Nexus 6P - Blocking SMS on Marshmallow

[crosspatch]

For awhile now, I've been employing a whitelist approach to all contact methods. Not on the whitelist, not bothering me. This was easy when I was on older Android versions.

Now I have a Nexus 6P with Android 6.0, and only the app that is set as the default SMS handler can block messages. The problem is, I want to use the standard Messenger client. I have not found any other clients I like as much, surprising as that is even to me.

I don't have a deep understanding of how this all works. But I've noticed that even when I have third-party SMS/MMS clients installed and set as the default, Messenger shows all current SMS/MMS messages when I open it.

This makes me wonder: Why aren't there any SMS clients that simply act as a sort-of proxy for Messenger? So I could set that other client as the default handler, block any sender not on my contact list, but only interact with Messenger? Why wouldn't this work? The "proxy" client would be blocking or deleting unwanted messages, and Messenger would show whatever was allowed to remain. What am I missing?

 

[Snappy Phoenix]

Re: Blocking SMS on Marshmallow

Use Textra

 

[crosspatch]

Re: Blocking SMS on Marshmallow

I tried Textra just the other day. It does not have a "block unknown senders" (i.e. whitelist) feature.

 

[Snappy Phoenix]

Re: Blocking SMS on Marshmallow

I tried Textra just the other day. It does not have a "block unknown senders" (i.e. whitelist) feature.

hmmm, I guess, I just blacklist any SMS I get from unwanted people, simple

 

[SRFast]

Re: Blocking SMS on Marshmallow

I use the Mr. Number app to manage the calls and SMS I want blocked.

 

[crosspatch]

Re: Blocking SMS on Marshmallow

hmmm, I guess, I just blacklist any SMS I get from unwanted people, simple

Sure, it's simple, if that's what you want to do. I don't. I want to block ALL SMS from anyone not already on my contact list, not wait for people to annoy me with their nonsense, and then block that number until they switch to a new fake one 5 minutes later.

 

[crosspatch]

Re: Blocking SMS on Marshmallow

I use the Mr. Number app to manage the calls and SMS I want blocked.

Thanks. I use Extreme Call Blocker and it's great for calls but it has some weird SMS client it makes you sideload to block SMS and I just don't want to do that. I'll check out Mr. Number.

Edit: Mr. Number's listing says "SMS Text blocking not supported by Android 4.4/KitKat or later". Are you saying it works under Android 6.0 (and allows you to continue using Messenger for SMS) despite what the developer states?

 

[SRFast]

Re: Blocking SMS on Marshmallow

I will look into it. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[crosspatch]

Re: Blocking SMS on Marshmallow

The developer of Extreme Call Blocker finally integrated the associated SMS client into ECB itself. I've been using that and it works well. Finally, I can block all unknown scumbag SMS messages.

The GUI is not great (the client is based on and is almost identical to the old native Android SMS client), but it's usable. Textra looks sooo much better... I'm going to keep checking to see if they add global blocking to that app (I did suggest it to them awhile back).

ECB's overall interface is not great... He recently updated the config and says it's now simpler... I find it to be worse. But the functionality is there at least. In addition to SMS blocking, when matched with a ringtone that has a few seconds of silence at the beginning, it's a good solution to avoid scumbag calls. (I get them relatively frequently.)

 

[Snappy Phoenix]

Re: Blocking SMS on Marshmallow

I will look into it. Thanks for the heads up.

also, if you launched the dialer, then go to settings, then call blocking, not only will you be able to block their calls, but that applies to blocking SMS too. When they send you an SMS, they receive a notification "not delivered", so that works actually better

 

[crosspatch]

Re: Blocking SMS on Marshmallow

Mr. Number does not block SMS on the Nexus 6P. The Google Play listing says:

SMS Text blocking not supported by Android 4.4/KitKat or later

And this agrees with what I have read in many, many other places, and also what I've encountered upon testing many different blocker apps.

 

[renegad3]

Re: Blocking SMS on Marshmallow

also, if you launched the dialer, then go to settings, then call blocking, not only will you be able to block their calls, but that applies to blocking SMS too. When they send you an SMS, they receive a notification "not delivered", so that works actually better

Curious to know if you actually have tried that. Does not work that way at all for me (calls blocked, no voicemail, but they can still SMS to me). In fact, using messenger, it has its own SMS blocking mechanism in settings, which do work.

 

[Snappy Phoenix]

Re: Blocking SMS on Marshmallow

Curious to know if you actually have tried that. Does not work that way at all for me (calls blocked, no voicemail, but they can still SMS to me). In fact, using messenger, it has its own SMS blocking mechanism in settings, which do work.

yes I tested it, blocked my wife's cell phone number temporarily, then asked her to call me, when she did, she got a brief tone as if the call ended, just like when u call a disconnected line or out of the country. Then she SMSed me from her iToy 6 Plus, she got a notification that the4 SMS was not delivered.

 

[renegad3]

Re: Blocking SMS on Marshmallow

interesting, does not work that way for me at all. My wife also has an iphone 6S, calls are blocked as expected. SMS however is not. As I stated, messenger has its own facility to block, which stands to reason how it works.

what client do you use for SMS on your phone ?

 

[Snappy Phoenix]

Re: Blocking SMS on Marshmallow

interesting, does not work that way for me at all. My wife also has an iphone 6S, calls are blocked as expected. SMS however is not. As I stated, messenger has its own facility to block, which stands to reason how it works.

what client do you use for SMS on your phone ?

strange how your mileage varies from mine, we have the same phone, did you ensure you have the latest Phone App?

PS: how do you block SMS from the Messenger app?

 

[Crashdamage]

Re: Blocking SMS on Marshmallow

Advanced Call Blocker will handle your needs.
https://forums.androidcentral.com/e....wahooka.advanced.call.blocker&token=YfktBGbE

 

[crosspatch]

Re: Blocking SMS on Marshmallow

Advanced Call Blocker will handle your needs.
https://forums.androidcentral.com/e....wahooka.advanced.call.blocker&token=EIvbSXAu

According to the author, it won't:

"Important: SMS and MMS blocking does not work on Android 4.4+ (KitKat) devices."

I've been using Truemessenger (and Truecaller) for a few days now. The jury is still out. It does not allow the kind of blocking I want, but it supposedly blocks scumbags. I'll believe it when I see it. The fact that they upload your phone number and your entire contact list makes me think you're probably worse off with these "solutions."

I had one too many issues with Extreme Call Blocker and removed it.

I may end up blocking ALL SMS and making my family Skype me.

 

[Crashdamage]

Re: Blocking SMS on Marshmallow

According to the author, it won't:

"Important: SMS and MMS blocking does not work on Android 4.4+ (KitKat) devices."

Actually, Advanced Call Blocker will work on Android 5.0 - 5.1.1 & 6.0 - 6.0.1. It does for me.

The full quote is:
"Important: SMS and MMS blocking does not work on Android 4.4+ (KitKat) devices. Call blocking may not work on certain versions of KitKat (4.4.2_r1 through 4.4.3)."
IOW the SMS/MMS problem is only with Kit Kat 4.4+ and call blocking with 4.4.2 & 4.4.3 and only certain versions of those.

 

[crosspatch]

Re: Blocking SMS on Marshmallow

Not working here. I added my daughter's number to the block list, made sure SMS blocking was enabled, and of course made sure the overall blocking function was enabled. An SMS from her number was added to the blocked message list in ACB, but it also showed up in my SMS client.

The call blocking seems really nicely done, though, so I may come back to this one just for that. Especially since Extreme Call Blocker seems to have gone to ****. Or maybe someone will publish a "Super Duper Call Blocker." Ahem. Thanks.

 

[skinnytoo2]

Re: Blocking SMS on Marshmallow

Crosspath, just so I'm on the same page. You only want to receive SMS messages from people in your contacts? You want to block all others?