How to Filter Your Text Messages Within iOS 16

With the public release of iOS 16 this week, there is no doubt that many users are getting used to the new features that will be introduced with this version. While many people are undoubtedly enjoying the new custom lock screen, there are also new features that are easy to overlook.

For example, did you know that you can filter unread text messages? While not entirely new for iOS 16, some users may have overlooked this feature. Today we are going to look at Filter Unknown Senders option for text messages in iOS 16.

How to filter text messages in iOS 16

To enable this feature, just go below Settings > Messages and scroll down to Message Filtering. In this section there is a single option that says Filter unknown senders.

Once this option is selected, you can see in your messages that the Edit button has now been replaced with a filter Tab. Selecting this tab gives you five new categories:

• All Messages: Shows you all your text messages.
• Known Senders: Only displays texts from numbers saved in your contacts.
• Unknown senders: Only shows messages from numbers that are not saved in your contacts.
• Unread Messages: Shows only messages you have yet to read.
• Recently Deleted: Shows you messages that will be deleted soon. This section also includes a countdown for when messages will be deleted.

While it’s certainly a cool feature, it’s quite odd that Apple decided to name the feature to focus exclusively on unknown senders. Considering there are other options, it’s interesting that they chose to name it that.

Thanks to David Pierce, the feature is certainly very helpful. As someone who gets a lot of two-factor authentication text, this is a great way to help me quickly analyze my messages without having to go through every random thread of text. Being able to view only your unread messages is also a great way to keep little reminders.

So there you have it! A unique trait somewhat obscured by an odd name. Give it a try and see if it helps you organize your messages.

Of course, once you’ve organized your messages, this can also be a great time to customize your lock screen.

What features do you like in iOS 16? Any features you’d like to see added in future updates? Let us know in the comments.