Apple cracks down on iMessage spam by allowing users to report messages directly

Apple users can now report spam messages sent over the company’s iMessage system directly via an email to imessage.spam@icloud.com.

In a support document on Apple’s website (hat-tip Macstories), the company explains that all a user needs to do is include a screenshot of the message you have received, note down the full email address or phone number that the unwanted message was sent from, and include the date and time of the message received.

Apple’s move to crack down on spam has likely come amid concerns about spam on its iMessage system — which works exactly like email spam.

Earlier this year, we also reported on an incident in which at least a half-dozen iOS developer and hacker community members were targeted with a series of rapid-fire texts sent over Apple’s iMessage system.

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The messages, likely transmitted via the OS X Messages app using a simple AppleScript, rapidly filled up the Messages app on iOS or the Mac with text, forcing users to constantly clear both notifications and messages. In some instances, the messages were so large that they completely locked up the Messages app on iOS, constituting a ‘denial of service’ (DoS) attack of sorts, even though in this case they appeared to be a prank.

Subsequently, with the introduction of iOS 7, Apple introduced a feature that allows users to block specific contacts or numbers from sending a text or iMessage. The option can be found in the Messages section under Settings.

Image Credit: Jean-Sebastien Evrard via AFP/Getty Images