As if robocalls weren’t annoying enough, now we have to deal with robotexts.
Besides being a royal pain in the ass, robotexts can be a means of identifying potential scam targets and getting people to click on dangerous links that infect phones with malware.
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There are a couple ways you can try to block robotexts. We can’t guarantee you’ll never receive one again, but each method should at the very least lessen the amount you receive. And if we can’t completely delete robotexts from our lives, we’ll take the next best thing.
Block numbers
One means of blocking robotexts is blocking the numbers that send them. This method can be hit-or-miss; scammers can usually get around this by switching the number the text comes from. Nevertheless, blocking numbers is a good thing to know how to do, and who’s to say it won’t stop a bunch of annoying and potentially dangerous robotexts? Here’s how you do it.
1. Go to the robotext in your message.
***Do not respond to the message, as it just lets the scammer know they have a real target on the other end.***
2. Tap the little arrow to the right of the contact’s phone number at the top, then tap “info.”
Credit: screenSHOT: apple
3. On the next screen, tap “info” again.
Credit: SCREENSHOT: APPLE
4. At the bottom, tap “Block this Caller.”
Credit: SCREENSHOT: APPLE
5. Read the pop-up message and when you’re done, tap “Block Contact.”
As the message says, “You will not receive phone calls, messages, or FaceTime from people on the block list.” That number won’t be able to contact you. Yay! Begone, scammer. On to the other method.
Download a robocall/robotext-blocking app.
Maybe your solution to robotexts is in the App Store. You can try downloading a robocall/robotext-blocking app and let the app do the work for you. Some apps, like Hiya, don’t do anything to block robotexts but are effective at blocking robocalls. Nomorobo, however, does block robotexts, filtering them into a spam folder in your messages. You won’t get alerts for incoming robotexts, but you can go through them in your spam folder if you want, according to PCMag.
Plans run from $1.99/month to $19.99/year, but you can do a 14-day free trial to see if you like it before paying.
To get it working on your phone, download it from the App Store. Then, as PCMag instructs, go to your settings. Tap “Messages,” then tap “Unknown & Spam.” You should see a section for “SMS Filtering” where you can tap a switch to turn on Nomorobo.
For dealing with the insufferable headache each robotext and robocall induces, we’d say the price is worth it. You can check out our other favorite robocall/robotext-blocking apps and tools (both free and paid) here. May you and your phone be safe from the robo-scammers of the world.
