Stopping Spam

[patrickt]

I'm new to Nexus 5 and wonder if there is a way to stop spam messages sent from other than valid phone numbers. Some are four-or five-digit numbers that are clearly not standard phone numbers and none are anything I want to receive.

 

[kate]

What carrier and texting app are you using?

Some texting apps have the ability to block numbers in their settings, and some carriers allow you to block specific numbers. For example if you have Sprint you can send a text to 9999 with the message "block <number>" which would look like:

block 1234567890

 

[codesplice]

Hi patrickt,

As kate mentioned, many texting apps will have the option to block numbers. For Hangouts (the default texting app on newer Nexus devices), you can block a number from the conversation view by pressing (menu) > People & options > Block <name/number>. You can manage the list of blocked names/numbers under the Hangouts Settings > SMS > Blocked numbers.

BTW, those shorter numbers aren't technically invalid; they are SMS short codes that can be used to send and receive SMS and MMS messages. A lot of them are used for advertising or promotional messages; replying with "STOP" should (generally) unsubscribe you (though, of course, not everyone plays by those rules).

Hope this helps.

 

[patrickt]

I'm in Mexico. I use Telcel. I block the numbers as the come in but there are thousands of numbers. I was hoping for something more global than blocking each, individual, number.

I want to thank codesplice for the help. I checked my blocked numbers and I think I'm still receiving messages from blocked numbers but I'm not sure.

I'm pretty deaf and use my cell for texting. It's quite irritating to get a message, pull over and park, and then discover it's spam.

If I block a four-digit SMS short code does it actually block them?

 

[codesplice]

If I block a four-digit SMS short code does it actually block them?

That I'm not 100% sure on. I believe it should, but I haven't actually tested.

If you're still getting them, you may need to try a third-party call/sms blocker (which will generally require root access). I know that I've used Call Master for blocking calls and SMS in the past with good results. It can be a bit daunting to configure (it's pretty much Tasker for call handling), but allows very powerful pattern matching. It should be able to block any SMS coming from any source with less than 7 digits, for instance.

Root Call Blocker from the same developer should be easier to use and configure, but I'm not 100% sure that it allows the same pattern matching. Both apps function as a free trial which should be enough to figure out whether or not they'll work for your needs without handing over any money - but, again, they both require root.

 

[patrickt]

Thanks, Codesplice. For now, I'm keeping track of my blocked numbers to see if messages are still getting through or not.

I am getting far, far fewer spam messages than I did with my Samsung Galaxy SIII mini.

 

[Crashdamage]

Advanced Call Blocker blocks SMS and calls without rooting.