A business texted me on iMessage: is it legit, and how do I stop it?

Can businesses text you on iMessage?

Yes. Any phone number registered with iMessage can text you in blue bubbles, and some businesses use one for reminders, support or order updates, often with a name and photo they share. Blue proves nothing about the sender: Apple explains that green means RCS or SMS/MMS, so blue only means iMessage.

ZeroSettle is one service businesses use for this, described as “an iMessage API: a real phone number on real iMessage, running on Apple hardware we operate for you, that your code texts customers from and hears back on through a bearer token and signed webhooks.” The texts come from the business's software, its staff in ZeroSettle's console, or ZeroSettle's hosted AI agent. What customers see when a business texts them on iMessage shows the thread from your side, and ZeroSettle's how-it-works explainers cover the business side.

How can you tell whether a business iMessage is legitimate?

A legitimate business text matches something you did: you gave that business your number for this purpose, and its first message says who it is. Treat the name, the photo and the blue bubble as claims, not proof.

• You gave them your number for this, at a checkout, a booking or a sign-up. ZeroSettle requires that consent, and a record of it.
• The first message says who is texting, and why, and refers to something you recognize, such as an order or an appointment.
• “Maybe:” is not a verification badge. It marks a name and photo the sender shared and you haven't saved. ZeroSettle's homepage says customers see “Maybe: Your Company” even without the number in their contacts (the exact display depends on your iPhone and contact settings). The sender chose that name; Apple did not verify it.
• A link you can't tap is protecting you. Messages shows a link from an unknown sender as plain text until you reply, mark the sender as known or save the contact, and no sender can get around it. Don't unlock a link from a sender you don't recognize: open the company's site or app yourself (why first links aren't tappable).
• Codes and account details stay with you. Apple says to “never share personal data or security information like passwords or security codes”, and the FTC says “Legitimate companies won't ask for information about your account by text.” If a site signs you in by having you send a prefilled iMessage code (Sign in with iMessage), send it only for a sign-in you started yourself.

SK Sam K. iMessage

1. Tue 11:02 AM
2. Business: Hi Sam, it's Juniper Lane Bikes. Your tune-up is done and the bike is ready for pickup until 6 PM today.
3. Customer: who is this? how do you have my number
4. Business: Sorry for the surprise! You gave us this number for repair updates when you dropped the bike off on Saturday. If you'd rather not get texts, reply STOP.
5. Customer: ok thanks. please stop texting though, I'll just call

How do you stop business texts on iMessage?

Reply STOP if you recognize the business, and block the number or report it as spam if you don't. On a ZeroSettle number, ZeroSettle enforces STOP itself; for other iMessage senders, what STOP does is up to the sender. Messages doesn't show which company a business texts through, so STOP is worth sending to any business you recognize.

How STOP works on a ZeroSettle number

• What counts: any text with the word “stop” in it: “pls stop”, “Don't stop”, even “stop by at 3?”. So does a text whose first sentence is just UNSUBSCRIBE, QUIT or OPT OUT, or a clear request anywhere in a text, such as “take me off your list”, “remove me”, “wrong number” or “leave me alone”. “Stops”, “nonstop” and “unstop” don't count, and neither does a tapback, a photo (even with STOP in the caption) or a voice message.
• What is blocked: texts, photos, voice messages, tapbacks, typing indicators and name-and-photo shares from every number on that business's account. Nothing is sent, so don't expect a confirmation text.
• What the business still sees: your STOP, and anything you send after it.
• Opting back in: text START (or unstop) as the whole message. Any other text leaves you opted out.

The business side is in how STOP and opt-outs work on a ZeroSettle iMessage line.

Block, report or screen the sender

Apple's steps from its iPhone User Guide for iOS 26:

1. Block: open the conversation, tap the sender's icon at the top, tap Info, scroll down and tap Block Contact.
2. Report: in a message from an unknown sender, tap Report Spam at the bottom (some Apple articles call it Report Junk), then Delete and Report Spam. For SMS, MMS or RCS, whether you can report depends on your carrier and region.
3. Screen: tap the Filters button, then Manage Filtering, and turn on Screen Unknown Senders. Apple says it is off by default in iOS 26 unless you had Filter Unknown Senders on in iOS 18. Mark as Known lets a sender through.

What does ZeroSettle require of businesses that text you?

ZeroSettle requires your consent, a first message that says who is texting, no promotional texts before 8 am or after 9 pm in your time zone, and AI disclosure. ZeroSettle enforces STOP and a daily cap on new contacts itself; the other rules are the business's responsibility, and ZeroSettle suspends lines used for unsolicited messaging.

Source: ZeroSettle docs, “Errors, limits, and compliance” and “AI agent”, and the iMessage API Terms, sections 4 and 13. This page describes ZeroSettle's rules; it isn't legal advice.

The business-side rules are in iMessage marketing and TCPA consent, and ZeroSettle's reliability and trust pages explain why it caps new contacts. Per its terms, “ZeroSettle is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Apple Inc.”

What if the texts keep coming after you reply STOP?

On a ZeroSettle number, a recorded STOP ends the texts: ZeroSettle refuses every send to you from that business's account. If texts still arrive, the STOP wasn't recorded or they come from another sender, so check these and block what's left.

• Check what you sent. A thumbs-down tapback, a voice message or a photo captioned STOP doesn't count; send STOP as a text.
• Check the bubble. Green means SMS, MMS or RCS, which ZeroSettle numbers don't send, so those texts come from somewhere else.
• Send STOP again if you sent it long ago. ZeroSettle records only STOPs received since its enforcement launched.
• Block the number, which works even after you've replied, when Report Spam no longer does.
• In the US, report spam texts to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, as its guide How to Recognize and Report Spam Text Messages advises.