How to Stop Your iPhone Messages Being Delivered as Junk - MacRumors
Skip to Content

How to Stop Your iPhone Messages Being Delivered as Junk

by

messages iconIn iOS 13.3, Apple has made improvements to its stock Messages app in order to minimize the amount of junk messages that users receive. However, the feature isn't always accurate and can sometimes prevent legitimate messages from being delivered as normal.

If you're trying to send a message to someone on your iPhone and you see an alert that says the message was "delivered as junk," here's what you can do to make sure it doesn't happen again.

  1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
  2. Tap Messages.

  3. Tap Send & Receive.
    settings

  4. Make sure that only your phone number is selected under Start New Conversations From. (If your Apple ID is selected, the messages will be delivered as junk.)

If that doesn't fix things, ask the person that you're trying to message to make sure that your phone number is in their Contacts. Also, ask the person that you're trying to message to send you a message first to start the conversation. Note that if you're on an ‌iPad‌ or iPod touch, you'll need to turn on Text Message Forwarding from your iPhone for your messages to be sent at all.

Popular Stories

Apple Card iPhone 16 Pro Feature

Apple Card Promo to Offer Free AirPods Pro 3

Friday May 15, 2026 8:59 am PDT by
Starting as early as next week, customers who sign up for an Apple Card at Apple's retail stores in the U.S. will receive $249 cash back when they purchase AirPods Pro 3, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The promotion has yet to be officially announced by Apple, so exact terms and conditions are not available at this time. AirPods Pro 3 are priced at $249 in the U.S., so customers who...
airpods pro 3 pink

New Apple Card Holders Can Get Free AirPods Pro 3, But There's a Catch

Monday May 18, 2026 8:11 am PDT by
Apple today launched a new promotion offering new Apple Card holders the chance to earn back the cost of AirPods Pro 3 through monthly cash rebates, but there is a recurring spend requirement attached. Customers who open a new Apple Card account and purchase AirPods Pro 3 directly from Apple by June 15 will qualify. Starting July 1 and running through April 30, 2027, cardholders can earn $25 ...
Apple WWDC25 iOS 26 CarPlay Light mode 250609

Six Popular iPhone Apps Now Available on CarPlay

Thursday May 14, 2026 9:10 am PDT by
Apple's CarPlay system for accessing iPhone apps on a vehicle's dashboard screen has received six popular apps in recent weeks: ChatGPT, Perplexity, Grok, Google Meet, WhatsApp, and the indie artist streaming platform Audiomack. Make sure you have the latest version of each app and they will automatically appear on CarPlay. ChatGPT Starting with iOS 26.4, CarPlay supports voice-based...