Blocking a number on iPhone takes seconds once you know where to look, but Apple has scattered the option across different apps depending on how the call or text reached you. Whether the number is someone who recently called, saved as a contact, or a total stranger who's never called before, there's a way to silence it. Below is every method that currently works, plus what actually happens on the other end once you block the number.
This is the fastest route if the number has called or texted you at least once.
The same info-button method works from Messages: open the conversation, tap the contact name or number at the top, tap the info icon, and choose Block Contact.
If the person is already in your address book, you don't need the Phone or Messages app at all.
Blocking a saved contact this way blocks all of their listed numbers, not just one, since the block is tied to the contact card.
Apple doesn't give you a direct "type in any number and block it" field, so you'll need to get the number into one of the apps above first. Two workarounds:
If you're less interested in blocking one number and more interested in silencing everyone who isn't in your contacts, iOS has a blunter tool:
With this on, calls from numbers not in your contacts, recent outgoing calls, or Siri Suggestions go straight to voicemail and appear in Recents, but your phone won't ring. It's effective against robocalls, but it also silences legitimate calls, such as a delivery driver or a new doctor's office, so it's a trade-off rather than a fix.
Once a number is blocked:
Blocking is silent and one-directional. Apple doesn't notify the blocked number, and there's no in-app confirmation the other person can see.
Sometimes the harder problem isn't blocking a number, it's figuring out whose number it actually is first. A missed call from an unfamiliar area code doesn't tell you whether it's a legitimate business, an old contact with a new number, or a scam attempt. Running the number through a phone lookup can surface a name, general location, or line type associated with it, which is often enough context to decide whether blocking is the right call or whether it's worth a callback first.
If the number keeps calling from slightly different digits, that pattern usually points to spoofing rather than a single bad actor. Our guide to stopping spam calls on iPhone and Android covers the carrier-level and third-party tools worth layering on top of Apple's built-in blocking.
Blocking isn't permanent, and unblocking is just as quick. If you've blocked someone and want to reverse it, or you're not sure whether a missed call means you were blocked instead, see our breakdowns on unblocking a number on iPhone and how to tell if someone blocked you.
Blocking one number at a time only goes so far when the volume of unwanted calls keeps climbing. The FTC's most recent biennial report to Congress noted that the agency received over 2.6 million Do Not Call complaints in fiscal year 2025, with the majority tied to illegal robocalls rather than live telemarketers. If you're regularly fielding calls with no caller ID at all, our guide to what "No Caller ID" actually means breaks down who's really behind those calls and what you can do about them, and our field guide to unknown numbers versus no caller ID sorts the different types you'll run into.
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