Those unwanted text messages

Powerline ^ | August 4, 2025 | Scott Johnson

[AlaskaErik]

I just use the “Delete and report as junk” option.

[GingisK]

If I indicate I don’t want to receive something, I don’t want it saved into a separate folder. When I delete something, I don’t want that moved to a different folder either. I am strongly offended by having to delete everything twice. I’m a big boy. Let delete mean delete!!

[Allegra]

I get those from some leftist group. I hit “Report spam and delete” but it doesn’t stop them from texting again.

[wally_bert]

I got one telling me I had traffic ticket fine in the UK and prison if I didn’t pay.

[wally_bert]

All unknowns go to voicemail.

Bots and telemarketers drop when the prompt comes up.

[Lizavetta]

Unfortunately I have an Android phone. I assume Android phones will put this feature in eventually.

I have an Android and simply blocking 'scam likely' calls and obnoxious texts works very well.

[KrisKrinkle]

Do what???

[ken in texas]

- My cell phone number was previously owned by a hard core Democrat political operative. -

I've got the same problem. A week or so ago I got a text from Jasmine Crockett inviting me to an event in Dallas.

[ridesthemiles]

I HAVE LAND LINE.

JUST GOT A CALL FROM :”MY CABLE TV PROVIDER”.

HAVE NOT HAD SUCH SINCE MAY 1993.

I SWORE AT HIM & HUNG UP.

[Pikachu_Dad]

How is this new? I already have an ‘unknown sender’ folder on my iPhone.

[Pikachu_Dad]

Hmmm. Good news.

“Apple is introducing a new feature in its upcoming iOS 26 update that allows iPhone users to screen messages from unknown senders, which will automatically place such messages in a separate folder without notifications.

This change, announced in June 2025, is expected to significantly impact political fundraising, as it could block unsolicited campaign texts, potentially costing Republican campaigns over $500 million in lost revenue.

The feature aims to give users more control over their conversation list by silencing messages from unfamiliar numbers until the user chooses to accept them.

iOS 26 Message Screening Feature: Starting in mid-September 2025, messages from unknown senders will be intercepted and moved to a dedicated folder, remaining silenced until the user explicitly accepts them.

This feature is designed to reduce interruptions and spam.
Impact on Political Fundraising: The National Republican Senatorial Committee has warned that this feature could cost the Republican Party over $500 million in lost revenue, as it blocks unsolicited political messages that rely on recipients seeing them immediately.

The committee argues that the only workaround—getting a voter to reply—is increasingly ineffective.

Additional iOS 26 Messages Enhancements: Beyond screening, iOS 26 also introduces custom backgrounds for conversations and the ability to create polls within the Messages app.”