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silence unknown texts?
- Thread starter jk73
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You could always turn on this option.
Note: You canʼt open any links sent by an unknown sender until you make them a known sender—by adding them to your contacts or replying to the message.
Block, filter, and report messages on iPhone
In Messages on iPhone, block unwanted messages, filter messages from unknown senders, and report junk or spam messages.
support.apple.com
Filter messages from unknown senders
With iMessage, you can prevent unknown senders from texting you directly. Their messages are filtered to another folder, and you don’t get notified about them.- Go to Settings
> Messages.
- Scroll down to Message Filtering, then turn on Filter Unknown Senders.
Note: You canʼt open any links sent by an unknown sender until you make them a known sender—by adding them to your contacts or replying to the message.
I may be misunderstanding this, so bear with me and help me clear up my confusion. The first sentence, quoted above, seems to contradict the second sentence. Preventing someone from texting you means that their text message never reaches your device - their text message was “prevented” from reaching you. Filtering a message to another folder means that the message reached your device but was filtered to a different folder.
I have Filter Unknown Senders enabled, so their text messages go to a different folder, but I still get notifications about those unknown senders. I think what the OP wants to do is to not receive any notifications for text messages sent by unknown senders.
It's been a long time since I got a phone call that was a Silence Unknown, but seem to recall that that will show notification bubbles for this, but no ringing of phone. And Filter Unknown works same, still see bubbles but will not chime.
Got a filtered text minutes ago and no sound from phone or buzz on Watch, no notification banner on Mac, but did see a bubble on Mac for it. Reading it cleared it on my phone.
I have this filtering turned on and I don't get a notification for messages from unknown senders. If I look at the folders in the messages app, I have a badge, but that's the only way I know.
I don't have silence unknown callers enabled.
I have both enabled and this is correct, they work differently. Silence unknown callers, you still get the notification bubble. Filter messages, you get no notification at all and need to check the unknown senders folder periodically.
I still get spam texts that the filter doesn't catch. What's more annoying is that even deleting these without reading them, I still have the notification icon of an 'unread' message for about twelve hours before my devices realise it was deleted. That's probably an iCloud syncing thing, though.
I believe this is the way it's supposed to work, keeping in mind there are two settings:
1) "Filter Unknown Senders" (in Messages prefs) serves only to sort those not in contacts to the Unknown Senders listing
2) "Allow Notifications" (in Messages/Notifications/Customize Notifications prefs) determines whether such senders will trigger a notification
So if #2 is enabled, while such senders are filtered, they are not silenced, and can still serve to annoy.
That said, Apple's attempts to help users deal with spam calls and texts are rudimentary, at best, and could use considerable improvement.
With SMS 2FA a thing (that should go away), having both set to prevent annoyance, can also lead to missing such messages if one isn't vigilant, and proactively seeking them.
1) "Filter Unknown Senders" (in Messages prefs) serves only to sort those not in contacts to the Unknown Senders listing
2) "Allow Notifications" (in Messages/Notifications/Customize Notifications prefs) determines whether such senders will trigger a notification
So if #2 is enabled, while such senders are filtered, they are not silenced, and can still serve to annoy.
That said, Apple's attempts to help users deal with spam calls and texts are rudimentary, at best, and could use considerable improvement.
With SMS 2FA a thing (that should go away), having both set to prevent annoyance, can also lead to missing such messages if one isn't vigilant, and proactively seeking them.
I didn’t realize #2 was even a thing. This is confusing, because #2 (allow notifications) is enabled on my iPhone, but I don’t get notifications on messages that are filtered. Seems like they are discrete settings and #1 being enabled prevents it from even getting to #2? Now I’m second guessing. This definitely could use a major overhaul or at least a better explanation of the settings.
I believe it's a more recent addition. I'm sure it wasn't there in 14, because it would be infuriating when my phone dinged with each spam text.
But I do also believe that, as described, they function as discrete settings.
The settings in iOS have become so laden and complicated, I've given up on trying to mentally keep track of them.
And the UI struggles to keep up.
So of course, what does Apple do? Sacrifice two decades of UI consistency on the Mac to adopt the same paradigm as on the devices.
Thanks for the replies.
The unknown-sender text filtering's inability to click links seems like it would cause problems, since I'm constantly getting texts from unknown senders (or known senders from a different texting number) that require me to click a link to verify my email address, etc.
I'd prefer a notification/sound for known texters and no sound for unknown.
The unknown-sender text filtering's inability to click links seems like it would cause problems, since I'm constantly getting texts from unknown senders (or known senders from a different texting number) that require me to click a link to verify my email address, etc.
I'd prefer a notification/sound for known texters and no sound for unknown.
My experience is bizarre. On my iPhone XS Max, I have filtering enabled via sorting messages for those that are not in my contact list. For OTP/2FA I create contact and add them to it so I get the notification alert, for others not in my contact list, I don't. Sometimes even the ones in my contact list are silenced when they shouldn't be.
On a family member's iPhone 13, this doesn't work. While the SMS are sorted into unknown they still get notification alert from spammers like 5 or 6 in a span of a few seconds.
It seems this feature is buggy and I suggest users who need this feature send Apple feedback regarding this issue and bug.
On a family member's iPhone 13, this doesn't work. While the SMS are sorted into unknown they still get notification alert from spammers like 5 or 6 in a span of a few seconds.
It seems this feature is buggy and I suggest users who need this feature send Apple feedback regarding this issue and bug.