No one likes spam. My Messages app is littered with phishers, phony UPS tracking links, and "recruiters" offering part-time AI gigs that "can make up to $1,000 a day" -- yeah, right. It's almost impossible to completely rid your inbox of fake messages. While most digital inboxes already have a few native precautions in place to stop most at the door, some sneakier senders still manage to slip through the cracks and interrupt your day with a notification.
Screen Unknown Senders
Sounds obvious, doesn't it?
Once you install iOS 26, you'll find several new menu options at your disposal in your settings. The first one you want to examine is the toggle to screen unknown senders. To do this, go to Settings > Apps > Messages. Scroll down until you see the Unknown Senders menu, and make sure the toggle beside Screen Unknown Senders is turned on.
This hides notifications from potential unknown senders and moves them over to a list called Unknown Senders so they don't take over your inbox. Don't worry -- you can access this right inside your Messages app (more on that in a moment).
Configure your notifications
To allow, or to not allow
Let's say you don't want every single text from unknown senders going to that hidden list -- instead, you can let some appear like normal on your main Messages list. In the same Unknown Senders menu, tap Allow Notifications. There, you can choose to let some or all of the following message types through:
- Time Sensitive
- Personal
- Transactions
- Promotions
I opted to allow notifications from Time Sensitive (alerts, verification codes, and urgent requests) and Personal (not businesses or organizations) messages. That way, I won't miss a double-authentication code or an introductory text from my new friend at the coffee shop.
Add a Text Message Filter
Make sure everything is organized and accounted for
Next, you'll want to enable a Text Message Filter to automatically sort your messages into categorized lists. This is more of an organization tool to keep everything sorted nicely after completing the two steps above.
In the same Unknown Senders Menu in Messages settings, tap Text Message Filter. In that menu, select Text Message Filter to enable it. Just in case your precautions do their job a little too well, you'll be able access any messages you're looking for by sifting through specific categories right inside your Messages app.
Make sure Filter Spam is on
To the point -- and effective
Begone, fake toll notices. Your spam filter will hide notifications and move messages identified as spam to the Spam list. To enable this, toggle on Filter Spam in the Unknown Senders menu -- it should be the last option.
If it's anything like mine, once you see what’s in that spam folder, you'll be grateful for everything Apple's done to keep those messages off your main list. Now, you’re ready to witness the fruits of your labor.
Head to your Messages app to check it out
Your main messages just got VIP passes
Open your Messages app. In the upper-right-hand corner, there will be a menu with three horizontal lines -- click it to open a dropdown menu with the various categories the app grouped your messages into.
When you click Unknown Senders, it opens a list of all unsaved or unknown numbers now separated from your main conversation list. If you tap into a message you know for sure is spam (like a phony DMV violation), open the thread, tap Delete, and either choose Delete or Delete and Report Spam. Likewise, if it's a number you simply forgot to save and you know the sender, you can Mark as Known.
The other categories include Transactions (broken down by All, Finance, Orders, and Reminders), Promotions, Spam, and Recently Deleted. Tap into your spam for a quick laugh (or sigh of relief) at the texts your iPhone didn't let past the threshold.