Imagine getting offensive or threatening emails regularly. This can easily damage your mental health and distract you from other obligations.
In some cases, it can even lead to severe emotional distress. Given that there are nearly 2 billion active Apple devices, you likely own an iPhone.
Many people use these devices to check their emails daily. It's possible to take action against unwanted emails, but not everyone understands how to do so.
We've created a comprehensive guide that details how to get rid of spam emails and maintain an organized inbox. Let's explore how to block an email on iPhone devices as quickly as possible.
Flagging Emails
This is one of the most convenient ways to block emails on your iPhone. First, open the Mail app. Tap the reply button and then tap "Flag."
This allows you to choose a color to represent the flagged email. The colors listed are arbitrary, but you can choose one that helps you remember different categories of flagged emails.
For example, some people choose red to indicate the email is from a malicious sender. You can repeat the process and tap "Unflag" if you wish to remove a flag in the future.
When you flag an email, it's attached to your Apple ID. It will be added to a flagged email list across all devices that use the same ID.
Blocking Specific Senders
Sometimes, it's best to prevent all contact with a certain person. You can easily block someone by tapping their email address and choosing "Block This Contact." This will make it impossible for them to email you in the future.
Keep in mind that this option still allows you to send the messages. Some people make the mistake of blocking a contact, forgetting about it, and then emailing that individual. If you aren't getting responses when you expect, check to see if that contact is still blocked.
Blocking Specific Domains
Individual senders aren't always the issue. You might want to block all emails from a specific domain.
This is most common when someone gets a large number of spam emails from a certain website. First, open the Settings app on your iPhone.
Navigate to the Mail application. Under the "Threading" section, tap "Blocked." Then, select "Add New..." You then simply enter the domain you wish to block.
You should input this value as a website. For example, let's assume you wanted to block all emails from Nike since you're not interested in their products. You'd enter "www.nike.com" in this field.
Blocking Unknown Senders
Rarely are messages from unknown senders important or useful. These are often spam messages or malicious emails sent by hackers.
You can use the "Block All Unknown Senders" feature on your iPhone to automatically block messages from people you don't have saved in your contacts list. Open the Settings app and go to the Mail application. Toggle the option named "Block All Unknown Senders."
After activating this, messages you receive from unsaved senders will be automatically placed in the "Unknown Senders" folder. You can find this under the "Mailboxes" section of your Mail app.
Unblocking Previously Blocked Senders
If you wish to unblock someone in the future, the process is notably simple. Open your phone's Settings app and navigate to the Mail application. Under the "Threading" section, tap on "Blocked." When you find the domain or sender you wish to unblock, swipe left.
Tap "Unblock" to remove them from the list. After doing so, you can begin receiving emails from the previously blocked sender.
Using Gmail
First, open Gmail on your iPhone. Find a message from a sender you wish to block. You might see an option that says "Change preferences" or "unsubscribe."
Regardless of which one you see, these will allow you to control the messages you receive from the sender in the future. Unfortunately, It sometimes takes a few days to get removed from a mailing list after unsubscribing.
If you still receive messages after a week has passed, visit the website to see if you can manually unsubscribe. If you still don't have luck, contact their customer support and request that you be removed from their mailing list.
Using Outlook
Similar to the above method, you'll first want to open a message from a sender you wish to block in Outlook. Next to the "reply" arrow, tap the icon that looks like three dots.
Choose "Block" and then "Block (sender address)." You can also go to Outlook's settings and choose "View all Outlook Settings."
Then, select "Junk Email" under the "Email" tab. Under "Blocked senders and domains," tap "Add." You can then add the domains or email addresses you wish to block.
Using Yahoo! Mail
Although this app isn't quite as popular as the others, it's still easy to block unwanted emails from various senders. After opening a message from the sender you wish to block, choose the "More" menu at the bottom right of the screen. Select "Mark as spam" to disconnect messages from this sender in the future.
What If Someone Keeps Emailing Me?
In some situations, blocking a sender will cause them to create a new account to get in touch with you. There are a few options in scenarios like this. Primarily, you can block all emails from unknown senders.
This will filter their messages into a specific folder that you'll never see unless you manually check. You can also block the individual addresses they use to contact you. Keep in mind that you may need to reach out to law enforcement in certain situations.
If they refuse to stop harassing you or threaten you, call the police. They can help you resolve the situation as soon as possible without experiencing further distress.
Common Email Threats
Unwanted emails are sometimes more malicious than simply being annoying. There are common email threats that blocking senders can help you avoid. Listed below are some of the most notable.
Spam
Spam emails come in many forms. One of the most common tactics hackers use is sending spam messages to an enormous email list.
In some cases, they might contact hundreds of thousands of individuals. They understand that only a small percentage will open the messages and an even smaller percentage will engage with them.
If you receive a spam email, you never click links inside it. Spam messages often instill urgency in the recipient.
It's also not uncommon for them to have grammatical errors. If something seems out of the ordinary, use caution. For instance, let's assume you got an email from a financial institution that didn't seem quite right.
Instead of clicking the link within the email to view your account, you could manually type the link in the address bar. Taking simple steps like these goes a long way toward keeping your information safe.
Brand Impersonation
As the name implies, brand impersonation emails present themselves as being from a trusted source. These emails attempt to trick recipients into providing sensitive data. For example, someone might receive an email that appears to be from the IRS.
The email could declare that the recipient needs to take immediate action by following a set of instructions. People tend to trust brands they commonly interact with.
This is especially true regarding government entities. More often than not, there are ways to discern brand impersonation.
The message's copy might not align with what you'd normally receive from that brand. It also might include low-quality images or links to suspicious websites.
Unfortunately, it's easy to fall victim to attacks like these since some spoofed emails can be so convincing. If you receive a brand impersonation email, immediately block the sender.
Extortion
Online extortion is fairly common, and it's often facilitated through email. Scenarios can vary, but they often involve threatening to release certain information if demands aren't met. A business might receive an email from a hacker who compromised sensitive data from their servers.
They could threaten to publicly release this information or sell it to competitors. On a lesser scale, an individual could receive an email threatening to expose certain details about their life to their contacts. This could involve explicit photos, information found on their computer, or other data that would harm their reputation and relationships.
Hackers sometimes use malicious software known as "ransomware" to facilitate attacks. The software encrypts the data on the victim's device and threatens to leave it inaccessible indefinitely. Hackers often want their ransoms paid in cryptocurrency since they can't be traced.
If the victim doesn't pay, the hacker could even delete the encrypted information. If you don't properly back up your info, this could be catastrophic.
You shouldn't interact with the hacker if you get hit with a ransomware attack. Even the FBI recommends against paying the ransom.
Account Takeover
This is one of the most dangerous attacks to deal with. When hackers compromise a trusted account, recipients will often be unaware that any wrongdoing has occurred.
A common example could be receiving an email from your bank. In this case, let's assume you have an account with Bank of America and get a message from them regarding your account's status.
The email declares that your account has been temporarily disabled due to suspicious activity. The bank needs to confirm your identity before restoring access to your account. The message appears to be from the legitimate Bank of America domain.
There's also nothing suspicious about the email. Victims in cases like these will inevitably click on the link provided. Once they do, they're taken to a form that asks them to provide certain information.
Afterward, the page often refreshes without redirecting them. The pages where hackers send their victims have no purpose other than to collect sensitive data.
They're essentially facades of legitimate login pages. Once hackers obtain the information they want, they can then compromise the victim's account. In some situations, this provides them immediate access to additional personal info or money.
Zero-Day Attacks
Part of what makes cybercrime so intimidating is that it can't always be safeguarded against. Zero-day attacks are those that developers aren't yet aware of.
A common scenario includes a hacker finding an exploit in email software. They run independent tests to determine how far they can get with the methods they use.
They then aim to leverage the exploit as much as possible before the developers can take action. This is a highly stressful situation for development teams. By the time they learn about the attack, hackers are already using it.
Not only will they have to mitigate the damage users incur, but they'll also have to come up with an actionable solution. Zero-day attacks are initially effective because users don't anticipate them. Keeping an eye out for suspicious messages will ensure that you never deal with your data getting compromised.
Scamming
Similar to spam, scamming occurs in many different forms. Some of the most common are fake job postings and investment opportunities.
In these scenarios, the hacker will reach out to the victim and pretend to provide a genuine offer. In exchange for what they give, they ask for personal info.
To elaborate, a hacker who reaches out about a false investment opportunity could ask for financial information to complete a transaction. These are often very easy to recognize. The emails are formatted, have grammatical errors, and often don't contain images.
They also tend to be outlandish. Imagine receiving an email from an unknown sender that declares they want to transfer $10 million to your bank account.
They go on to talk about how they're a billionaire who wants to give back to the world and they've chosen you as a lucky recipient of their generosity. All they need is your bank account info so they can send you the money. Although scams are easy to recognize, they're also easy to fall for if you don't pay attention.
Malware
Malware is any type of malicious software that hackers use to steal information or cause havoc. One of the most concerning forms of malware is known as a Trojan horse. This is a program that masquerades as something harmless.
Once it enters the victim's computer, though, it can take a multitude of adverse actions. There's no guarantee that a Trojan horse will immediately activate. It could sit dormant for weeks, months, or even years.
Delayed attacks are often thoroughly pre-planned and target specific data. A hacker might target a large financial institution with a Trojan horse.
The virus is set to activate six months after it infects the computer, as this is the company's peak season. Since the business will work with the most data during this time, it makes sense for it to lay dormant until then. Some malware is notably difficult to detect, as well.
It's recommended to update your antivirus software consistently. You should also always use a firewall when using the Internet. Precautions like these can prevent catastrophes from arising.
Benefits of an Organized Inbox
Many people overlook the benefits an organized inbox can provide. When handled correctly, inbox organization can take your productivity to the next level. Let's explore some of the most important benefits to keep in mind.
Improved Communication
It should come as no surprise that clearing out your inbox can improve your communication. It's not uncommon for emails to get lost in the clutter if you don't keep things tidy.
This can sometimes lead to missed opportunities. Imagine a situation where you received an email from a recruiter that needed an urgent response.
Their message outlined that you'd be the perfect fit for a high-paying job that also comes with plenty of flexibility. However, your cluttered email inbox prevents you from seeing this message until long after you receive it.
By the time you reply, the position has already been filled. Situations like these are notably common, and they could adversely affect your future.
Enhanced Time Management
Keeping your inbox organized will help you find key messages as soon as possible. It can sometimes take a substantial amount of time to find what you're looking for if your inbox is cluttered.
This becomes exponentially more true the busier your inbox becomes. Some people regularly sift through thousands of emails to find the information they need.
Not only is this impractical, but it's a waste of time. This time can be better spent on virtually anything else, such as your job, hobbies, or friends/family.
Time management is crucial for small business owners. They often don't have an abundance of resources to work with during the early stages of their careers.
Increased Productivity
The less time you spend sifting through emails, the more productive you'll be. This is true in any setting, whether you're at work or home.
Getting more done in less time will also serve as a powerful motivator. For example, let's assume you accomplished exponentially more than you expected in a few hours.
Rather than stop early, you'd likely be motivated to stay as productive as possible. The inverse is also true, though. If you get much less done than you expected, you could be tempted to give up and try again another time.
Reduced Stress
There's something to be said about how email organization can reduce your overall stress. Most of us deal with stress regularly, and it's imperative to minimize the amount we experience.
In some situations, stress can lead to major health problems. You can take things a step further by categorizing your inbox. You can place certain types of emails in certain folders, for example.
You can even configure your settings to automatically route emails from certain senders to specific folders. It's not uncommon for people to segment their email inboxes based on their jobs and hobbies.
The easier it is to find information, the less stressful your search will be. Keep this in mind when moving forward so you can avoid issues you may have otherwise encountered.
Improved Focus
Optimizing your focus is crucial for entering a flow state. This refers to a situation where someone is fully concentrated on the task at hand.
It's renowned as a highly positive experience and also helps them complete their best work. To enter and maintain a flow state, you'll need to minimize your distractions.
Unnecessary email clutter can quickly derail your flow state and make you less focused. By extension, this can also influence your ability to come up with ideas or meet deadlines.
Getting Started
The best way to get started with email organization is by using reputable software. It's possible to manually organize your inbox, but this requires more time than it's worth.
This is especially true for people who regularly deal with thousands of emails. When searching for software to work with, consider the developer's reputation. There should be no shortage of positive feedback from previous users.
They should also provide ongoing support for the application. The last thing you want is to encounter issues while being unable to get the help you require.
Check the software's functionality, as well. It should be able to seamlessly handle your needs.
Pricing is another important detail to consider. You typically get what you pay for when choosing email organization software.
Selecting the cheapest opportunity will fall short of your goals. This doesn't mean that you need to go with the most expensive option, though.
Somewhere in the middle of the price range can help you reach your goals without stretching your budget. As long as you do your due diligence, you'll find the best software for keeping your inbox streamlined.
Understand How to Block Email on iPhone Devices
Getting unwanted emails can cause a large number of complications. Understanding how to block email on iPhone devices can help you overcome many issues you would have otherwise encountered. The tips in this guide will ensure this process goes smoother than you anticipated.
Mailstrom allows you to unsubscribe and delete thousands of messages in just a few clicks. Never before has managing your inbox been easier. You can learn more about the benefits we provide when you start your free trial today.
