Maximum blocked contacts in iOS 26.6

MelvisElvis wrote:

Anyway, I unblocked enough contacts to take the blocked list below 3,000, and it is allowing me to add new blocked contacts again. Hope this helps.

Great Job!

Apple has never published the limit to blocked contacts. The reason why you see the numbers all over the place is because before iOS 26.6 you could still add the blocked contact, but it was not actually blocking the call. That was found to be the case with a few posts here, but most users never even realized it because they were thinking that the blocking was stopping the Spam call, and it is rarely the case that a Spammer is ever using the same number twice and you would not have received another call from that number again anyway.

Users would say they had 8,000 or 10,000 blocked contacts and that may have been true, but they were not all blocking the calls. We have also seen AI posts stating what the limit is and unfortunately that data is just trained on those same posts and people believe that since it is AI, it must be true.

Apple resolved the problem of blocking a contact not working when beyond the limit by adding the message you now see in iOS 26.6 that says the block limit has been reached. What we have seen is if those are reduced to under 3,000, then you will not see that message and the blocked number will be added and actually work correctly like it should have done previously.

Without documenting what the actual block limit is, it certainly gives Apple the flexibility to change it at any time, and we will have to wait and see if they do decide to publish the limit and also add the ability to bulk delete the blocked numbers like you can do on the Mac.

Try and force restart your iPhone to clear its cache and make sure that you can add blocked contacts again

1. Press and quickly release the volume up button.
2. Press and quickly release the volume down button.
3. Press and hold the side button.
4. When the Apple logo appears, release the side button.

MelvisElvis wrote:

“Limit Reached” message still appears and will not allow any new blocked contacts.

How many blocked contacts do you have? It appears from other reports that you have to get that down under 3,000 before you will be able to block any new contacts.

If you are attempting to use blocking as a form of Spam control, that is ineffective. Spammers spoof the sending address/number and you are not likely to ever receive other communications from the same location again. For calls it is just a text string randomly created using VOIP to initial the call.

Den_nis wrote:

Since updating to iOS 26.6, I get a message I reached maximum number of blocked contacts and need to unblock one before I can add another.

I unblocked a couple hundred numbers, verified by the number of blocked contacts remaining.

Yet when I attempt to block another, I STILL get the message I am at the maximum number. This only started happening a couple days ago with the latest update.

Depending on how many numbers are blocked you may need to delete thousands, not hundreds of blocked numbers. Some users have reported they have had to get below 3000 blocked numbers before things started working again. It appears Apple has significantly lowered the maximum blocks allowed.

Which all relates to the false assumption that blocking numbers has any effect whatsoever in reducing spam calls. Blocking a number has no effect at all because the spammers use a different number every time and do not repeat. You simply cannot get rid of spam by blocking numbers, period.

Den_nis wrote:

No matter how many numbers I unblock, it still tells me the maximum is reached and I need to unblock one before I can add another. And as I originally stated, this didn’t start happening until the latest 26.6 update a few days ago.

We don't know how many numbers you originally had blocked or how many you unblocked. The limit is now apparently 3,000. That limit was added with the latest update. If you have a lot more than that and you're deleting them on your phone, it may take a while to get down below that.

If you have a Mac, it's apparently possible to unblock them in bulk there.

Ok. Yeah, the reason that it made no difference is that rebooting has nothing to do with the problem. I read in a couple of places that, in some iteration of iOS 26, the maximum was set to 3,000 for everyone. Mine has always said 5,000, some others were 10,000 or more. Makes sense that they would now give everyone the same limit since the numbering scheme of iOS 26 is meant to make the iOS version number consistent across all devices. Anyway, I unblocked enough contacts to take the blocked list below 3,000, and it is allowing me to add new blocked contacts again. Hope this helps.

Den_nis wrote:

But what’s the difference between holding the volume and side button then sliding to power off, or if it is powered off from the method Wheelienick suggested? Not trying to be smart or funny…I really don’t understand what the difference is.

The Force Restart does additional cache cleanup and housekeeping that is not done when the phone is just restarted. It is a common troubleshooting step that resolves many problems and some users will even recommend to do it after every software update.

Den_nis wrote:

I did EXACTLY that… there is no logo when holding the side button….I’m not an imbecile.

I certainly didn't suggest you're an imbecile. But the Force Restart does work if done in rapid succession. If you wait too long between the up then down, then press the side power button, it won't work. It may take a couple tries, so try again. I've personally never met an iPhone which couldn't be Force Restarted.

Den_nis wrote:

Why are you sending me etiquette rules? What did I say that you found personally offensive?

Hello once more~ It should be self explanatory. It takes much, much more than anything in this thread for me to be personally offended. I don’t believe you have told one single volunteer that has tried to assist you “thank you.” Many here try and assist fellow users with hours of their time. Contact Apple they get paid to deal with these situations…

Contact Apple Support - Apple Support

~Katana-San~

Den_nis wrote:

It didn’t work. Holding the side button did nothing….no Apple logo appears

Then you didn't follow the directions WheelieNick provided. You don't just hold the side button. You have to quickly press and release the volume up button, then immediately press and quickly release the volume down button, then press and KEEP HOLDING the side power button for up to 30 seconds until the Apple Logo appears, then let go.

Den_nis wrote:

I did EXACTLY that… there is no logo when holding the side button….I’m not an imbecile.

If you don't see the Apple Logo while holding the side button, then the speed or sequence of the key presses were not correct. Just try it again and it may take a couple of attempts to get it right. It always works when done correctly.

Den_nis wrote:

Not true…. It doesn’t work regardless of how quickly or slowly the sequence was done. After about 10 tries, it began showing me the “slide to power off” toggle as if I was holding down the volume button while pressing the side, (which I wasn't).

But by any method, restarting it made no difference.

You are supposed to see the Slide to Power Off message in the last step with the Side button. You have to ignore that prompt and continue to Hold the Side button which may take up to 15 seconds before you will see the Apple logo. It is only after holding the Side button for 15 seconds and not seeing the Apple logo would you need to try again to get the speed/sequence of the key presses correct.

For the record, I was able to perform this restart with no issues. You truly do have to be patient and hold the side button until the Slide to Power Off message disappears. The screen will go blank for a moment or two, then the Apple logo appears. However, this action did not fix the issue with not being able to block additional contacts after having unblocked several hundred. The “Limit Reached” message still appears and will not allow any new blocked contacts.