Skip to main content

How to filter unknown senders in text messages on iOS 16

The iOS 16 logo on an iPhone.
Joe Maring/Digital Trends

Are you tired of seeing spam texts tangled up with texts from people in your contacts list? Or perhaps you're tired of trying to read a text from someone close to you and seeing a spam text come on top of it in the process. In case you haven't noticed anything else new with iOS 16 in the last day or so, a brand-new feature enables you to separate the two: Filter Unknown Senders.

Recommended Videos

Difficulty

Easy

Duration

5 minutes

What You Need

  • iOS 16

  • Settings app

  • iPhone 8 through 14 or second-generation iPhone SE

Filter Unknown Senders is not exactly a "brand-new feature" so much as it is a relatively new one. It has been around since iOS 14, but most of us haven't really noticed it because it was hidden so well ... until now. As its name suggests, it's designed to filter out wanted text messages and place them on a separate list.

The iOS 16 logo on an iPhone.
Joe Maring/Digital Trends

How to enable Filter Unknown Senders

Toggling the Filter Unknown Senders setting is fairly easy to do. If you have an iPhone model that's anywhere between the iPhone 8 and 14, all it takes is a little digging and you'll be in for days of seeing texts coming solely from your friends, family, co-workers, potential employers, and no one else.

Step 1: Open the Settings app and scroll down to the Messages tab.

Step 2: Tap the Messages tab and scroll down to the Message filtering section. The only setting in that section is Filter unknown senders.

Step 3: Turn Filter unknown senders on.

How to see the filtered lists

Now that Filter Unknown Senders is toggled on, you'll be able to see your messages in an organized fashion.

Step 1: Open the Messages app and tap Filters on the top-left corner of the screen.

Step 2: To see the messages from people in your contacts list, tap the Known senders list. If you want to see messages from people you don't know, tap Unknown senders. This gives you an opportunity to free up your storage space and delete messages you didn't want in the first place.

With Filter Unknown Senders, those pesky spam texts will be out of sight and out of mind so you can focus on the messages that matter to you the most. A stranger's text message will never take priority over your mother's text ever again.

Cristina Alexander
Cristina Alexander is a gaming and mobile writer at Digital Trends. She blends fair coverage of games industry topics that…
The iOS 18.4 Beta could drop as soon as February 12
Natural Titanium iPhone 16 Pro Max (left) and a Blue Titanium iPhone 15 Pro.

With the launch of the new Powerbeats and the iPhone SE 4, next week is a busy one for Apple fans — but even more surprises could be on the way with the release of iOS 18.4 Beta 1, according to Mark Gurman. There's a chance the launch could be pushed back until the week after, but it will most likely arrive before the end of February.

The coming iOS 18.4 beta is rumored to introduce a lot of changes related to Apple Intelligence functionality and Siri, including awareness of what's on screen, personal context, and much more. If this change comes through, it would mark a turning point for Siri. The assistant has long trailed behind the competition, and an update that brings it to the same level of power as Google Assistant or Alexa would be a huge boon for Apple users.

Read more
Samsung aped iPhone filters, but served it better on the Galaxy S25
Using filters on the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.

With the arrival of the Galaxy S25 series, Samsung introduced a bevy of camera-centric changes. Take for example the Galaxy S25 Ultra, which upgrades to a 50-megapixel ultrawide sensor, a new Spatio Temporal filter for blur reduction, 8K capture across all lenses, default 10-bit HDR recording, and more. But the company silently gave a massive boost to filters.

So far, users have only been able to pick a filter and capture media with the effect applied on top. There was no scope for fine-tuning the filter characteristics in real time. That limitation has finally gone to the grave with the Galaxy S25 series.

Read more
Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus vs. iPhone 16 Plus: which mid-priced phone is the best?
Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus vs. iPhone 16 Plus.

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus is the latest mid-sized flagship phone from Samsung, positioned between the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25 Ultra. This makes it a strong contender against the Apple iPhone 16 Plus in terms of specifications and pricing. Both devices have a lot to offer, but is one clearly better than the other?

The Galaxy S25 Plus features a powerful processor, a stunning display, and a versatile camera system. On the other hand, the iPhone 16 Plus is praised for its sleek design, user-friendly interface, and deep integration with the Apple ecosystem.

Read more