How to Block Email on iPhone and iPad

Understanding how to block email on iPhone can help eliminate unwanted emails from senders you prefer not to hear from. In this article, you’ll learn how to block spam emails on iPhone without much effort and how the Clean Email app can help you stop unwelcome senders.

How To Block Emails In The Mail App On iPhone

Since the release of iOS 13, it has been possible to use the Apple Mail app to prevent mailings from unwanted senders. When you block a sender from the Mail app, it goes to the Trash folder. Blocking an email is synchronized across all your Apple devices.

Here’s how to block a contact on iPhone’s email account using the Mail app on iOS 17:

  1. Open the Mail app and find a message from the unwanted address.
  2. Tap on the sender's name at the top of the email. Then tap the name again in the From field.
  3. Tap Block this Contact.
  4. Tap Block this ContactTap Block this Contact
  5. Confirm the block.

If you prefer not to open the message, which is often more secure in cases of suspected spam, you need to learn how to block email on iPhone without opening it. This can be done directly from the inbox. Simply long-press the email from the unwanted sender to open a preview, then select Block Sender from the options below.

Select Block Sender from the options belowSelect Block Sender from the options below

If you want to move these messages to your Trash folder, you’ll need to change the Mail app settings. Here’s how to stop unwanted emails on iPhone so that messages aren’t delivered to your inbox:

  1. Open Settings on your iPhone and tap Mail.
  2. Scroll down to the Threading section and tap Blocked Sender Options.
  3. Choose Move to Bin.
Choose Move to BinChoose Move to Bin

To unblock a sender on iPhone, open Settings, tap Mail, and then tap Blocked. When you find the address you want to unblock, swipe left and tap Unblock.

Tap UnblockTap Unblock

Finding out how to block an email on iPhone for iOS 12 and lower isn’t as intuitive. Instead of blocking the address, mark those messages as spam. Then, the unwanted messages will be moved to the junk folder automatically.

Block Emails More Effectively With Clean Email

Clean Email is an email organizer that can automatically block unwanted emails and apply other actions to your messages. It supports Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, iCloud, and other IMAP-based mail services, providing the easiest way to achieve Inbox Zero.

Here’s how to quickly block email sender on iPhone using the app:

  1. Download the Clean Email app on your iPhone or iPad and log in with your email address.
  2. Click the hamburger menu in the upper-left corner and go to Senders from the left-side panel.
  3. Select the sender you'd like to stop messages from.
  4. Choose the Block action in Settings.
  5. Block Emails More Effectively With Clean EmailBlock Emails More Effectively With Clean Email
  6. Turn the toggle on if you’d like to move all existing messages from this sender to Trash. Then, click Confirm and you’re done!

If blocking an individual email address doesn’t stop emails from other addresses they may use, you can stop messages from a specified domain by following these steps:

  1. Click the Auto Clean tool from the left-side panel. Then click the Create Rule button.
  2. Give a name to the rule and click Any sender or recipients.
  3. Create Rule in the Clean Email Mobile AppCreate Rule in the Clean Email Mobile App
  4. In the drop-down list, choose Sender Domain. Under the Sender Domain, start typing the domain in the search box and tap the domain you’d like to be blocked.
  5. Choose the action you want to apply to messages from this domain, like sending them to Trash or Delete them permanently. You can also turn on the Apply to existing messages toggle to clean up all existing messages from that sender.
  6. Press Create Rule when ready. Now, all messages from this domain will be sent to Trash right after they reach your inbox.
Auto-Delete Emails in the Clean Email Mobile AppAuto-Delete Emails in the Clean Email Mobile App

With its dedicated iOS app, Clean Email offers an effective solution to stop spam emails on iPhone and iPad. Download the app at no cost and explore its features during a free trial to understand its benefits. During the 14-day trial, the app provides a complimentary service to unsubscribe you from 25 newsletters and try all premium features such as Auto Clean, Screener, and many more.

If you want to learn more about efficient email management, read how to delete all emails on iPhone at once.

If You Are Using Your Mail Provider’s iOS Email App

Not every iPhone user manages their email accounts with the Mail app. If you prefer sticking to your mail provider's iOS app, click on your provider below for direct instructions

  • Gmail
  • Outlook
  • Yahoo
  • iCloud Mail
  • AOL Mail
  • ProtonMail
  • Zoho Mail
  • Mail.com

How to block emails on iPhone in Gmail app

In the case of Gmail, the most popular email service among Apple users, the process is quite simple. Here’s how to block someone on Gmail on iPhone:

  1. Open an email from the sender you’d like to be restricted.
  2. Select More (the three vertical dots on the right next to the Reply button) and choose Block "sender's name" from the drop-down menu.
  3. You can always choose the Unblock sender option in the warning dialog box if you’ve selected the wrong message.
How to block emails on Gmail on a mobile deviceHow to block emails on Gmail on a mobile device

Alternatively, you can also mark a message as spam, which is an alternative way how to block an email address on iPhone.

  1. Open the Gmail mobile app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap the profile picture of the contact you want to mark as spam.
  3. Click More (three horizontal dots in the top-right corner).
  4. Tap Report spam.
Tap Report spamTap Report spam

After clicking the Report spam button, the message you reported will be sent to Google for analysis to help it protect its users from spam and abuse.

How to block unwanted emails on Outlook

In the latest Outlook version for iPhone, you can effortlessly block unwanted senders directly from your mobile device.

  1. Launch the Outlook mobile app.
  2. Go to your Inbox and open a message from the unwelcome sender.
  3. Select the three vertical dots at the top right and choose the Report Junk option.
  4. Press Block Sender.
  5. Press Block SenderPress Block Sender
  6. Confirm by tapping Block Sender in the ensuing window. If you change your mind later, you can unblock the sender in the Junk mail folder.

💡 Note: if you're using an earlier version of the Outlook mobile app, it might lack the option to block senders. In that case, you may need to visit Outlook.com on mobile or computer and block the unwanted emails through the browser version. Learn more about how to block Outlook emails.

If you have never received a message from the address you wish to block, you can also do this directly on the web version. Simply open SettingsMailJunk email settings in the Outlook web app and enter the address under Blocked senders and domains. The number of mail addresses you can restrict is limited to 1,024, which should be more than enough for most users to stop junk in Outlook.

Simply open Settings → Mail → Junk email settingsSimply open Settings → Mail → Junk email settings

Block email on iPhone in Yahoo mobile app

Yahoo has become overshadowed by Google, but its iOS email app is among the most popular apps in the productivity category, and its fantastic rating speaks volumes about its quality. Yahoo users seldom delete emails because they get 1TB of cloud storage for free, but even they don’t like to read spam emails from senders with bad intentions.

Yahoo explains how to block email on iPhone on its help page, but here’s a concise summary for your convenience.

You can’t block email in Yahoo mobile app; however, you can mark it as spam. Here is how:

  1. Go to your Inbox and tap the profile picture of a contact you want to blacklist, then press empty checkboxes near the other messages you’d like to stop.
  2. Click More on the actions bar at the bottom panel. Choose Mark as spam option.
  3. Choose Mark as spam optionChoose Mark as spam option
  4. Once done, messages from this sender will go to the Spam folder automatically.

Learn more about blocking emails on Yahoo in our post.

Block unwanted emails on iCloud Mail

Even though it’s technically possible to block a sender straight from iPhone’s Mail app (as outlined at the beginning of this article), you may want to log in to your iCloud Mail account instead and block iCloud emails from there by following a couple of simple steps:

  1. Go to the iCloud website and sign in to your account.
  2. Go to Mail, then choose Settings (the gear icon).
  3. Go to Mail, then choose SettingsGo to Mail, then choose Settings
  4. Select the Rules tab and click Add New Rule.
  5. Click Add New RuleClick Add New Rule
  6. From the Message drop-down menu, choose the is from option and input the email address you wish to block.
  7. In the Action drop-down menu, select Move to Trash.
  8. Click on Add. Any future emails coming from the address you added will be automatically moved to the Trash folder.
Click on AddClick on Add

Block an email on iPhone in the AOL Mail app

AOL doesn’t have a dedicated email app for iOS. Instead, AOL Mail users can access their inboxes from the AOL app, which also provides access to trending news, weather information, and important alerts.

  1. Open the AOL app on your iPhone and tap the Inbox in the bottom left corner to access your mail.
  2. Tap the profile picture of the contact you wish to ban, then select the empty checkboxes alongside any other messages you’d like to stop.
  3. Click More at the bottom panel.
  4. Choose the Mark as spam option.
Choose the Mark as spam optionChoose the Mark as spam option

You can also move the message to the Spam folder, which has the same effect as marking it as spam. Follow our detailed guide on how to block an email address on AOL.

How to block emails on iPhone in ProtonMail

The ProtonMail app for iOS was built from the ground up to provide convenient access to all features found in ProtonMail’s web app, including email blocking. While ProtonMail uses a smart spam detection system that automatically filters messages to your Spam folder, the service provider acknowledges that the system makes a mistake from time to time and allows users to block unwanted emails manually.

  1. Open the ProtonMail app on your iPhone.
  2. Locate an email from the sender you’d like to restrict and open it.
  3. Tap the sender’s email address to view the details. Then, tap the address once more.
  4. Select Block messages from this sender.
  5. Confirm your decision by clicking Block in the pop-up window.
  6. Click BlockClick Block
  7. New emails for the sender won’t be delivered and will be permanently deleted.

When you block a sender in ProtonMail, it gets added to the Block list. You can manage the blocked addresses in settings. Go to Settings, choose your account, scroll down to the Mailbox menu, and tap the Block list option to edit your list of restricted contacts.

How to block an email on Zoho Mail

Zoho Mail offers a native iOS app that lets you easily access your messages, Zoho Calendar, and Zoho Contacts. One great thing about the app is that it doesn’t interfere with your device’s calendars and contacts, allowing you to separate your personal contact list and calendar from your work contact list and calendar.

If you receive an unwanted message on your iPhone, you can mark the sender as spam. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Open the Zoho Mail app on your iPhone.
  2. Select email(s) from the unwanted sender(s).
  3. Tap the down arrow at the top to open the options menu.
  4. Select the Spam option. The address(es) will be added to the Blocklist, and their future emails will be delivered to your Spam folder.
Select the Spam optionSelect the Spam option

Then, you can configure blocked emails from your computer, by logging into your Zoho Mail account on the web. Go to Settings, choose Anti-Spam Lists, then go to the Email Address tab where you can manage the Allowlist/Blocklist.

Block emails on Mail.com

Mail.com’s iOS has been around for a long time, allowing Mail.com users to enjoy the same email experience they’re used to from their computers on the go. With the latest version of Mail.com, users can activate push notifications, increase security through PIN protection, customize the user interface, take advantage of powerful organizational tools, and block junk email addresses with a few clicks.

  1. Open the Mail.com app on your iPhone.
  2. Select any message sent from the sender you want to block.
  3. Tap the three dots in the lower-right corner and select Spam.

How to Block Emails on iPad

If you’re now wondering how to block unwanted emails on iPad, we have good news: the instructions on how to block messages on iPhone provided above are also applicable to the iPad.

Yes, it's true that iPad apps sometimes offer more features than their iPhone counterparts. However, it's generally more convenient to block unwanted emails on a computer. The one exception is the Clean Email app, a smart email organizer that performs equally well on mobile devices and desktop computers.

With Clean Email, you can enjoy straightforward email management on any device. One of the most satisfying features of the app is the Screener tool, which intercepts all messages from new senders so they do not land in your inbox. Once set up, you can review and take action on new emails—approve, unsubscribe, or block—in one spot. Clean Email will automatically delete future messages from the blocked senders.

Stop spam emails with Screener feature in Clean EmailStop spam emails with Screener feature in Clean Email

How to Unsubscribe From Emails on iPhone

An alternative to blocking messages is to unsubscribe from mailing lists. When you block an email address, you’ll still receive messages from it, although they are diverted to a junk or trash folder instead of your main inbox.

For a more permanent solution to stop receiving unwanted mail, consider unsubscribing. By doing so, your name and address are removed from the mailing list, and you should not receive further messages from the sender.

Any messages you receive from a mailing list should have an unsubscribe link, probably toward the top of the message. When you click that link, you’re taken to a web page where you can ask to have your address removed from the list.

There is an easier option: unsubscribe from all unwanted emails on iPhone using the Clean Email app. Just launch the app and choose the Unsubscriber tool from the left-side panel, select the unwanted senders from the list of your subscriptions, and click Unsubscribe. The app will handle all the necessary actions on your behalf.

How to Unsubscribe From Emails on iPhoneHow to Unsubscribe From Emails on iPhone

Conclusion

Understanding how to block unwanted emails on iPhone or iPad can greatly minimize inbox clutter. The article offers detailed instructions for various email providers, yet Clean Email stands out for its simplicity and compatibility with all popular services, enabling seamless use across devices.

Clean Email's user-friendly interface makes blocking unwanted emails effortless. Beyond blocking, the app excels in all other aspects of email management, aiding you in maintaining tidy inboxes and boosting productivity. Additionally, Clean Email is free to try, allowing everyone to experience its effectiveness firsthand.


How to Block Email on iPhone – FAQs

Is it possible to block emails on iPhone?

For blocking emails on iPhone, open the Mail app, tap on the sender's name, and choose 'Block this Contact' from the options. This action will filter their messages directly to the trash folder.

Why am I still getting emails from blocked senders on iPhone?

If you're still receiving emails from blocked senders on your iPhone, it could be due to your settings in the Mail app, which may be set to leave blocked emails in your inbox rather than moving them to the trash. To stop seeing these emails in your inbox, you can adjust your 'Blocked Sender Options' to 'Move to Bin'.

How to stop junk email on iPhone?

To block spam emails on your iPhone, utilize the Clean Email app's Screener feature, which effectively intercepts and filters out spam messages from reaching your inbox. It allows you to review and manage new senders' messages, ensuring only desired emails make it through.

How do I block unwanted emails on my iPad?

For blocking senders on your iPad, use the same instructions as for an iPhone, detailed in this article for various email providers. However, Clean Email simplifies the process, making blocking and cleaning your mailbox more efficient and easier.

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