A Macworld reader want to know if there’s a way in iOS to block texts from everyone who isn’t in the Contacts list. Her elderly mother is receiving harassing texts from someone who obtains a new number and continues the attack every time they are stymied using iOS’s option to block texts (along with FaceTime requests and calls).
There isn’t such a feature, although you’d think this would be a much-desired one. Apple has continued to add anti-spam and contact-blocking features across the latest releases of iOS, and allows third-party app makers to tap into calls and texts to help, too.
Apple does offer a feature to sort iMessages—texts sent from people with registered iCloud accounts—into a separate area. Visit Settings > Messages > Unknown & Spam, and enable Filter Unknown Senders. (On a Mac, using Messages > Preferences, and uncheck the Notify Me about Messages from Unknown Contacts box.)
