Apple’s iOS 16 will let you report spam SMS messages

If you happen to’re an iOS consumer, you’re possible used to tapping “Report Junk” any time you obtain a spam iMessage, which sends the data on to Apple. MacRumors reported that junk SMS messages will quickly be included within the reporting characteristic on iOS 16 beta 2, which was launched in the present day for builders and can roll out to the general public this July. Apple is just rolling out the characteristic for sure carriers however hasn’t specified which of them. 

Customers who flag SMS messages as junk will probably be sending the quantity and content material of the textual content to each Apple and their telephone or machine’s provider. Reporting undesirable texts to a telephone provider usually requires forwarding your complete message to a four-digit quantity (that most individuals possible need to lookup), so wrapping this characteristic into the upcoming iOS replace will save customers a step. Reporting a message as junk doesn’t block the quantity, so customers will nonetheless have to do that manually. 

If you happen to’ve seen an uptick in suspicious texts that provide free reward playing cards or supply alerts for packages you didn’t order, you’re not imagining issues. Spam and rip-off SMS messages are on the rise, partly on account of knowledge breaches and the supply of software program that makes it straightforward for scammers to ship such messages in bulk. Practically 12 billion spam texts had been despatched within the month of Might within the US, based on an estimate from spam blocking app RoboKiller.

If you happen to’re nervous about putting in the beta model of iOS 16, you’ll solely have to attend a short while — Apple expects to formally launch iOS 16 to the general public within the fall.