View and recover spam messages on your iPhone

In Messages, on device spam detection automatically filters junk messages into your Spam folder.

In iOS 26 and later, Filter Spam for Messages protects users from potentially distracting or harmful messages. This setting is on by default. You don't receive a notification for messages identified as spam, and these messages appear in the Spam folder in the Messages app. If you believe a message is incorrectly categorized as spam, you can view and restore messages that were automatically filtered into your Spam folder.

Turn Filter Spam on or off

1. Open Messages.

2. Tap the Filter button.

3. Tap Manager Filtering, then tap to turn Filter Spam on or off. By default, Filter Spam is on in iOS 26.

You can also turn these settings on or off in the Settings app. Go to Settings, tap Apps, tap Messages, then scroll down to turn Filter Spam on or off.

View messages labeled as spam

1. In Messages, tap the Filter button.

2. Tap Spam.

3. Tap the message you want to review.

You can't reply to spam messages or click on links in a spam message until you move it to your Inbox.

Recover messages labeled as spam

1. In Messages, tap the Filter button.

2. Tap Spam.

3. Tap the message you want to review.

4. Tap Not Spam.

5. Tap Move to Inbox or Move to Inbox and Report Not Spam. The message you selected now appears in your conversations list.

Learn how to view messages from unknown senders in iOS 26