iOS does not come with the kind of built-in SMS filtering that many Android phones offer, but since Apple opened up the message filtering interface in iOS 11, third-party apps have been able to handle spam texts surprisingly well. One of the best options is Panda Eats Messages, a small paid app that does one thing very well: block junk SMS on iPhone.
It is sold as a one-time purchase for 3 RMB, works without requiring an internet connection, and takes a notably privacy-friendly approach.
What makes it stand out
The app is trained with a machine learning model built from hundreds of thousands of spam message samples, so it works out of the box without asking users to create rules manually.
Its biggest advantage is privacy. Unlike some filtering tools that rely on cloud recognition, Panda Eats Messages identifies spam locally on the device. It does not upload your messages to a server or collect SMS content, which makes it much easier to trust.
Where to get it
App Store download link (3 RMB)
https://apps.apple.com/app/id1319191852
How to enable it on iPhone
After installing the app, the setup is simple:
- Open
Settings - Messages, then findUnknown & Spamand enter that page.
- Turn on
Filter Unknown Senders, then choosePanda Eats MessagesunderSMS Filtering.
That is all the configuration required.
What it looks like after setup
Once enabled, the Messages app will show categories created by Panda Eats Messages, such as transaction information and promotional information. Future spam texts are automatically sorted into those categories, and they do not trigger notifications.
For anyone tired of constant marketing texts, verification-message noise, and random scam messages, this alone makes the app feel essential.
A few extra notes
The app states that it does not collect users' SMS, except for samples that users choose to submit themselves, and those samples are desensitized before being used. If you still prefer to be extra cautious, you can go to Settings - Cellular and disable data access for Panda Eats Messages.
There is also a newer app, Panda Eats Messages 2. Compared with the original version, it does more than just separate spam from normal messages: it adds more categories such as finance, orders, and weather, and it receives updates more frequently. Because maintaining those updates takes ongoing work, the newer version uses a subscription model: 1 RMB per month or 6 RMB per year.
If all you want is a cheap, straightforward, privacy-conscious SMS spam filter for iPhone, the original version remains an easy recommendation.