Key Takeaways
- Gmail: Block from any open email → future messages go to Spam (not deleted); only the specific address is blocked, not the sender's domain
- Outlook Android: Requires two taps — Report junk first, then Block Sender in the confirmation pop-up
- Yahoo Android: No in-app block option — use Yahoo Mail in a mobile browser, or mark as spam as a fallback
- Samsung Email app: Has its own block feature separate from the Gmail app — open email → ︙ → Block address
- Blocking vs. marking as spam: Blocking stops one specific address; marking as spam additionally trains email provider's filter to catch similar messages
- Persistent senders: If a sender keeps reaching you from new addresses, address-level blocking won't help — domain-level filtering is needed
How to Block Emails in Gmail on Android
- Open Gmail on your Android device and select an email from the sender you want to block.
- Tap the three dots ( ︙ ) in the top right of the message and select Block "[Sender]".
- A confirmation appears with options to Unblock or Report spam.
- Tap the back arrow to return to your inbox.
Future messages from that address automatically go to your Spam folder — they don't reach your inbox, but they aren't permanently deleted either. Emails in Spam are auto-deleted after 30 days.
📌 Tip: To block without opening the email (and avoid triggering tracking pixels), long-press the message in your inbox to select it, tap ︙ → Report spam. To also block the sender, open the email first and use the block option.
If the Block option isn't appearing in your Gmail app, check two things:
- You may be viewing the email in the Spam folder, where blocking is unavailable — move it to Inbox first.
- Your Gmail app may need an update, as the block feature rolled out gradually across app versions.
How to Block Emails in Samsung Email App
Samsung Android devices include a separate Samsung Email app alongside Gmail. If you use this app, blocking works differently:
- Open Samsung Email and select the email.
- Tap the three dots ( ︙ ) in the top right.
- Select Block address.
- Confirm in the pop-up.
Future emails from that address go to your Spam or Blocked folder depending on your Samsung Email settings. Note that this block only applies to the Samsung Email app — it has no effect on your Gmail app or account.
Block Emails in Any Email Provider on Android
For an effective way to block spam emails on an Android phone or even messages from harassing senders, check out Clean Email. You can download the app for Android and try all the premium features for free.
Once you’re there, head straight to the Senders section to get the job done.
Optionally, enable the toggle to move existing messages from that sender to the Trash and tap Confirm.
How to Block Emails in Outlook on Android
- Open Outlook on your Android device and select a message
- Tap the three dots ( ︙ ) in the top toolbar and select Report junk.
- In the pop-up at the bottom, select Block Sender.
- Tap Block Sender again to confirm.
⚠️ Note: Tapping "Report junk" alone does not block the sender — it only moves the message to your Junk folder. You must tap Block Sender in the confirmation pop-up to actually prevent future emails from that address.
Future messages from blocked senders go to your Junk folder. To view them, open the left menu via your profile icon and select Junk.
How to Block Emails on Yahoo on Android
Yahoo Mail's Android app doesn't have a direct block-sender option. The closest native alternative is marking messages as spam:
- Open Yahoo Mail on Android and select the email.
- Tap the More icon ( ︙ ) in the lower right corner.
- Select Spam.
This moves the message to your Spam folder and trains Yahoo's filter, but it doesn't prevent the sender from emailing you again.
For a proper block, you'll need to use Yahoo Mail in a mobile browser. The full steps are in the guide on how to block emails on Yahoo.
Blocking vs. Marking as Spam
These two actions are often confused but do different things:
Blocking a sender stops future emails from that specific address and routes them to Spam (Gmail) or Junk (Outlook). It targets one address only.
Marking as spam moves the current message to Spam and signals to Gmail's filter that this type of message is unwanted — helping it catch similar messages from other senders in the future.
For the full mark-as-spam workflow in Gmail on Android — including how to mark without opening and how to mark multiple emails at once — see How to Mark Emails as Spam on Android.
When Blocking One Address Isn't Enough Use Domain-Level Filtering
Gmail's block feature only blocks the specific address you targeted. If a spammer switches to a new address within the same domain, they can keep reaching your inbox. For this situation, address-level blocking won't solve the problem.
The native fix on Android requires using Gmail on the web: create a filter (Settings → See all settings → Filters and blocked addresses) that matches the sender's domain and deletes or archives those messages automatically. For more on Android spam filter options across Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo, see the Android email spam filter guide.
If you want to block entire domains without switching to a browser, Clean Email's Auto Clean Rules let you block by domain directly from the Android app, with no limit on the number of domains you are blocking.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I block emails on a Samsung phone?
Samsung phones typically have two email apps: the Gmail app (same steps as above — open email → ︙ → Block "[Sender]") and the Samsung Email app (open email → ︙ → Block address). The two apps manage blocked senders independently — blocking in one doesn't affect the other.
Why is there no Block option in my Gmail app on Android?
Two common causes: the email is already in your Spam folder (the block option isn't available from Spam — move the email to Inbox first), or you're on an older version of the Gmail app that hasn't received the block feature yet. Update the app from the Play Store and the option should appear.
Do emails from blocked senders still reach me on Android?
In Gmail, blocked senders' emails still arrive at your account — they're routed to your Spam folder instead of your inbox. They're not deleted immediately; Gmail auto-deletes Spam messages after 30 days. In Outlook, blocked messages go to Junk and follow your Junk folder settings.
How do I block emails on Android without opening them?
In Gmail, long-press an email in your inbox to select it, then tap ︙ → Report spam. This moves the message to Spam without opening it. To block the sender specifically, you'll need to open the email and use the block option — you can't block from the long-press menu.
How do I block lots of emails at once on Android?
Gmail and Outlook on Android don't have a bulk block feature — you can only block one sender at a time. To block multiple senders from their domains in one action, Clean Email's Auto Clean feature lets you select and block in bulk directly from your Android device.
