How to block a number on your iPhone

How To
By published

Stop unwanted calls and messages on your iPhone

Apple iPhone 16 held in the hand.
(Image credit: Future)

We’ve all been there — your phone buzzes, and it’s yet another scam call or an unknown number you’d rather not deal with. Or maybe it’s persistent texts or emails from someone you’ve been trying to avoid. Whatever the case, blocking a number on your iPhone is a quick and effective way to stop the interruptions and reclaim your peace of mind.

Much like putting your device on vibrate, scanning a QR code, or forcing a restart, iPhones make it simple to block numbers across different areas of your device, whether it’s calls in the Phone app, video chats on FaceTime, or unwanted messages in iMessage.

You can even manage blocked numbers directly through your Settings app. In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to block numbers on your iPhone, ensuring you can handle interruptions no matter where they occur.

1. Block a number in the Phone app

Open the Phone app and navigate to Favorites, Recents, or Voicemail. Tap the info button next to the number you want to block. Then scroll down and select Block Caller.

2. Block someone using the FaceTime App

If someone has been contacting you through FaceTime, you can block them directly in the app. Open FaceTime and locate the number or contact you want to block.

Tap the info button next to their name or number. Scroll down and tap Block Caller.

3. Block a number in Messages

To block someone who has been messaging you, open the Messages and select the conversation with the number you want to block.

Tap the name or number at the top of the conversation, then tap the info button. Scroll down and choose Block Caller.

Now that you've learned how to block someone on iPhone, why not check out some of our other useful guides. We break down simply and easily how to tell if you're blocked on iMessage, how to silence your iPhone 16, and how to turn off Apple Intelligence on your iPhone.

Kaycee Hill
Kaycee Hill
How-to Editor

Kaycee is Tom's Guide's How-To Editor, known for tutorials that get straight to what works. She writes across phones, homes, TVs and everything in between — because life doesn't stick to categories and neither should good advice. She's spent years in content creation doing one thing really well: making complicated things click. Kaycee is also an award-winning poet and co-editor at Fox and Star Books.