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chrisky307
User level: Level 2 (274 points)

Faster way to unblock multiple blocked contacts on iPad on 26.6.

Since Apple is apparently limiting the number of Blocked Contacts we can have on our devices, there has to be a better way to get rid of some of them.

I have 825 blocked contacts, and in order to create space I have decided to unblock some, if not all. So I go to Blocked Contacts - Edit. Red circles appear for each contact, and I then have to delete them one at a time!!! Hopefully they will also be deleted from my iPhone.

Am I correct in this, or am I missing something? What an onerous and time consuming way to do this!!




Posted on Aug 8, 2026 1:20 PM

5 replies

WheelieNick
User level: Level 9 (74,110 points)

Aug 8, 2026 2:15 PM in response to chrisky307

Yes, you are correct. iOS does not provide a "select all" or "unblock all" button on the iPhone, meaning you truly have to remove them one by one via swipe or the edit menu. However, deleting them from your blocked list only unblocks them; it does not delete them from your main iPhone Contacts app unless they were never saved there to begin with. 


If you own a Mac signed into the same Apple Account, there is a much faster shortcut to clear the list. 


Open FaceTime or Mail on your Mac.

Go to Settings (or Preferences) and click the Block tab.

Click the first name, press Command + A (⌘A) to highlight all blocked contacts at once, and hit the Deletekey.

This syncs via iCloud and instantly clears the blocked list on your iPhone too. 

Caris
User level: Level 1 (0 points)

Nov 2, 2026 1:10 PM in response to WheelieNick

I bulk-unblocked email senders in Apple Mail on macOS Sequoia 15.8.2. Those removals have not appeared on my iPhone or iPad, both running 27.2 under the same Apple Account. FaceTime on the Mac has only two blocked entries and a different list. Does Sequoia support syncing Mail unblock changes to these devices, and can you repair or reset the blocked-sender sync without deleting my contacts?

chrisky307 Author
User level: Level 2 (274 points)

Aug 8, 2026 4:53 PM in response to WheelieNick

Thanks for your reply. They were never in my iPhone contacts app, So I am good.

kassy209
User level: Level 1 (14 points)

Sep 25, 2026 9:22 AM in response to chrisky307

My Mac will not select all to delete! Please help!

Ear-42
User level: Level 1 (12 points)

Sep 26, 2026 2:11 PM in response to kassy209

Blocked contacts

Originally posted at discussions.apple.com/thread/256337801