Share your thoughts in the Comments section below!
The automated messages from Network that comes at night are very troublesome. This is great feature to deal with such messages.
Hi Bilal, Yes, these spam text messages are coming more frequently and are always annoying. I hope this setting helps you hide spam texts and reduces their annoyance for you.