Here’s How IOS 26 Will Protect You From Scam Text Messages
Text message scams are out of control. Messages from the “DMV” about unpaid traffic tickets, from your state’s “Department of Transportation” about unpaid tolls , or from “incorrect numbers” are all fake. Their goal is to get you to talk or click on links to malicious sites so you can share sensitive information about yourself.
As scammers and phishers find new ways to flood our smartphones with these messages, companies are starting to fight back. Take Apple, for example: With iOS 26, the Messages app on your iPhone gets two key tools to help you avoid scammers, even if you can’t block these messages entirely.
iOS 26 Anti-Spam Features
The new update, which is currently in open beta , lets you sort messages into several categories, including Unknown Sender and Spam. If you have these toggles enabled in the Messages app settings, messages sorted into these categories won’t trigger notifications, so you won’t be alerted to messages that are clearly scams.
But it’s not just the lack of notification that’s causing the problem. Any message that ends up in your Spam folder is subject to restrictions that don’t typically apply to text messages in Messages. First, all links in spam messages are blocked. This includes both URLs and phone numbers. This ensures that you can’t accidentally click a malicious link or call a scammer’s number. You’ll have to copy and paste the link or number, which I don’t think most people would do.
Additionally, Messages will prevent you from responding to messages that have been marked as spam. Often, scammers are looking for a mutual understanding to establish contact and convince you to disclose important information. Without the ability to do this, the scammer won’t even be able to verify that your number is active — one of the most compelling reasons not to respond to scammers .
These are simple but effective changes. They confuse scammers by removing the interactivity of their phishing messages. Whether someone intentionally or accidentally clicked on a malicious link in a spam message, the risk is dramatically reduced thanks to this simple change in iOS 26.
What if a spam message isn’t actually spam?
If you’ve ever checked your spam folder, you’ve probably noticed that sometimes, amidst all that junk, there are legitimate messages. With this new spam filter, that’s entirely possible. Apple’s technology sometimes makes mistakes, and a message from a new friend or company that isn’t in your contacts can end up in that folder by mistake.
Of course, messages in this folder cannot be replied to, which would seem to mean the end of communication between you and this person. (Sorry, boss, I’d love to reply to you, but my iPhone treats your messages as spam, and iOS 26 won’t let me reply to spam. See you Monday.)
Luckily for your boss, there’s a simple solution: iOS 26 lets you return spam messages to your main Messages folder. You can also tell Apple that a message is n’t spam, which should theoretically improve the company’s ability to sort messages in the future.
Be careful when using this feature: you don’t want to accidentally move spam messages back to your main inbox, and you definitely don’t want to give scammers an advantage by marking real spam as not spam.