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Android: Block Text Messages From Specific Person

By Mitch Bartlett 20 Comments

You can block text messages from a specific number or contact on your Android device with a third-party solution. Just follow these steps.

Blocking Text Messages

Option 1

Note: These steps are for the stock “Messages” app included with Android 7. Some carriers may include a different app for messaging.

  1. Open “Messages“.
  2. Press the “Menu”  icon located at the upper-right corner.
  3. Select “Blocked contacts“.
  4. Tap “Add a number” to add a number you wish to block.
  5. If you ever wish to remove a number from the blacklist, return to the Blocked contacts screen, and select the “X” next to the number.

Owners of the numbers you have blocked will not receive any type of notification that they have been blocked. You would have to use an app like SwiftReply, mentioned below.


Option 2

If your messaging app does not offer a Blacklist option, use Handcent.

  1. Download and install Handcent SMS for your text messaging needs. It’s available in the Google Play store.
  2. Since you’ll be using Handcent for text messaging, disable the notifications for your current text messaging app. Otherwise, you’ll get double notifications for text messages.
  3. Open Handcent then select the menu at the upper left corner of the screen, and switch from “Inbox” to “More“.
  4. Choose “Settings“.
  5. Scroll down and select “Manage blacklist“.
  6. Tap the plus (+) icon to add the phone number you wish to block. You can choose one from your contacts, call logs, or input the number directly.

Now all of the text messages from that person will be blocked and not visible in the Handcent app. You won’t get notifications you’ve received a message from the person either. If you ever want to unblock the person, return to the “Manage blacklist” screen, tap it, then select “Unblacklist“.

Some users have reported that the app “Private Space” works well for them.


Sending an Automatic Reply Using SwiftReply

If you want to let a person know they have been blocked, you will need to download an app that will automatically reply to text messages. I recommend SMS Auto Reply. The app will allow you to setup an auto reply for specific Contacts.

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Filed Under: Android Tagged With: Nougat

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Nat osman says

    August 28, 2020 at 5:04 pm

    I receive massages from betway and other companies to my dislike. The goe with just the name there is no phone number .
    How can I bolck these massages

  2. Scott says

    July 23, 2020 at 12:06 pm

    I have an Android. But it doesn’t have a menu button in the upper right corner.

  3. George says

    July 22, 2020 at 2:50 pm

    Tried all options from fellow users (thanks).But simply can’t block a certain bloody nuisance messager..Sick of trying.!!!

  4. rumaisa says

    June 7, 2020 at 2:05 am

    How can I block only text msgs not calls ?

  5. Stacy says

    February 18, 2020 at 6:46 am

    Hey how do I block someone who I don’t know or have a number for?

  6. angelina says

    January 24, 2020 at 5:20 pm

    i have a scammer who keep texting from 2 different numbers. i was able to block but not the other. anh idea? i do not have the block or black list option.

  7. Heather Linderman says

    November 28, 2019 at 11:15 pm

    Is there a way to block just picture message and phone calls. But still receive regular text me6

  8. Pascal Joseph Arlotta says

    November 23, 2019 at 8:21 am

    On messenger someone has added me to a list, the origin of the list is from an [email protected] at the bottom of the list…there are mechanisms to block the phone numbers on this list but not the email address …what can I use to block this email address from messenger

  9. Rob says

    November 11, 2019 at 9:39 pm

    worked for me lg back button phone

  10. gene says

    October 31, 2019 at 8:22 pm

    My third party app blocks calls but i cant block texts. No block option in android

  11. Tyler says

    September 17, 2019 at 1:21 pm

    Ridiculous that Android does not have a simple way to block texts but not calls from a specific contact. This single issue is about to cause me to change to apple. Its just dumb and there is no plausible reason for it.

  12. લક્ષ્મી ૧૪૫૫ says

    August 3, 2019 at 5:41 am

    Some web driven SMS can’t be blocked
    There must be way out

  13. Frustrated says

    June 29, 2019 at 2:58 pm

    Seems like on Android there is no way to block only texts and still allow calls from a specific number. Third party apps either suck or are sketchy. Really frustrating, why is this so difficult? I don’t want to recieve texts from my ex but I need to recieve calls in case of an emergency with our child.

  14. latoya says

    June 10, 2019 at 9:23 am

    I want to block self or specific people from a group text chat I am in, but not everyone I want to block in the group chat text

  15. saghir ahmed says

    June 5, 2019 at 3:11 am

    How can i stop only text msg but not call?

  16. Kerri says

    May 22, 2019 at 11:48 am

    I have a menu but there is no “blocked contacts” listed.

  17. Elena says

    May 8, 2019 at 12:49 pm

    there are bars to the top left of screen with a menu but no blocking selection. It is very easy to block calls but not texts

  18. Peg Garvey says

    April 15, 2019 at 9:36 pm

    Got into MESSAGES but there is no MENU in the upper right corner.

  19. Phil says

    December 14, 2018 at 2:20 pm

    Nope it didn’t help. The reason it didn’t help is, it did not address the issue of being on a group text. As far as I can tell, when you are included on a group text, in the Handcent app, you can not Blacklist just one of the numbers in the group text. Maybe this is design problem with the app itself or no one ever had this issue.

  20. Sandi McEachron says

    August 23, 2017 at 5:01 pm

    I can’t receive messages from my chorus. I can receive individual messages just not group messages. I am using a Samsung galaxy 8. I have checked spam filters.and blocked texts. Nothing in there. Any suggestions of where to look? Thank you, Sandi

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