Blocking a contact stops them from calling, texting, or FaceTiming you

When you block someone on your iPhone, their calls go straight to voicemail, their text messages don't reach you, and FaceTime requests are rejected. They won't know they're blocked — the block is silent. If they try to call, they'll hear a ring tone on their end, but your phone won't ring. Text messages they send will appear to go through on their side, but you won't receive them.

You can block a contact in three places: the Phone app, the Messages app, or the Contacts app. Each method takes about 30 seconds. You can unblock someone at any time using the same method.

Key Takeaways

  • Open the Phone, Messages, or Contacts app, find the person's name, and tap the info button (circle with an i) to see the block option.
  • Blocked contacts can still leave voicemails, but you won't get notifications for them unless you check manually.
  • Blocking someone on your iPhone does not block them on other Apple devices you own — you must block them separately on each device.
  • You can see your full block list in Settings under Phone, Messages, or FaceTime, depending on where you blocked them.

Block someone from the Phone app

Open the Phone app and tap the Recents tab at the bottom. Find the person you want to block and swipe left on their name. A red button labeled "Block this Caller" will appear. Tap it.

If you want to block someone who isn't in your recent calls, tap the Contacts tab instead. Find their name, tap it to open their contact card, scroll down, and tap "Block this Caller" at the bottom of the screen.

Block someone from the Messages app

Open Messages and find the conversation with the person you want to block. Swipe left on their name or message thread. A red button labeled "Block" will appear. Tap it, then tap "Block Contact" to confirm.

If you want to block them without swiping, tap "Edit" in the top left corner, select their conversation, then tap "Block" in the bottom right corner.

Block someone from the Contacts app

Open Contacts and find the person's name. Tap their contact card to open it. Scroll all the way down and tap "Block this Contact." A popup will ask you to confirm — tap "Block Contact" again.

This method is useful if the person is in your contacts but you haven't called or texted them recently, so they don't appear in your Phone or Messages recents.

Check your block list and unblock someone

To see everyone you've blocked, go to Settings and tap Phone. Scroll down and tap "Blocked Contacts." You'll see a list of every number and contact you've blocked through the Phone app.

To unblock someone, tap "Edit" in the top left corner, then tap the minus sign next to their name. Tap "Unblock" to confirm. You can also swipe left on their name and tap "Unblock."

If you blocked someone through Messages or FaceTime instead of Phone, you'll find your block list in Settings under Messages or FaceTime respectively. The process to unblock is the same.

What happens when you block someone on one device

Blocking someone on your iPhone does not automatically block them on your iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch. If you want to block them on multiple devices, you need to block them on each one separately. This is different from iCloud features like Find My Friends, which sync across devices.

However, if you use the same Apple ID on all your devices and you block someone through iCloud settings (which is rare), that block may sync. For most people blocking through the Phone, Messages, or Contacts apps, you're only blocking them on that specific device.

Blocked contacts can still leave voicemails

When you block someone, their calls go to voicemail, but they can still leave a message. You won't get a notification that they've left a voicemail — it won't show up in your notification center or on your lock screen. If you want to listen to their voicemail, you have to open the Phone app, tap Voicemail, and look for it manually.

If you don't want them to reach your voicemail at all, you'll need to contact your carrier. Some carriers offer a service that blocks calls entirely rather than sending them to voicemail, but this is a carrier-level block, not an iPhone setting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a blocked contact see that they're blocked?

No. When they call, they hear a normal ring tone, so they have no way to know the call didn't reach you. Text messages appear to send normally on their end. They might suspect they're blocked if calls consistently go to voicemail and you never respond, but the iPhone doesn't tell them directly.

Will blocking someone delete our text conversation?

No. Your message thread with them stays in the Messages app. You can still read old messages, but new messages from them won't come through. If you unblock them later, new messages will start arriving again, and the old conversation will still be there.

What if I block someone by accident?

Go to Settings, tap Phone (or Messages or FaceTime, depending on where you blocked them), tap "Blocked Contacts," tap "Edit," and tap the minus sign next to their name. Tap "Unblock" to confirm. They can contact you normally again immediately.

Does blocking someone on iPhone block them on FaceTime too?

Not automatically. If you block them through the Phone app, they're blocked for calls and FaceTime. If you block them through Messages, they're blocked for texts only. To block them for FaceTime specifically, go to Settings, tap FaceTime, tap "Blocked Contacts," and add them there.

Can I block a number that isn't in my contacts?

Yes. In the Phone app, tap Recents, find the number, swipe left, and tap "Block this Caller." You don't need their contact information saved — you can block any number that's called you.