How to Block a Phone Number on an iPhone

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Blocking a phone number on an iPhone is useful when you want to stop calls and messages from a specific person or number. You can block a recent caller without saving the number as a contact, and you can remove the block later.

Contents hide
1 Quick steps
2 Block a recent caller
3 Block someone who is already in Contacts
4 What happens after you block someone
5 Blocking a number is different from silencing unknown callers
6 How to unblock a number
7 If the block does not seem to work
8 Does a blocked caller know they were blocked?
9 Check the blocked list before adding the same number again

Quick steps

  1. Open Phone and tap Recents, or open Contacts.
  2. Open the person or number you want to block.
  3. Tap the contact card or information button.
  4. Scroll down and tap Block Caller.
  5. Confirm the block.

Block a recent caller

If the unwanted number recently called you, open the Phone app and choose Recents. Tap the information button beside the number, scroll to the bottom of the contact card, and tap Block Caller. Confirm the choice. You do not need to save the number as a contact first.

Block someone who is already in Contacts

Open Contacts or the Contacts section of the Phone app and select the person. Scroll to the bottom of the contact card and tap Block Caller. Blocking the contact applies to the phone numbers and contact methods associated with that card.

What happens after you block someone

The other person is not sent a notice saying that you blocked them. Their normal calls, FaceTime calls, and messages will no longer reach you in the usual way. Blocking a single number does not prevent the same person from contacting you from a different number or account.

Blocking a number is different from silencing unknown callers

If your problem is a stream of calls from numbers you do not recognize, blocking each number individually may not be practical. The Phone settings include separate options for handling unknown callers. Those controls affect a category of calls, while Block Caller is intended for a specific number or contact.

How to unblock a number

Open Settings, tap Apps, choose Phone, and open Blocked Contacts. Find the person or number you want to allow again and remove it from the blocked list. Menu wording can vary slightly by iOS version, but the blocked-contact list remains the place to review numbers you have blocked.

If the block does not seem to work

First confirm that the incoming call or message is coming from the exact number you blocked. A contact may have multiple phone numbers or email addresses, and spam callers frequently change numbers. If necessary, open the contact card again and review the blocked entries before changing broader call-filtering settings.

Does a blocked caller know they were blocked?

The iPhone does not send the other person a notification that you blocked the number. What they experience can vary by carrier and by the way they try to contact you, so it is better to think of blocking as a control on your iPhone rather than a message sent to the caller.

Check the blocked list before adding the same number again

If you are not sure whether a number is already blocked, review Blocked Contacts in the Phone settings before making another change. This is also useful after transferring to a new iPhone because it lets you confirm that the contacts you expect to be blocked are still represented in the list.