Can a contact be blocked (actually disabled) from texting, while still being able to call?

Is there any way I can block texts from a person without blocking their calls? I know I can turn off alerts. I know I can block the contact entirely. That isn’t what I mean. I want to prevent a contact from being able to text me in the first place, but still allow their calls. I think everyone probably has relatives or friends they wish they could do this with. There are people who will blow me up with 10,000+ character texts, when it would be so much easier and faster to just call. Of course, it seems many people these days don’t know how to have a verbal phone conversation. It’s become a lost art, like the ability to drive a car with manual transmission. Regretfully I updated to iOS 26.1, which is bloody awful, but that’s a whole other issue.

iPhone SE (3rd generation)

Posted on Jan 28, 2026 9:58 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jan 28, 2026 10:22 AM

Smilin-Brian is correct, a blocked contact can leave a Voicemail and that is it. There is no other granular control between call and text on a blocked contact. That has always been the case. You can send feedback to Apple here.

Product Feedback - Apple


With that being said, you may be able to accomplish something close to what you want using Focus.

  1. Go to Settings > Focus > Do Not Disturb (or create a new one).
  2. Select People > Silence Notifications From and enter that persons contact.
  3. Turn on Allow Calls from Silenced People.


You may have additional options under Focus Filters

  1. Under Focus Filters, add a filter for Messages to "Filter by People List" to hide messages from specific people.
  2. Ensure "Allow Calls From" is configured to allow calls, even if notifications are muted.



iOS 26.1 was released back in November with the current version being 26.2.1 and includes bug fixes, additional options to reduce the Liquid Glass effects, and security improvements that you are missing out on.

3 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jan 28, 2026 10:22 AM in response to buttergun

Smilin-Brian is correct, a blocked contact can leave a Voicemail and that is it. There is no other granular control between call and text on a blocked contact. That has always been the case. You can send feedback to Apple here.

Product Feedback - Apple


With that being said, you may be able to accomplish something close to what you want using Focus.

  1. Go to Settings > Focus > Do Not Disturb (or create a new one).
  2. Select People > Silence Notifications From and enter that persons contact.
  3. Turn on Allow Calls from Silenced People.


You may have additional options under Focus Filters

  1. Under Focus Filters, add a filter for Messages to "Filter by People List" to hide messages from specific people.
  2. Ensure "Allow Calls From" is configured to allow calls, even if notifications are muted.



iOS 26.1 was released back in November with the current version being 26.2.1 and includes bug fixes, additional options to reduce the Liquid Glass effects, and security improvements that you are missing out on.

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Can a contact be blocked (actually disabled) from texting, while still being able to call?

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