Verification code gone to spam? Where to look on iPhone and Android
In short
- On iPhone, texts from unknown senders can go to a separate list: in Messages, tap the filter button, then Unknown Senders.
- In Google Messages, suspected spam goes to Spam & blocked: tap your profile picture or the menu to find it.
- Mark a code as not spam, or save the sender as a contact, so the next one reaches your inbox.
Codes come from numbers you haven’t saved, which is just what phone filters look out for. If a code was sent but never showed up, check these places before asking for another.
iPhone
- With Screen Unknown Senders on, texts from senders you haven’t messaged before and who aren’t in your contacts go to Unknown Senders. In Messages, tap the filter button and choose Unknown Senders; a badge shows when something new arrives.
- Suspected spam goes to its own Spam list, in the same menu.
- Apple says replying doesn’t make a sender known. To move them to your main list, add them to your contacts.
- The settings are in Settings, then Apps, then Messages, under Unknown Senders. On older versions, look for Filter Unknown Senders in Settings, then Messages.
Android with Google Messages
- Tap your profile picture or the menu, then Spam & blocked.
- Open the code’s conversation and mark it as not spam to move it back.
- If a message shows a suspected spam warning, tap Report not spam.
Other messaging apps, such as Samsung’s, keep their own spam or blocked lists in their settings.
Codes by email
Check your spam, junk and promotions folders; Lazada says its codes can land there. Adding the sender to your contacts helps: Poshmark suggests saving [email protected].
Stop it happening again
If an app’s codes come from the same number or name each time, save it as a contact. Spam-blocking apps and network filters can catch codes too: see networks blocking verification texts.
Using a one-time number
With a number from ReserveSMS, the code shows on our website rather than in your messages app, so your phone’s filters don’t come into it. Ours start at $1, and the money goes back to your balance if no code arrives within 20 minutes.
Common questions
Where do filtered texts go on iPhone?
Texts from unknown senders go to Unknown Senders, and suspected spam to Spam. In Messages, tap the filter button to see both.
Where is the spam folder in Google Messages?
Tap your profile picture or the menu, then Spam & blocked.
Why did my verification code go to spam?
Codes come from numbers you haven’t saved, and filters on your phone or network can take them for spam.