Samsung Galaxy S5: How to Block Unwanted or Unknown Messages in Android 4.4.2 Kitkat

Have you ever wanted to stop an unwanted person to send you a text message? Or, have you ever wanted to stop receiving marketing SMS messages? If that so, you can block all of the unwanted messages by enabling the spam filter feature. This feature lets you block the message from specific phone numbers or unknown senders as well as lets you block messages contain with specific phrases. When a spam message is received, you won't be notified (either with message tone or notification on the status bar) and the message will be redirected to the spam messages folder so that your conversation will be clean from those unwanted or unknown messages.

How to block unwanted messages from specific phone numbers?
You can block specific phone numbers to send you a message by using the following steps:

1. Open Messaging app.
2. Tap or long press the Recent apps key to open up the additional options and then select Settings.
3. Scroll down to find Spam filter and then tap it.
4. If the spam filter is off, tap the ON/OFF switch to enable it. When the switch is on the right side or shows green means the spam filter is enabled.
5. Tap Add to spam numbers.
6. Add a phone number to the spam list:
• Tap .
• Enter the phone number in the enter number field or tap to select a contact from call logs or Contacts app.
• If necessary, you can change the criteria by tapping Match criteria and then select from the following options:
1. Exactly the same as: this option is enabled by default. Select this option to block the phone number which is exactly the same as the phone number you have entered in the enter number field.
2. Starts with: select this option to block all the phone numbers that are started with the number you have entered in the enter number field.
3. Ends with: select this option to block all the phone numbers that are ended with the number you have entered in the enter number field.
4. Includes: select this option to block all the phone numbers contain with the number you have entered in the enter number field.
• Tap Save button.
• The entered phone number will be added to the spam list and all of the messages from this number will be blocked.
7. Remove a phone number from the spam list:
• Long tap a blocked number to select it.
• Tap .
• Tap OK button.
• The selected phone number will be deleted from the spam list.

How to block unwanted messages contain with specific phrases?
You may notice that spam messages(e.g: marketing SMS messages) sometimes contain with the same phrases. So, instead of blocking the phone number, you can block the phrases so that all messages contain with the those phrases will be blocked. You can do so by using the following steps:

1. Open Messaging app.
2. Tap and then select Settings.
3. Scroll down to find Spam filter and then tap it.
4. If the spam filter is off, tap the ON/OFF switch to enable it.
5. Tap Add to spam phrases.
6. Add a phrase to the spam list:
• Tap .
• Enter the required phrase you want to block. You can enter the phrase up to 32 characters.
• Tap Save button.
• Tap OK button.
• The entered phrase will be added to the spam list and all messages contains with this phrase will be blocked.
7. Remove a phrase from the spam list:
• Long tap a blocked phrase to select it.
• Tap .
• Tap OK button.
• The selected phrase will be removed from the spam list.

How to block text messages from unknown senders?
If you only want to receive messages from contacts that you have added to the Contacts app, then you can block all messages from unknown senders by using the following steps:

1. Open Messaging app.
2. Tap and then select Settings.
3. Scroll down to find Spam filter and then tap it.
4. If the spam filter is off, tap the ON/OFF switch to enable it.
5. Check the box next to Block unknown messages to enable this option.
6. All of messages from contacts that have not been added to the Contacts app will be blocked.

How to view spam messages?
You can display all of the blocked messages by using the following steps:

1. Open Messaging app.
2. Tap and then select Spam messages.
3. All blocked messages will be displayed here. If necessary, you can read or even delete blocked messages from here.

As a note, though the spam filter feature only redirects blocked messages to the spam folder instead of delete them, at least by using this feature you won't be disturbed with the notification from the unwanted or unknown messages and you won't see them in your conversations list either.