To keep unfamiliar conversations out of your main Messages list, turn on Screen Unknown Senders. In iOS 26, open Messages > Filters > Manage Filtering, then enable the option under Unknown Senders. This screens unknown senders into a separate filter; there is no separate “known senders only” switch.
Turn on screening for unknown senders
- Open Messages.
- Tap Filters in the conversation list.
- Tap Manage Filtering.
- Under Unknown Senders, turn on Screen Unknown Senders.
You can also use Settings > Apps > Messages, then scroll to Unknown Senders and switch on Screen Unknown Senders. These labels reflect Apple’s iOS 26 instructions available on October 7, 2026; labels may change in later versions. Apple Support: View conversations from unknown senders
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Find a screened message and move a sender to the main list
In Messages, tap Filters > Unknown Senders to review screened conversations. A badge indicates new messages in that filter.
If a sender is legitimate, open the conversation and tap Mark as Known. You can also tap the sender’s phone number or email address and create a contact. Marking the sender as known moves the selected conversation into the conversation list.
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Simply replying does not necessarily do this. Apple Support says: “If you respond to a message from an unknown sender, that will not automatically mark the sender as known or move the message to your conversation list.”
Understand what screening does—and does not do
Apple describes an unknown sender as someone you have not previously interacted with in Messages or someone who is not in your Contacts. Screening sorts unfamiliar conversations into the Unknown Senders filter; it does not block delivery.
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- Screen Unknown Senders: separates unknown conversations from the main list.
- Text Message Filter: can sort eligible unknown SMS, MMS, and RCS messages into Transactions and Promotions. It requires Text Message Filter to be enabled, along with any desired third-party message-filtering extensions. This categorization does not apply to a sender you have replied to three times or more.
- Spam reporting: reports a suspected spam message, but does not by itself prevent that sender from messaging again.
- Blocking: prevents messages from that sender from being delivered.
Apple’s user guide explains the screening and category-filter options in Screen and filter text messages on iPhone. For the distinction between spam reporting and blocking, see Report spam and block senders in Messages on iPhone.
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Choose which unknown messages can notify you
Go to Settings > Apps > Messages > Unknown Senders > Allow Notifications to manage alerts for selected types, including Time Sensitive, Personal, Transactions, and Promotions. Available categories vary by country or region. Apple says Time Sensitive notifications—such as verification codes, alerts, or urgent requests—are on by default. Messages allowed to notify can appear in the conversation list for eight hours before returning to the Unknown Senders area. Apple Support’s instructions for unknown-sender conversations and notifications
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Check the setting after an iOS upgrade
In iOS 26, Screen Unknown Senders is off by default. Apple says it remains on after upgrading if Filter Unknown Senders was enabled in iOS 18. The iOS 26 label is Screen Unknown Senders, so check the current setting rather than relying on an older menu name.
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