Let’s work together to eliminate spam SMS texts.
Spam text messages, regardless of whether you use an iPhone or an Android phone, are a nuisance and should be banished from our lives.
Fortunately, Apple intends to address this issue. iOS 16 and iPadOS 16’s second developer beta includes a new feature that allows users to identify incoming text messages as spam, according to the release notes. Users will be able to mark SMS and MMS messages as garbage, as detailed in the following notes.
No specific carriers have been named by Apple, but the capability is expected to go out to a limited number of customers in the United States.
Incoming SMS from unknown numbers can now be divided into 12 additional sub-categories inside the Transaction and Promotion categories, giving developers greater control over their systems’ organization.
Messages extends the “Report Rubbish” feature to allow users to report SMS/MMS junk to Carriers for a limited number of US Carriers. Unknown Senders is where you’ll find this option if you’re looking for it.
Currently, most of us just delete spam text messages that arrive in our inboxes. While some spammers are kind and ask you to reply with “STOP” to stop receiving further communications, the majority of them do not (of course). In order to alert carriers to spammers in bulk, this capability will be a welcome addition.
The public beta of iOS 16 is planned to be released in July, although it is now only available to developers. It will be available to everyone in the fall.