Preventing Spam and Malicious SMS: A Guide to Securing Your Android Device with MalwareFox

Nowadays, people hardly use SMS to communicate. Instant messaging apps has overtaken traditional text messages. However, SMS is still useful regarding getting information and notifications. You get the verification codes for logging to your online account. You get your banking transactions notifications via text messages.

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However, you also get messages from popular brands about their latest products. But when you start receiving promotional messages too much, it gets irritating. Every time your phone chimes, you check it if anything important comes and it turns out a promotional SMS. Here in this article, you will know how to block spam messages on your Android phone.

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Block SMS using Android inbuilt Feature

Even Google knows that you are tired of receiving spam messages. That’s why they have included the Spam Filter in the inbuilt Messages app. You can enable the Spam Filter, and it will automatically filter the unwanted messages.

Tap on the three vertical dots in the Messages App and then tap on Settings. Choose the SIM card on which you want to enable the spam filter.

Now tap on Spam protection. Use the Toggle button to enable it. You can do the same for your other SIM card if you are using dual SIM on your phone.

Alternatively, if you want to block a particular sender, you can also do that. Long tap on the SMS thread and tap the Block icon. Now tap OK. The sender will be blocked, and you won’t receive text or calls anymore. The current thread will be archived.

You can also report the sender as a spammer. Google receive up to 10 last messages that you receive from the sender. Google will even get the number of the sender. It helps Google to understand the pattern of Spam messages, and then they apply it in their automatic spam filter which you enabled earlier. Don’t worry; Google will not receive the messages that you sent. Their last SMS could also go to your carrier; they might take action against the sender regarding spam. If you don’t want to report and block the sender, then deselect the option of Report as spam.

Use Third-Party Apps to Block Unwanted Texts

If you are not satisfied with the Android’s inbuilt spam filter, then you can check out third-party messaging apps. These apps work great in filtering the unwanted SMS and also has some great feature. I am listing four such third-party apps that are available in the Google Play store.

1. TrueCaller

TrueCaller is your best friend if you are fed with the promotional messages and calls. It automatically identifies the spam and promotional messages and blocks them. You can also get the ID of the unknown sender. It has an extensive database of numbers and name. If you are receiving a call from an unknown number, you get the caller ID, and if it is spam, it also shows the number of people reported the caller as spam.

TrueCaller also offers a few other features such as call recording, backup call history, and UPI Payment method. One thing to note that when you install TrueCaller, it uploads your phone book to its database. That’s the way it gets the proper ID of unknown callers. If you do not want some app to gain access to your phone book, then don’t install this app.

2. SMS Organizer from Microsoft

I use this app, and I am in love with it. The way it handles the SMS is impressive. It filters the spam and promotional messages automatically and moves them to the promotional folder. You won’t get any notifications when you receive an unwanted text. It shows notifications for transactional and personal messages and puts them in a separate folder. If any promotional messages get in the main folder, you can move it the promotional folder by swapping right. From the next time, you won’t see a text from that sender.

We often receive OTP for transactions and to view it; we had to open the message. But SMS Organizer directly shows the OTP in big fonts on your notification area. So you don’t have to open the SMS. You can also back up the texts in your Google Drive account. You have to link the drive account to enable it.

It fetches the information from SMS and shows you reminders of things like bill payment, upcoming train or flight journey, and other important stuff. The finance tab shows you the balance in your savings account and credit card limit. It pulls these details from the SMS so if you didn’t receive an SMS of a transaction then these details would not be accurate.

It can also automatically delete the promo messages, OTP messages, and blocked messages after a predefined time. This setting is disabled by default; you have to enable it by visiting Settings and Rules.

3. Key Messages

Another great way to avoid spam SMS is to use Key Messages. It automatically detects the promotional and spam messages and blocks them. It also organizes your messages in different tabs, so you can easily find them. You can prevent the SMS by name, number, content keyword, and wildcard rule. It also counts the characters and shows how many text messages are going to charge if send all those texts.

Key Messages also backs up your SMS to Google Drive. You can restore them to your new phone or current without any duplication. It also backs up the allow and blocked list. With the search option, you can search a message from the thousands of SMSes in your inbox.

4. Reos SMS

This app is much more like SMS Organizer from Microsoft. It categorizes your inbox into social and business messages. The app also shows OTPs in big font and gives you the status of train, cab, movie ticket bookings. It automatically blocks spam messages to keep your inbox clean.

Reos SMS also has the instant messaging feature which you can use to chat with your friends. Clean UI and UX is the specialty of this app. The only problem with this app is, it doesn’t show the blocked SMS. The SMS Organizer, on the other hand, displays the blocked SMS in another folder but Reos doesn’t show them.

You don’t need to use all these apps to block unwanted message on your Android device. Use one that is suitable for your need. If you receive few spam messages, then Android inbuilt messaging app is best for you. However, if you receive tons of spam messages, then I would recommend you to install SMS Organizer from Microsoft.

Read – How to Remove Malware from Android?

5 thoughts on “How to Block Unwanted SMS text Messages on Android”

1. 
   Hans

October 5, 2019 at 3:10 am
There is no option to see SIM cards under Settings in Android 7.0 so the rest of your procedure is useless.
Reply

• 
  Goblin

August 27, 2020 at 10:50 pm
Sim cards are only listed if there’s more than one sim card. Otherwise the “Spam Protection” menu is directly visible
Reply
2.
DD
August 6, 2020 at 9:31 pm
Even in Android 7.0, if the message displays a phone number, select the message with a long click & choose “Add Contact.” (Hint: Use sender’s name & add SPAM to remind you of the nature of the vontact.) Then go to Contacts, Select the new SPAM contact & choose “Block Number.” Then go back to the message & delete it. This is a kludge & it won’t proactively block new spam, but it’s better than the default state.
Reply
3.
laura cannici

March 4, 2021 at 8:35 pm
There is no SPAM protection feature on my android, also the BLOCK button is grayed out this is why I am searching I know how to do all of those things….
Reply
4.
Stinky Rose

August 31, 2021 at 10:08 am
What I’m not seeing is, “Reject by sender ID snippet.” This means that if I’m getting a bunch of crud from various sources such as:
[email protected]
… I can block by “SCAMBug” OR
[email protected]
…l can block by “PORN” or “adult”
This way I can get rid of bunches of spam with just a few reject patterns to file at may end.
Reply

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