How To Find Reported Junk Messages On Iphone

* This post is part of iPhone Life's Tip of the Day newsletter. Sign Up. *

Tired of receiving spam texts? There is a way to report spam texts right in the Messages app. Once you've made your report, you can block the number that the potential text message scam came from, and never receive a call or message from that number again! Let's get started learning how to report junk text messages on your iPhone.

Filter Unknown Senders

Before you can report junk directly to Apple, you'll need to turn message filtering on. Let's go over how to do that:

Go toSettings.
FindMessages.
Scroll until you seeMessage Filtering, and make sure Filter Unknown Senders is toggled on.
Now when you receive a message from someone not in your Contacts, you will have the option to report it as junk. Unfortunately, this option does not work retroactively, so you'll have to wait until you receive a new spam text on your iPhone to test it out.

Report Spam Text

Once you have message filtering on, when you receive a text from someone who isn't in your contact list, Apple gives you the opportunity to report it by tapping Report Junk underneath the message. This could just be a text from a new friend or coworker that you haven't added to your Contacts yet. But if it seems like an ad or fishy in any way, be sure not to tap on any links in the body of the message; just report it, then block the number. Here's how:

Go toMessages and find the spam message you'd like to report.
Open the message and tap Report Junk underneath it.
TapDelete and Report Junk. After you've done this, the content and sender's information will be sent to Apple.

Related: How to Block a Phone Number on iPhone: Texts & Calls

Block Spam Text If the Report Junk Option Doesn't Appear

Sometimes companies can gather entire contact lists, including phone numbers, from unsuspecting people who sign up for a free app. I'm guessing that the texts I've been getting, like this one below, must be happening because one of my contacts fell victim to that scam. Great.

Junk text

This spam text arrived without the Report Junk option, so I don't have the opportunity to report it to Apple. I can, however, block this number straight from the Messages app. You can also go this route to block old junk messages received before you turned Message Filtering on. To do this:

Open the text message without tapping on any links in the body of the message, then tap on the sender's phone number.
Now tap on info.
Tap on info again.
Tap Block this Caller.
Confirm that you want to block this number, and you won't receive calls or messages from them anymore.

How to Report Text Scams, Phishing & Robotexts to the FTC

Here's a helpful article from the Federal Trade Commission if you'd like to learn more about text scamming. If you're receiving unwanted commercial texts, you can report the number to the FTC by following this link. If you're getting unsolicited robocalls and texts, click here to report those numbers, as well.

Master your iPhone in one minute a day: Sign up here to get our FREE Tip of the Day delivered right to your inbox.