Earlier today, Apple seeded the iOS 26.6 beta 1 update for developers, introducing a host of new features and fixes ahead of the WWDC 2026 event next month. Amongst all is a new blocked contacts limit notifications, which is designed to help users stay aware of blocking limits on iPhones.
iOS 26.6 Will Alert Users of Blocked Contacts Limits
First spotted by MacRumours, a new code in iOS 26.6 has revealed that from iOS 26.6 onwards, Apple will send iPhone users a text warning if they exceed the maximum number of blocked contacts. The alert will read "You've reached the maximum number of blocked contacts. To block additional callers, remove a blocked contact in Settings" with the "Blocked Contacts Limit Reached" title.
However, at the time of writing, it is unclear what the actual blocked contacts limit is. There is no official documentation from Apple and based on what several users have mentioned on social media and Apple's Support Communities, it seems that while some experience issues after 20,000 blocked contacts, some even face an 8,000 limit.
In most cases, the blocked contact list is filled with promotional and spam calls that iPhone users receive on a daily basis. Hence, once the limit is reached, the only option remains to clear out old blocked contacts which can be done by going to Settings > Apps > Phone > Blocked Contacts.
It is important to note that iPhones do not support batch deletion, meaning that users will have to manually remove each and every contact. A simpler solution is using the Ask Reason for Calling option in iOS 26, which redirects unwanted calls to voicemail, saving blocked contacts space. Additionally, using third-party spam detection tools can also help send unwanted calls to a dedicated spam list instead of needing to block them every time.
