The short answer
Now strangers have to say who they are before your iPhone rings, and calls your carrier flags as spam go quietly to voicemail. The rest of this guide covers blocking one number, apps, texts, and where these settings stop.
Block one number
- Open the Phone app.
- Find the call under Calls (or Recents, if your Phone app uses the Classic view).
- Tap the number. In the Classic view, tap the info button next to it.
- Scroll down and tap Block Caller.
For someone in your contacts, open their contact card and tap Block Contact. A blocked number cannot reach you in Phone, Messages or FaceTime. It can still leave a voicemail, without a notification. To see or undo blocks, go to Settings, Privacy & Security, Blocked Contacts.
Blocking works on that exact number only. Scam call centers switch numbers constantly, so the next call usually comes from a number you have never seen. The settings below are for those.
Screen or silence unknown callers
In Settings, Apps, Phone, Screen Unknown Callers, iOS 26 offers three choices for numbers that are not in your contacts:
| Choice | What happens |
|---|---|
| Never | Unknown numbers ring as usual. |
| Ask Reason for Calling | The iPhone answers silently and asks for the caller’s name and reason. It rings only after they reply, and shows you their answer. |
| Silence | Unknown numbers go straight to voicemail and show up in your call list. |
Ask Reason for Calling is the better choice for most people: robocalls rarely answer the question, and real callers still get through. Two notes from Apple: calls are not screened while you are roaming, and screening switches off for 24 hours after you call emergency services. Save the numbers you expect, such as your doctor’s office, so they always ring.
Send carrier-flagged spam to voicemail
Further down the same Phone settings, under Call Filtering:
- Spam: calls your carrier identifies as spam or fraud are silenced, sent to voicemail and moved to a Spam list.
- Unknown Callers: missed calls and voicemails from numbers not in your contacts move to their own list, so your main list stays clean.
To look through those lists, open the Phone app, tap the Filter button and choose Unknown Callers or Spam. It is in the Calls tab, or in Recents in the Classic view.
Call blocking apps
Apps can add their own lists of spam numbers. Your carrier’s app is free: AT&T ActiveArmor, or Verizon Call Filter. Independent apps such as Hiya, Truecaller, RoboKiller and Nomorobo work the same way. After installing one:
- Open Settings, tap Apps, then Phone.
- Tap Call Blocking & Identification.
- Turn the app on. If you use more than one, tap Edit to put them in order.
Verizon Call Filter only filters calls on iPhone once it is turned on here. On the same screen, Business Call Identification shows the names of businesses that registered with Apple or your carrier.
Scam texts
The same scammers text. If you use the PhoneShield app, you can choose it as your Text Message Filter (Settings, Apps, Messages): texts from unknown numbers are sorted as they arrive, with scams, political texts and out-of-the-blue strangers going to Spam. The details are in our text filter guide. Either way, forward scam texts to 7726 (SPAM) to report them to your carrier.
What these settings can't do
- New numbers get through. Spam lists know yesterday’s numbers. A number used for the first time this morning is not on them.
- A good story gets through. Ask Reason for Calling hands the decision back to you, and a scammer always has a reason ready: the bank, the IRS, a grandchild in trouble.
- Real callers can get lost. Silence sends every unknown caller to voicemail, the pharmacy and the new doctor included.
- They protect this iPhone only. Nothing here helps a parent’s phone across town, or a landline.
That last gap is why PhoneShield exists. You forward a phone, an iPhone, an Android or a landline, to a PhoneShield number. Calls the network labels Scam Likely or Spam Risk, numbers on our shared scam list and numbers with repeated FTC complaints are refused before the phone rings. Favorites ring straight through. Everyone else, hidden numbers included, is asked who they are and why they are calling before the phone rings. It is $29.99 a month for one line. It reduces scam calls a great deal without promising to stop every one. See how it works.
Questions people ask
How do I block a number on my iPhone?
Open the Phone app, find the call in Calls (or in Recents, in the Classic view), tap the number, scroll down and tap Block Caller. To block someone saved in your contacts, open their contact card and tap Block Contact.
Where do I see the numbers I blocked on iPhone?
In iOS 26, go to Settings, Privacy & Security, Blocked Contacts. You can add or remove numbers there. A block applies to every Apple device signed in to the same Apple Account.
What does Ask Reason for Calling do?
When a number that is not in your contacts calls, your iPhone answers silently and asks the caller for their name and the reason for the call. Your phone rings only after they answer, and shows you what they said so you can decide whether to pick up. It is in Settings, Apps, Phone, Screen Unknown Callers.
Will silencing unknown callers block my doctor's office?
It sends every number that is not in your contacts to voicemail, so a first call from a new doctor's office, a pharmacy or a delivery driver will not ring. Save the numbers you expect, or choose Ask Reason for Calling instead of Silence.
What is the best spam call blocker app for iPhone?
Start with what is free: your carrier's app (AT&T ActiveArmor or Verizon Call Filter) and the iPhone's own Spam filter. Apps such as Hiya, Truecaller, RoboKiller and Nomorobo add their own spam lists. Turn any of them on in Settings, Apps, Phone, Call Blocking & Identification. If the phone belongs to a parent, a screening service that answers for them helps more than another list.
Does blocking a number on iPhone also block their texts?
Yes. A blocked number cannot reach you in Phone, Messages or FaceTime, on any Apple device signed in to your Apple Account. They can still leave a voicemail, but you get no notification. You can still call or text them yourself.