Block a contact through the Phone app
The fastest way to block someone is through your Phone app. Open Phone, tap Recents, find the person you want to block, and tap the info icon (a circle with an "i") next to their name. Scroll down and tap Block this Caller, then confirm.
If you want to block someone you've never called, open Contacts instead, find their name, tap the info icon, scroll to the bottom, and select Block this Contact. The steps are identical — you're just starting from a different place in the app.
Key Takeaways
- You can block a contact in seconds through the Phone app by tapping Recents, selecting the person, and choosing Block this Caller.
- Blocked contacts cannot call, text, or FaceTime you, and their calls go straight to voicemail without your phone ringing.
- You can unblock someone at any time by going to Settings > Phone > Blocked Contacts and swiping left on their name.
- Blocking someone does not delete their number from your contacts — it only stops them from reaching you.
- If you block someone who has already sent you messages, those old messages stay in your conversation thread but new ones won't come through.
Block a contact through Settings
If you prefer to manage blocks from one central place, go to Settings > Phone > Blocked Contacts. Tap Edit in the top right corner, then tap the red minus sign next to any contact you want to block. Tap Block to confirm.
This method is useful if you want to see all your blocked contacts at once or if you're blocking someone who isn't in your recent calls. The Blocked Contacts list shows everyone you've blocked across all your apps — not just the Phone app.
Block a contact from Messages or FaceTime
You can also block someone directly from a conversation. In Messages, open the thread with the person you want to block, tap their name at the top, scroll down, and tap Block this Caller. In FaceTime, open a call history, swipe left on the person's name, and tap Block.
Blocking from Messages or FaceTime works the same way as blocking from Phone — the person is blocked across all communication methods, not just the app you used. They won't be able to reach you by call, text, or video.
What happens when you block someone
When you block a contact, their calls go straight to voicemail without your phone ringing or showing a notification. Text messages from them won't arrive on your phone at all. FaceTime calls won't come through either. From their perspective, they'll see the call or message send, but they won't know they're blocked — it will just seem like you're not answering.
The blocked person can still leave voicemails, though you won't be notified. Their old messages stay in your conversation thread if you had texted before, but new messages won't appear. If you want to delete the conversation entirely, you can swipe left on it in Messages and tap Delete.
Unblock a contact
To unblock someone, go to Settings > Phone > Blocked Contacts. Find the person's name and swipe left on it. Tap Unblock, and they'll be able to reach you again immediately.
You can also unblock someone from the same place you blocked them. In the Phone app, tap Recents, find the blocked contact, tap the info icon, and scroll down to find Unblock this Caller. The contact will be unblocked right away.
Block unknown callers and spam
If you're getting calls from numbers not in your contacts, you can block all unknown callers at once. Go to Settings > Phone > Silence Unknown Callers. This sends calls from anyone not in your contacts, Mail, or Messages straight to voicemail.
For text spam, go to Settings > Messages > Filter Unknown Senders and turn it on. This separates texts from people you don't know into a separate tab so they don't clutter your main conversation list. You can also report spam texts by opening the message, tapping Report Junk, and confirming.
Block a contact on a shared or family device
If you share an iPhone with family members, each person can have their own blocked list. Blocked contacts are tied to individual user accounts, not the device itself. If you're using Screen Time to manage a child's device, you can't block contacts for them through the standard blocking method — you'd need to set up communication limits in Screen Time settings instead.
If you're the account holder managing a family member's device through Family Sharing, you can't remotely block their contacts. They'll need to block people themselves on their own device, or you can do it while using their phone directly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a blocked contact see that they're blocked?
No. When you block someone, their calls go to voicemail and their texts don't arrive, but they won't receive a message saying they're blocked. They'll just notice that calls and texts seem to go unanswered, which could happen for many reasons.
Will a blocked contact's old messages disappear?
No. Messages you received before blocking someone stay in your conversation thread. New messages from them won't arrive, but the old conversation history remains unless you delete it manually by swiping left on the thread and tapping Delete.
Can I block someone without deleting their contact?
Yes. Blocking and deleting are separate actions. When you block someone, their contact information stays in your Contacts app — you just won't receive calls, texts, or FaceTime calls from them. You can unblock them at any time without re-entering their number.
What if I block someone by accident?
Go to Settings > Phone > Blocked Contacts, find their name, swipe left, and tap Unblock. They'll be unblocked immediately and can reach you again. There's no waiting period or confirmation needed beyond tapping Unblock.
Does blocking someone on iPhone block them on other Apple services?
Blocking on iPhone blocks calls, texts, and FaceTime, but it doesn't block them from iMessage, email, or other services. If you want to block someone from iMessage specifically, you'll need to block them separately in the Messages app settings.