SmishAlert for iPhone
Scam texts, caught before you tap.
Fake delivery notices. Toll bills you don't owe. Bank alerts that look exactly right. SmishAlert plugs into Apple's built-in message filtering and moves smishing into your Spam folder, with the decision made on your iPhone.
Free to download · Requires iOS 17.6 or later · Filtering requires a subscription
You've seen these
The problem isn't that scam texts look fake.
It's that they don't. The good ones borrow a real brand, a real amount, and a deadline that makes you act before you think. You only need to be busy once.
USPS: your package is on hold. Update your address to reschedule delivery.
There's a small “redelivery fee” at the end. The page exists to capture your card.
Final notice: you have an outstanding toll of $6.99. Pay now to avoid a $50 penalty.
Toll authorities don't chase small balances by text. The urgency is the whole attack.
Did you authorize a $1,842.00 transfer? Reply NO to cancel.
Replying starts a phone call from “fraud prevention” who asks you to read a code aloud.
Setup takes about two minutes
Three steps, then you forget it exists.
Install the app
Download SmishAlert from the App Store and open it. Onboarding walks you through the rest.
Turn on filtering
Settings → Messages → Unknown & Spam → Text Message Filtering → SmishAlert. This is Apple's own switch; we just plug into it.
Get on with your day
Suspicious texts land in Spam instead of your inbox. Nothing to open, check, or remember.
Found something suspicious?
Report it three ways: share the message to SmishAlert from any app, send a screenshot through the share sheet, or use Apple's own Report Junk button in Messages. You can also scan a QR code before you open the link behind it.
Privacy
A spam filter shouldn't cost you your messages.
iOS hands a message-filtering app only what arrives from senders who aren't in your contacts. What happens next is your choice, and it's the only difference between the two plans.
On Personal
Classification runs on your iPhone. No message, no fragment, and no link ever leaves the device automatically. The only thing we receive is what you deliberately report.
On Unknown Guard
Unknown-sender messages are analyzed to identify the sender pattern, so we can check links and match a text against campaigns hitting other people, and they are not retained. No name or account is attached, and messages from your contacts are never included.
The full detail, in plain English: our data standards and privacy policy.
Plans
Two plans. Both billed by Apple.
Annual only, purchased in the app. Cancel any time in Settings → Apple ID → Subscriptions.
Personal
$49.99/yearMaximum privacy. Everything happens on your phone.
- On-device filtering for SMS and iMessage
- Suspicious texts moved to Spam automatically
- Report from the share sheet, a screenshot, or Report Junk
- QR code scanning before you open a link
- Nothing leaves your device automatically
Unknown Guard
$79.99/yearEvery unknown sender screened for you, with a verdict.
- Everything in Personal
- Automatic screening of unknown senders
- Link checks on messages you never opened
- Matched against campaigns hitting other people
- No identity attached to any of it
There is no free trial, message filtering needs an active subscription. You get 1 free report first so you can see the reporting flow before you commit.
FAQ
Before you install
Can SmishAlert read my texts?
Not your conversations. iOS only ever hands a message-filtering app messages from senders who are not in your contacts, and on the Personal plan the decision is made entirely on your iPhone, nothing is sent anywhere. On Unknown Guard, unknown-sender messages are analyzed to identify the sender pattern and are not retained. Messages from people in your contacts are never included on either plan.
Does it work on iMessage, or just SMS?
Both. Apple's Message Filtering extension covers SMS and iMessage from unknown senders, so SmishAlert sees the same set of messages either way.
Do I have to keep the app open?
No. Once you've selected SmishAlert under Settings → Messages → Unknown & Spam, filtering runs in the background. Open the app when you want to review activity, report something, or scan a QR code.
What iPhone do I need?
Any iPhone running iOS 17.6 or later. There's no VPN, no carrier change, and no profile to install.
Is there a free trial?
No. Message filtering requires an active subscription. You do get 1 free report so you can try the reporting flow before you decide, and both plans are billed annually through your Apple ID, cancel any time in Settings → Apple ID → Subscriptions.
Which plan should I pick?
Personal ($49.99/year) if you want the quietest possible privacy posture, filtering happens on your phone and nothing leaves it. Unknown Guard ($79.99/year) if you'd rather have every unknown sender screened automatically, with link checks and a verdict, so you never dig through the unknown folder yourself.
Is there an Android version?
Not for individuals yet. SmishAlert for iPhone is the personal product today. If your workplace uses SmishAlert on Android, they will send you a link to install it.
What if I already reported the text to my carrier?
Keep doing that, forwarding to 7726 helps your carrier. Reporting to SmishAlert additionally feeds the detection that protects everyone else using the app, which is why a scam one person reports gets harder to land on the next person.
Two minutes, once
Next time, you won't have to decide.
The best outcome is the text you never see, because it went to Spam while you were doing something else.
Free to download · Requires iOS 17.6 or later
Looking at this for a company?
SmishAlert protects whole teams too, with a security view your leadership can act on. That lives on our company site.