You can also check what messages have been blocked by tapping the menu button in the top-right of the Messages app window and selecting Spam & Blocked. Tap OK and the sender is then blocked and reported.įigure B Blocking and reporting a spam SMS message in Android 11. If you want to report the offending number as a spammer, make sure to leave the checkbox checked.

If you press the circle with the line through it (directly to the left of the alarm clock) a popup will appear ( Figure B). Long press that message and take a look at what appears at the top of the window ( Figure A).įigure A A long press of a spam message results in the ability to block it. Open the Android Messages app and locate the offending message. This also has the added benefit of allowing you to report the offending number, which is very handy with persistent spammers, be they bots or actual humans. This is for when you receive a spam SMS message that slips through the automated process and you want to make sure the offending sender can never send to you again. Before I show you, know that this isn’t a method for automatically detecting and blocking spam–although Android does do a good job of that very thing. SEE: Identity theft protection policy (TechRepublic Premium) How to block spam SMS This feature is not unique to the Pixel line of phones, so you should be able to use it as well. I’ll demonstrate on Android 11, running on a Google Pixel 5. I’m going to show you how to do just that. To that end, I make use of the built-in SMS blocking tool that comes with Android. I have to take some responsibility for this as well. The task isn’t just on the shoulders of Google. Even lately, it’s made considerable effort to block, or at least warn me against, untrusted SMS messages. With Android 11, I see the system working overtime from preventing me from answering calls from spammers.

That, of course, is a monumental challenge–given just how much data happens to be incoming to our desktops, laptops, and phones.įor the most part, Google has done a pretty terrific job of blocking spam. That is why every platform and app developer must go out of their way to give the user an assist in preventing such incoming malicious data. Although most of the time the content of those communiques are benign, it is always possible they could contain malicious links or payloads. In our inboxes, in our mailboxes, in our phones, LinkedIn, Messenger, Twitter…you name it and you’ll find unsolicited missives from people and companies you really don’t want to hear from. 8 enterprise password managers and the companies that will love themĬyber threat intelligence software: How to choose the right CTI tools for your businessĮnd user data backup policy (TechRepublic Premium)

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