Have you ever received a call or text message from some strange, unrecognizable number on your iPhone? How about an iMessage or two from your crazy ex-girlfriend who simply can’t seem to get ahold of herself and just leave you alone? It happens more often than you’d think, unfortunately..
But thanks to some really intuitive features baked into iOS 7 (and later), you can now stop those pesky calls, text messages, and even FaceTime video chat requests — err, in the case of that crazy ex of yours, people who simply don’t know when to stop — dead in their tracks.
If your iPhone is running iOS 7 or later, there’s two avenues by which you can block certain numbers from being able to contact you; we refer to them below as “The Easy Way” and “The Harder Way.”
The Easy Way to Block Callers:
The first method we’re going to cover is a bit more straightforward — particularly for numbers that are either already saved in your contacts, or those who simply try to get ahold of you so often, that their number is well-documented in your Phone app’s recent callers tab.
Simply navigate to your iPhone’s Phone app > and then tap on the Recents tab in the bottom toolbar. Once you identify the caller’s number from the list of recent callers, simply tap the little blue i (information icon) next to that number, from which a short list of options should appear. Just scroll down and tap Block This Caller > and then confirm your selection when the subsequent menu pops up.
This phone number will no longer be able to contact you — either by Phone, iMessage, Text, or FaceTime. If they do happen to call you again, the call will automatically be reverted to your wireless carrier’s voice messaging system. Yes, they’ll be able to leave a message, unfortunately; however you won’t receive any notification indicating that they have, so hopefully they’ll just wear themselves out overtime — while you, on the other hand, remain at peace, completely oblivious to their desperate attempts to nag you.
The Harder Way to Block Callers:
We say “harder” not to suggest that the method, in and of itself, is more difficult, but simply because it requires a few additional steps on your end. You’d typically pursue this route if a number is unknown — like, for instance, perhaps a 1-800 or 1-888 toll-free number that you’ve grown a bit sick and tired of hearing from.
In any event, you won’t be able to block these numbers via the easy method we explained above; so what you’ll have to do, rather, is assign the annoying caller to a new contact on your iPhone. The name is irrelevant, really, so you’re free to use your imagination here if that tickles your interest — just as long as the number, itself, is assigned directly to that name.
Once that crucial step is complete, you’ll want to navigate to Settings > scroll down a bit until you get to the Phone section > and then scroll down again until you see Blocked. Tap on Blocked and then simply tap Add New, which will present the standard iOS contacts list, and, assuming you followed the previous step, the appropriate contact will show up in that list. Tap the contact and poof — they’re automatically added to your Blocked list — and are thereby unable to call, text, or FaceTime you ever again.
To unblock a caller, if on the off chance you’ve had a sudden change of heart, you can always go back into Settings > Phone > Blocked > swipe left across the contact’s name > and then tap Delete, which will unblock the number.
Have you ever had to block a crazy caller who wouldn’t leave you alone? Let us know in the comments!