From spam messages to annoying exes who won't leave you alone, there's nothing worse than unwanted text messages. Luckily, blocking text messages is simple enough to do. Whether you're the proud owner of a new Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra or rocking an older Samsung handset, we'll show you how to block text messages on Samsung in a couple of different ways.
There are several ways to block text messages on Samsung phones such as the Galaxy S22 series or the Galaxy S21 FE. The first — and probably the easiest — way is to block texts directly from the offending conversation in the Messages app. Note that this only works for numbers that aren't in your contacts, and if you have received a single text message from the offending number. If you've received more than one message, you'll need to block the sender from the Settings menu.
Step 1: Open the Messages app and tap the conversation you'd like to block.
Step 2: Provided the number is not a saved contact, tap on the number at the top of your screen, then tap Block number.
Step 3: In the pop-up dialog box you can tap to delete all conversations with this number, if you like, then tap Block.
The steps are slightly different if you want to block texts from a known contact — like an ex who won't stop texting you. These steps also work if you have received multiple messages from a number that's not in your contacts, as it blocks any future calls or messages from the number.
Step 1: As before, open the Messages app, but this time, tap the three dots menu at the top right of your screen, then tap Settings.
Step 2: Tap Block numbers and spam, then tap Block numbers.
Step 3: On the following screen, you can either type in a number or tap Contacts, then select the contact you wish to block from the list. You can also tap Conversations and select the conversation you wish to block.
Most mobile carriers provide options to help you block spam or unwanted messages from specific numbers. T-Mobile offers Message Blocking, AT&T has Call Protect, while Verizon has Block Calls & Messages.
Finally, there are a number of apps in the Google Play Store that help you block unwanted texts and calls. You'll need to share your contacts for these apps to work, so this isn't the best option if you're concerned about privacy. We recommend apps like Should I Answer (shown below) and Truecaller, which are both free, reliable, and easy to use.
Two new highly requested iCloud plugins just got added to ChatGPT, giving people who rely on Apple’s Mail and Calendar services a way to search emails, check appointments, and manage their schedules directly through the chatbot.
The integration is rolling out to all ChatGPT plans, including the free tier. You can access it on the web, desktop, and iOS.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.
Samsung’s scandal over its Game Optimizing Service, or GOS, has returned with a bill attached. South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission has tentatively fined the company 20.1 billion won, or about $15.1 million, over gaming claims made for the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S22, and Tab S8.
The regulator says Samsung promoted the devices as gaming powerhouses without disclosing that GOS placed preset CPU and GPU limits on certain demanding games. Samsung disputes that conclusion, calling GOS a legitimate way to manage heat.