Block a contact through the Phone app

Open the Phone app and go to the Recents tab at the bottom. Find the contact you want to block, swipe left on their name, and tap the red circle with a line through it. A menu will appear — tap "Block this Caller". That contact can no longer call or text you, and their calls will go straight to voicemail without ringing your phone.

If you want to block someone from your Contacts app instead, open Contacts, find the person's name, tap "Edit" in the top right, scroll to the bottom, and tap "Block this Contact". The result is the same — they're blocked from calling and texting.

Block a contact through Messages

Open the Messages app and find the conversation with the person you want to block. Swipe left on their name or message thread. A red "Block" button will appear — tap it. You can also tap "Edit" in the top left of Messages, select multiple conversations, and tap "Block" to block several people at once.

When you block someone through Messages, they're blocked from texting you, but they can still call you unless you've also blocked them in the Phone app. If you want to block them completely, block them in both places.

Key Takeaways

  • You can block a contact from the Phone app, Contacts app, or Messages app — the method you choose doesn't matter, but blocking in one app doesn't automatically block in the others.
  • A blocked caller's calls go straight to voicemail without your phone ringing, and their text messages don't appear in your Messages app.
  • Blocked contacts can still see that their calls and texts were sent — they won't know they're blocked unless they try to reach you and notice the pattern.
  • You can unblock someone at any time by going to Settings > Phone > Blocked Contacts (or Settings > Messages > Blocked Contacts) and swiping left on their name.

What happens when you block someone

When you block a contact, their calls go directly to voicemail without your phone ringing or showing a notification. Text messages from that person won't appear in your Messages app — they simply don't arrive. FaceTime calls from a blocked contact are also rejected silently.

The blocked person doesn't receive a notification that they've been blocked. They'll see their call go to voicemail or their message appear to send normally, but they won't get a delivery confirmation or read receipt. If they try to call you repeatedly, they'll eventually realize something is wrong, but the block itself is invisible to them.

Unblock a contact if you change your mind

To unblock someone, go to Settings and scroll down to find either Phone or Messages, depending on where you blocked them. Tap "Blocked Contacts" and you'll see a list of everyone you've blocked. Swipe left on the person's name and tap "Unblock".

Once you unblock a contact, they can call and text you again immediately. Any messages they sent while they were blocked won't appear — those are gone. Future messages and calls will come through normally.

Block a contact before they're in your phone

If someone texts or calls you and you want to block them before saving their number, you can still block them. In the Phone app, go to Recents, find their number, swipe left, and tap the block icon. In Messages, swipe left on the conversation and tap "Block". You don't need to add them to your Contacts first.

This is useful if you're getting calls or texts from a number you don't recognize. You can block the number immediately without having to create a contact entry for it.

Block someone on FaceTime or iMessage only

If you want to block someone from calling or messaging you through FaceTime or iMessage specifically, but still allow regular phone calls or SMS texts, you'll need to use a different approach. Open FaceTime or Messages, find the conversation, and look for an info button (usually an "i" in a circle). Tap it and scroll down to find "Block this Caller" or "Block Contact". This blocks them only in that app.

Keep in mind that blocking in FaceTime doesn't block them in Messages, and vice versa. If you want to block someone completely across all communication methods, you need to block them in the Phone app, which covers calls and texts, and then separately in FaceTime and Messages if you use those apps.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a blocked contact see that I blocked them?

No. A blocked contact won't receive a notification. Their calls go to voicemail and their messages appear to send normally, but they won't get delivery confirmations. They may eventually suspect they're blocked if their calls consistently go to voicemail, but the block itself is invisible.

Will a blocked contact's old messages still be in my Messages app?

Yes. Blocking someone doesn't delete past conversations. You can still see old messages from them in your Messages app. If you want to remove the conversation entirely, swipe left on it and tap "Delete".

What if I block someone by accident?

Go to Settings, tap Phone (or Messages), scroll to "Blocked Contacts", find the person's name, swipe left, and tap "Unblock". They can call and text you again immediately after you unblock them.

Can I block someone from calling me but still receive their texts?

Not with the standard blocking feature. When you block a contact, they're blocked from both calls and texts. If you only want to silence their calls, you can use Do Not Disturb or create a custom notification setting instead, but that's a different feature than blocking.