Apple’s iOS 26 update is rolling out with new privacy and filtering features that could directly affect how your customers receive your SMS messages. Just as iOS 15 disrupted email tracking with Mail Privacy Protection, iOS 26 brings Message Screening Filters that may limit how your SMS texts appear to users.

This article lists what you need to know and what you should do to adapt to the new update.

The iOS 26 update introduces two major changes that affect SMS marketing:

Our early testing of the iOS update confirms that if your messages aren’t marked as Known, they may never reach the user’s primary inbox and will directly land in the Unknown Senders or Spam folder, decreasing the chance of being opened by recipients. This could lead to:

One of the most significant changes in iOS 26 is the introduction of new screening filters designed to give users more control over who can reach them. These features focus on managing messages and calls and may have a major impact on how SMS campaigns are delivered. 

Similar to how emails work, SMS messages in iOS 26 are no longer managed in a single inbox. Instead, they can be routed to other folders, such as Spam.

Messages from unsaved numbers are automatically filtered before reaching the main inbox. When a message arrives, iOS first checks whether the sender’s number is in the user’s contacts or whether there has been prior interaction (for example, the user has messaged the number before). If the sender is not recognized, the message is automatically screened and placed into the Unknown Senders or Spam folder instead of landing directly in “Messages.” Messages in these folders are still accessible, but they are less visible, meaning recipients may not check them regularly or at all.

If a recipient decides your brand is trustworthy, they can manually mark your number as Known, which will then promote your future messages into the main inbox.

Messages in iOS 26 are now organized into folders. Users can access these folders through the new folder menu located in the top-right corner of the Messages screen.

These folders are separated from the main inbox and must be opened manually, as shown in the folder menu below.

When you are using SMS as one of your marketing channels, you'd surely want your messages to land in the main inbox and avoid the risk of your campaigns/automation being overlooked. iOS 26 new screening filters may make it harder for businesses to connect with customers unless they’re recognized as trusted senders. The good news? With the right strategies, you can adapt to these changes and keep your SMS channel performing at its best.

With new subscribers, you can send a welcome message and prompt them to mark your number as Known. For example, you could add this instruction on the success page of your signup form.

With existing subscribers, you can send an email or SMS campaign encouraging them to do the same. Simple lines like “Mark this message as Known so you’ll always see our updates right away” could be used.

It’s important to keep a close eye on your SMS engagement metrics after the iOS 26 update. Tracking open and click rates will help you understand how your audience is responding and whether filtering is affecting visibility. Read more about campaign reports and automation reports.

You can use the email channel alongside SMS to ensure that your customers see your important offers and release messages on time. Multi-channel ensures that if one channel underperforms or faces new limitations, your message can still reach customers through another touchpoint.

Can I know whether my customers have enabled the message screening if they're not in Brazil, India, or China?

Unfortunately, Apple does not provide visibility into whether individual users have enabled or disabled the Screen Unknown Senders feature. As a workaround, we recommend keeping a close eye on your SMS engagement metrics as the iOS update has been released in order to monitor whether your metrics were affected.