# SMS Shield — user reviews > 84 indexed App Store user reviews of SMS Shield by Taphive GmbH, rated 3.20/5 from 137 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sms-shield/id1248198400/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sms-shield/id1248198400.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 63 · 4★ 5 · 3★ 10 · 2★ 12 · 1★ 47 ## What do users think of SMS Shield? Overall sentiment: negative **Pros** - 👍 Works well for some users - 👍 Filters spam effectively for some - 👍 Good for blocking specific keywords for some - 👍 Worth the price for some users - 👍 Privacy-focused (messages stay on device) - 👍 Good idea and execution for some **Cons** - 🐛 Doesn't work for many users - 🐛 Fails to filter obvious scams - 🐛 Still receives spam texts - 🐛 Sends legitimate texts to junk - 🐛 Requires manual spam addition - 🐛 Paid membership not worth it - 🐛 No response from support - 🐛 Doesn't block SMS from email - 🐛 Doesn't distinguish real from fake - 🐛 Difficult to disable - 🐛 Blocks important texts - 🐛 Free trial doesn't work - 🐛 Forced paid subscription - 🐛 Garbage app - 🐛 Rubbish - 🐛 Filter doesn't work - 🐛 Buyer beware - 🐛 Not impressed - 🐛 Only works if you pay - 🐛 Crap - 🐛 Useless - 🐛 No efficacy - 🐛 Can't recommend - 🐛 Money waste - 🐛 Does not work at all - 🐛 Scam - 🐛 No support - 🐛 Blocks important texts - 🐛 I wish I could give zero stars - 🐛 Doesn't work - 🐛 Useless app - 🐛 No longer working - 🐛 Key word issues - 🐛 App is crap - 🐛 Poor filter - 🐛 Strange behavior over email - 🐛 Blocking many important SMS - 🐛 Piece of junk - 🐛 Doesn't Work in Turkey - 🐛 Does not work...at all - 🐛 Deneyemedim (couldn't try) - 🐛 Money suckers - 🐛 Not really work - 🐛 Horrible app - 🐛 Kostenpflichtig (paid) - 🐛 Not Working - 🐛 Not doing anything - 🐛 Not that helpful - 🐛 Doesn’t work at all - 🐛 Not worth it! - 🐛 Fraud alert! - 🐛 App works during free trial only - 🐛 Failed to modify some records - 🐛 Not working - 🐛 Not worth it - 🐛 Poor filter - 🐛 Strange behaviour over email - 🐛 Blocking many important SMS - 🐛 Piece of junk - 🐛 Doesn't Work in Turkey - 🐛 Does not work...at all - 🐛 Deneyemedim (couldn't try) - 🐛 Money suckers - 🐛 Not really work - 🐛 Horrible app - 🐛 Kostenpflichtig (paid) - 🐛 Not Working - 🐛 Not doing anything - 🐛 Not that helpful - 🐛 Doesn’t work at all - 🐛 Not worth it! - 🐛 Fraud alert! - 🐛 App works during free trial only - 🐛 Failed to modify some records - 🐛 Not working - 🐛 Not worth it - 🐛 Poor filter - 🐛 Strange behaviour over email - 🐛 Blocking many important SMS - 🐛 Piece of junk - 🐛 Doesn't Work in Turkey - 🐛 Does not work...at all - 🐛 Deneyemedim (couldn't try) - 🐛 Money suckers - 🐛 Not really work - 🐛 Horrible app - 🐛 Kostenpflichtig (paid) - 🐛 Not Working - 🐛 Not doing anything - 🐛 Not that helpful - 🐛 Doesn’t work at all - 🐛 Not worth it! - 🐛 Fraud alert! **Commonly reported bugs** - Filters out legitimate texts - Doesn't block known spam - Requires manual input for blocking - No response from support - Doesn't block SMS from email - Machine learning is ineffective - App still filtering after cancellation - App doesn't work after iOS update - Keywords not being blocked - False positives (blocking important messages) - Cannot cancel subscription in-app - App asks for sensitive permissions - Free trial doesn't work as advertised - Fails to modify records when classifying SMS **Most requested features** - More blocking of SMS scams - Option to mark SMS as spam or not spam - Ability to whitelist keywords - Better machine learning/training - Improved support responsiveness - One-time purchase option ## Newest reviews (18 of 84) ### 2/5 — Works ok. *2025-10-14, version 1.1.1* Not good at fixing texts that even flagged as non spam. Keeps sending them to junk folder. ### 1/5 — Aucune efficacité *2022-12-09, version 1.1.1* Zéro efficacité ### 1/5 — Can’t recommend! *2022-12-03, version 1.1.1* I had high hopes for this app but can only give it the rating I did because of a couple of issues. One, it sends text to junk text filter even if the number is whitelisted. Two, the so called “machine learning “ isn’t that smart if after three months of telling the app particular texts are normal. Three, it still lets real junk texts through even after telling the app they are not. Finally and this is the killer, support doesn’t respond to help after three messages over four weeks. So, if y’all are monitoring these reviews, maybe you’ll respond now? ### 1/5 — Does not block spam *2022-11-04, version 1.1.1* Buyer beware ### 1/5 — Does not work at all *2022-08-13, version 1.1.1* I’ve used this app for a few weeks. Bottom line is, it simply doesn’t work. Deleting asap! ### 1/5 — Scam *2022-08-08, version 1.1.1* Do not buy it! ### 1/5 — Doesn’t work *2022-05-17, version 1.1.1* It really doesn’t work. They also won’t return emails. ### 1/5 — No sirve *2022-04-07* Una basura, no filtra llamadas ni sms, no sirve para nada ### 1/5 — Not impressed so far *2022-04-04, version 1.1.1* I downloaded this app because I was getting at least one text spam a day. But so far, they are still coming through at the rate of frequency ☹️ ### 1/5 — Only works if you pay *2022-04-03, version 1.1.1* Despite being free up front, this only works if you pay. I wouldn’t have downloaded it had I known that up front. ### 1/5 — garbage *2022-03-29, version 1.1.1* Tried it for almost a week after being forced to choose a paid subscription to see if it even worked. It doesn’t work at all. absolute garbage. ### 1/5 — Rubbish *2022-03-12, version 1.1.1* Crap ### 1/5 — Filter Doesn’t Work *2022-01-30, version 1.1.1* The filter does not work!!!!!! There is no way to contact this company. ### 1/5 — Terrible - forced to pay *2022-01-30, version 1.1.1* Doesn’t work. I’ve copied and pasted at least a dozen spam texts into their app as described, and not one time has this worked. ### 2/5 — So-so *2022-01-30, version 1.1.1* All of a sudden in 4 days I had over 100 spam texts. I tried all of the hacks and ATT couldn’t help. Someone suggested this app. I figured… why not. The first day they stopped. Now I’m getting spam texts again. Each day they are increasing. I paid for an app I expect it to work. But I have to go in and put the content into the app. If I’m paying for something I shouldn’t have to do the work. ### 1/5 — Review *2022-01-26, version 1.1.1* SMS doesn’t work. I copy, paste and submit texts and numbers and they still get through. How do I cancel my subscription? ### 2/5 — Blocks everything it don’t know *2022-01-22, version 1.1.1* But still let’s scam emails through even though you blocked them ### 1/5 — Free trial doesn’t work *2021-12-13, version 1.1.1* Free trial doesn’t work ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Fails to filter - don’t waste your money *2026-06-15, version 1.1.1* Does not filter area codes or keywords as you would expect. Actually I don’t know what it does as there is NO reporting to see what it has done. Political spam continues… ### 1/5 — Doesn’t work *2025-12-02, version 1.1.1* Failed to filter out obvious scam gambling texts ### 1/5 — Manual *2025-09-18, version 1.1.1* This is a sham; YOU have to catch the spam & add it to your (their) database manually. So you are paying this app to build their database and YOU get no automated blocking at all. CROOKS ### 1/5 — Does Not Work - Money waste *2025-09-02, version 1.1.1* Tried blocking spam numbers and still getting spam calls from same numbers. Enabled this app on phone settings and still i didn’t see it work. Its been more than a week now since I bought gold membership. Please refund my money. ### 1/5 — Still getting spam texts *2025-08-24, version 1.1.1* As the title suggests this app is not working. I even tried using their filters of blocking out key word in certain sms but even those are still coming through. Don’t pay for their silver/gold membership since it’s not worth it, I’m canceling mine. Reached out to them but haven’t heard anything back. ### 1/5 — Spam SMS from email *2025-06-18, version 1.1.1* SMS shield is not blocking sms from email even after adding @ in the blocking keyword. ### 1/5 — Non funziona assolutamete *2024-07-03, version 1.1.1* Non riconosce un messaggio vero da uno falso o peggio di phishing.. Su 3 arrivati non ne ha riconosciuto per pericoloso nessuno. All' interno dell'app cè una funzione per incollare il messaggio sospetto e farlo analizzare me li ha indicati per messaggi buoni e non pericolosi ho chiesto ad Apple il rimborso ### 1/5 — Difficult *2023-07-11, version 1.1.1* I cannot find a way to disable this app! Please help! ### 1/5 — Laws *2023-05-06, version 1.1.1* Because of apps like this politicians will need to pass some laws to protect customers ### 1/5 — Useless *2023-03-26, version 1.1.1* Blocks nothing. ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — SMS shield *2025-10-19, version 1.1.1* Love it needs to be more blocking of sms scams I still get them ### 5/5 — Best sms app I will strongly recommend *2023-03-19, version 1.1.1* I had a problem of spam sms by few people. This app works sooo beautifully that I never ever had any issue since the day of download.the person who designed this app deserves the award. In my life I will never uninstall this. It uses specific words to block. It blocked all spam messages from websites. Big big thanks to developer. ### 5/5 — It works *2021-10-29, version 1.1.1* This cost less than $20 a year, and it works once you set up a couple of filters. I was getting junk texts every day at 3 AM or 4 AM… I set up a few filters to block part of the problematic urls and email addresses. Then I checked the filtered texts for a few days, if a bill pay alert or something got blocked by mistake I whitelist that sender. Now I don’t get any more junk texts and it’s totally worth paying a bit for! It works great and is easy to learn to use. ### 5/5 — It works *2021-08-23, version 1.1.1* At first I didn’t think it was working and almost deleted it before the free trail was working. But I found the more key words I added the less texts I received. I get a lot of spam from email accounts so I can’t block them regularly. But this app allows you to add in words so now I’m able to block texts sent by emails ### 5/5 — Works well *2019-11-24* Filters correctly and works very well for Indian spam messages. Just a few hiccups. Definitely worth it. ### 5/5 — Great utility *2018-11-24* With a quick learning algorithm this app in no time has alleviated my misery with unwanted texts. ### 5/5 — Best app *2018-10-19* Best for filtering nasty ### 5/5 — Great *2018-08-15, version 1.1.1* Yararli bir program ### 5/5 — Great App *2018-05-04, version 1.1.1* SMSShield is a great app! Great idea as well great execution. Keep up, SMSShield team! ### 5/5 — Perfect for what it does. *2017-11-14* After trying many SMS filtering apps, I have settled on this one. It is perfect 99 percent of the time. And best of all all the messages stay on my device, perfect for privacy. --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-02.*