How to block a contact on your iPhone
To block someone on an iPhone, open the Phone app, Messages app, or Contacts app, find the person's name, tap the info button (a circle with an "i" inside), scroll down, and tap "Block this Caller" or "Block Contact". The person will no longer be able to call, text, or FaceTime you. Their calls go straight to voicemail, and their messages won't appear in your inbox — they'll land in a separate folder you can check later if you want to.
You can also block someone from a recent call or message thread without opening their full contact. In the Phone app, swipe left on a recent call. In Messages, swipe left on a conversation thread. A red "Block" button appears. Tap it to block that person immediately.
If you block someone by accident, you can unblock them the same way: go to their contact info and tap "Unblock this Caller" or "Unblock Contact". There's no notification sent to the person when you block or unblock them.
Key Takeaways
- Blocked callers can still leave voicemails, but you won't see notifications for them — their messages go to a separate voicemail folder.
- Blocked contacts cannot reach you through calls, texts, or FaceTime, and they won't know they're blocked.
- You can block someone from the Phone app, Messages app, Contacts app, or by swiping left on a recent call or message thread.
- Unblocking someone is just as simple as blocking them — open their contact info and tap "Unblock".
What happens when you block someone
When you block a contact, they lose access to three things: calling you, texting you, and FaceTiming you. Any attempt to reach you through these channels will fail silently on their end — they won't get an error message saying they're blocked, but the call or message simply won't go through.
Voicemail is the one exception. Blocked callers can still leave voicemails, but you won't receive notifications about them. Their voicemails appear in a separate "Blocked Messages" section in the Phone app that you can access if you choose to. This means you can listen to blocked voicemails later without being interrupted by notifications.
Blocking does not affect iMessage read receipts, location sharing, or shared calendars — if you had those features turned on with that person before blocking, you'll need to turn them off separately in Settings or in the shared app itself.
Blocking someone in Messages, FaceTime, or Phone separately
You can block a contact within a specific app rather than blocking them entirely. In the Messages app, open a conversation with the person, tap their name at the top, scroll down, and tap "Block this Caller". This blocks them only from texting you, but they can still call or FaceTime.
In FaceTime, open a recent call or conversation, tap the info button, and select "Block this Caller". This prevents them from FaceTiming you but doesn't block calls or texts.
In the Phone app, tap "Recents", find the person's name, tap the info button, and select "Block this Caller". This blocks phone calls and voicemail notifications but doesn't prevent texts or FaceTime calls.
If you want to block someone completely across all three services at once, use the Contacts app instead — that blocks them everywhere.
Finding and managing your blocked contacts list
To see who you've blocked, open Settings, scroll down to the app you want to check (Phone, Messages, or FaceTime), and tap it. Look for "Blocked Contacts" or "Blocked" — the exact name varies by app. You'll see a list of everyone you've blocked in that app.
From this list, you can tap "Edit" in the top-right corner and then tap the red minus sign next to a name to unblock them. Or you can tap a blocked contact's name and select "Unblock".
If you blocked someone through the Contacts app, go to Settings, tap "Phone" (or "Messages" or "FaceTime"), find "Blocked Contacts", and unblock from there. You can also open Contacts, find the person, tap their info button, and select "Unblock Contact".
Blocking someone who isn't in your contacts
If someone calls or texts you and they're not in your contacts, you can still block them. In the Phone app, go to Recents, find the number, tap the info button, and select "Block this Caller". In Messages, swipe left on the conversation thread and tap "Block".
Once you block a number that isn't in your contacts, it stays blocked even if that person later adds themselves to your contacts under a different name. The block is tied to the phone number or email address, not the contact name.
What blocked people see and don't see
A blocked person won't receive a notification saying they've been blocked. When they try to call you, the call will ring on their end but won't reach your phone — it may go to voicemail after a few rings, or they may hear a message saying the call couldn't be completed. Different carriers handle this differently, so the experience varies.
When they text you, the message sends from their perspective, but it never arrives on your phone. They won't see a "delivered" or "read" status, and they won't get an error message. To them, it may simply look like the message didn't send, or they might assume you're not responding.
Blocked people cannot see your online status, typing indicators, or read receipts in iMessage. If you had location sharing turned on with them, they can no longer see your location — but you'll need to turn that off separately in the Find My app or in Settings.
Blocking someone on iCloud.com or other Apple services
Blocking through the Phone, Messages, or FaceTime apps only affects your iPhone. If you use iCloud.com to access Messages or FaceTime on a web browser, or if you have multiple Apple devices, you may need to block the person on those services separately.
On iCloud.com, open Messages or FaceTime, find the conversation, and look for a menu or info button to block. The steps vary depending on which service you're using and which browser you're on.
If you want to block someone across all your Apple devices at once, the most reliable method is to block them through the Contacts app on your iPhone — that syncs the block to your iPad, Mac, and other devices through iCloud.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a blocked person see that I've blocked them?
No. Blocked people don't receive a notification, and there's no way for them to know for certain they're blocked. Their calls and texts simply won't go through, which they might interpret as you not responding or having a technical issue.
Will a blocked person see my profile picture or status in Messages?
No. Once blocked, they can't see your profile picture, status, or any updates you make. If you had shared your location with them, that access is also removed.
Can I block someone and still see their messages later?
Yes. Blocked text messages appear in a separate folder you can access anytime. Blocked voicemails also stay in a separate section. You won't get notifications, but the messages are there if you want to review them.
What if someone keeps contacting me from different numbers?
You can block each number individually using the same steps. If the harassment continues, consider reporting it to your carrier or, in serious cases, to local law enforcement.
Does blocking someone delete our chat history?
No. Your conversation thread with the blocked person remains in your Messages app. Blocking only prevents future messages from reaching you — it doesn't erase past conversations.