With iOS 26, Apple is introducing improved message filtering that gives you more control over unwanted messages. The new system separates spam messages from unknown senders into separate categories. Here's how you can set up and use these new filtering options to keep your Messages app clean.
iOS 26: Enable Message Filtering Settings
Before you can filter messages from unknown senders in iOS 26, you need to enable filtering options in the app settings .
1. Open the Messages app on your iPhone. 2. Tap the filter menu icon (three horizontal lines) in the top-right corner. 3. Select Manage Filtering . This takes you directly to the Messages section in Settings. 4. Turn on the Screen Unknown Senders option to enable filtering.
Once enabled, the “Unknown Senders” option will appear as an option in the Messages app’s filter menu.
See also: Apple: Downgrading from iOS 26 to iOS 18.6.2 is impossible
Setting Additional Filtering Options
While you're in the message filtering settings, you'll find several other options worth configuring:
– Allow Notifications: Allows you to choose whether to receive notifications for certain messages from unknown senders, such as verification codes.
– Text Message Filter: Provides additional filtering options (this setting may not appear unless you have a third-party app with message filtering extensions installed, depending on your region and carrier).
– Filter Spam: Enabled by default and automatically moves suspected spam to a separate folder.
If the Text Message Filter option appears, selecting it will add the “Transactions” and “Promotions” categories to your filter menu, which offers even more granular control over business-related messages.
Review Messages from Unknown Senders
Once filtering is enabled, messages from contacts not saved in your address book are automatically moved to the Unknown Senders section You .Sendersin the menu. This number indicates new messages, but you won't receive any annoying notifications.
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To access these filtered messages, tap the filter menu icon and select Unknown Senders. From there, you can review the messages and take action on legitimate senders.
Tap any message thread to view its contents. At the bottom of the conversation, you'll see a blue Mark as Known. Tapping it ensures that future messages from that number will appear in your main Messages list.
Alternatively, tap the phone number at the top of the conversation to add the sender directly to your Contacts app. Both approaches prevent future messages from that sender from being filtered to Unknown Senders.
Spam Message Recovery
By default, messages that iOS 26 classifies as spam are automatically moved to the Spam folder.
To recover a legitimate message that was mistakenly filtered, open the Spam from the filter menu, tap the message you want to recover , and then tap Not Spam. The message will be moved back to your main Messages list, and future messages from that sender will not be filtered as spam.
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If spam filtering isn't working as expected, you can turn off the Filter Spam in the Messages app's Settings menu.
The new message filtering in iOS 26 marks a significant step towards a more secure and organized communication experience. With the separation of unknown senders, flexible notification settings and the ability to recover legitimate messages, users gain complete control over the Messages app. Apple manages to combine security and ease of use, reducing exposure to spam and unwanted communications, while ensuring that important conversations remain immediately accessible.
