How to Block Unwanted Emails on Android (Gmail, Samsung, Outlook)

To block emails on Android, open an email from the sender, tap the three-dot menu, and choose Block (Gmail), Block address or Mark as spam (Samsung Email), or Report Junk → Block Sender (Outlook). Future mail from that address goes to Spam or Junk instead of your inbox.

The catch is that Android itself has no email blocker. The Blocked numbers list in your phone settings covers calls and texts only. Each mail app runs its own controls, and where the block is stored decides whether it works everywhere or only in that one app. This guide gives the steps for all three apps as of October 2026, then covers the cases where blocking isn't enough.

Which Android Email App Are You Using?#

Check the app icon before you start, because the steps and the reach of a block differ by app. Most Android phones use the Gmail app by default. Samsung Galaxy phones also ship Samsung Email, and many people have both installed for the same account without noticing.

The rule that matters: a block set in the Gmail app or Outlook app is saved to your email account, so it applies on every device. A block set in Samsung Email is saved inside the Samsung app, so the Gmail app on the same phone doesn't know about it.

How to Block Emails in the Gmail App on Android#

These are Google's own steps for the Gmail app on Android phones and tablets. The Gmail app on iPhone works the same way, so they also answer "how to block emails on Gmail on my phone" for both platforms. For a Gmail-only deep dive, see how to stop spam in the Gmail app on your phone.

1. 1

   Block a sender

   Open the Gmail app and open a message from the sender. In the message header, tap More (the three dots next to the Reply arrow — not the menu at the very top of the screen). Tap Block "sender name". All future emails from that address go to Spam.

2. 2

   Report spam (one or many at once)

   Open the email, tap More at the top right of the screen, then tap Report spam. To report several at once without opening them, tap the sender's profile picture next to each email in your inbox to select it, then tap More and Report spam. Reporting moves mail to Spam and helps Gmail's filter, but it does not block the sender on its own.

3. 3

   Unsubscribe from a newsletter

   Open the email and tap Unsubscribe next to the sender's name, then tap Unsubscribe or Go to website in the pop-up. Google says it can take a few days for the emails to stop. One unsubscribe may only cover one of the sender's mailing lists.

4. 4

   Clear many lists at once with Manage subscriptions

   Tap Menu (top left), then Manage subscriptions. Gmail lists the senders you're subscribed to, with an Unsubscribe button next to each. Unsubscribing here removes you from all of that sender's active lists, and new mail from them goes to Spam. Google notes this view is still rolling out, so you may not see it yet.

5. 5

   Unblock someone you blocked by mistake

   Open a message from them, tap More next to Reply, and tap Unblock "sender name". To see your full blocked list, use Gmail in a browser: Settings → See all settings → Filters and Blocked Addresses.

How to Block Emails in Samsung Email on a Galaxy Phone#

Samsung Email is the pre-installed mail app on Galaxy phones and works with Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, Exchange and other IMAP accounts. Samsung doesn't publish an official step-by-step for this, and the menu wording differs between app versions, so expect one of two labels: Block address or Mark as spam. Both add the sender to the app's spam list.

1. 1

   Block a sender

   Open the email. Tap the three-dot menu (More) at the top right. Tap Block address, or Mark as spam if that's the option your version shows, and confirm. Future mail from that address goes to Samsung Email's Spam folder.

2. 2

   Block a whole domain

   When the confirmation appears after marking a message as spam, some versions let you choose between the single address and the whole domain (for example, everything from @promo-example.com). Pick the domain option when the same company keeps emailing you from different addresses.

3. 3

   Review or edit the spam list

   Tap the three-line menu at the top left, then the Settings gear. Scroll to Spam addresses (on older versions it sits under General settings). Here you can add an address or domain by hand, or remove one that was blocked by mistake.

4. 4

   If real mail keeps landing in Samsung's Spam or Junk folder

   Open Spam addresses and remove any entry that matches the sender or their domain. A domain block set months ago is the usual reason a legitimate email from the same company disappears.

How to Block Emails in Outlook for Android#

Outlook for Android puts junk reporting and blocking in one menu. These are Microsoft's current steps for Outlook on Android and iOS.

1. 1

   Report junk or block the sender

   Open the email. Tap ⋮ at the top right of the screen. Tap Report Junk, then choose Junk, Phishing, or Block Sender. Block Sender sends future mail from that address to your Junk Email folder.

2. 2

   Block a domain or manage the list

   Open Outlook on the web (outlook.live.com for personal accounts) in a browser. Go to Settings → Mail → Junk email. Add an address under Blocked senders or a domain under Blocked domains, then select Save. Microsoft allows up to 10,000 entries across the blocked and safe senders lists.

Gmail vs Samsung Email vs Outlook: What Each Can Do on Android#

The biggest difference isn't the steps — it's where each block lives and whether you can stop a whole domain from the phone.

Block Option Missing? Common Causes#

• The email is already in Spam. Users often find Block doesn't appear on a message sitting in the Spam folder. Open a different message from the same sender, or move this one out with Report not spam and block it from the inbox.
• It's not a Gmail or Workspace account. If you've added a Yahoo or other IMAP account to the Gmail app, some controls may not appear. Block it in that provider's own app or webmail instead.
• Your app is out of date. Update Gmail, Samsung Email or Outlook in the Play Store (Samsung Email may update through Galaxy Store).
• You're tapping the wrong menu. In Gmail, Block is in the three-dot menu inside the message header next to Reply, not the top-of-screen menu.
• Your Samsung Email version uses different wording. Look for Mark as spam or Move to spam, then check Settings → Spam addresses to confirm the sender was added.

What to Do When Blocking Doesn't Stop the Emails#

The sender keeps switching addresses. A block matches one exact address. High-volume senders rotate through new ones on the same domain, so each block is beaten by the next email. Block the domain instead: in Gmail, create a filter on the web with @theirdomain.com in the From field and choose Delete it; in Outlook, add it under Blocked domains; in Samsung Email, add the domain to Spam addresses.

A newsletter keeps arriving after you unsubscribed. Under the US CAN-SPAM Act, commercial senders must honour an opt-out within 10 business days. If it's still coming after two weeks, stop waiting and block or filter the sender.

You blocked them in Gmail but still see them in Samsung Email. The two lists are separate. Add the address in Samsung Email too, or just use one app for that account.

It looks like a scam. Don't tap Unsubscribe or any link in an email you never signed up for; Google's own advice is not to open links from senders you're unsure about. Use Report spam (or Phishing in Outlook) and delete it.

A Faster Way to Handle Ongoing Spam Volume#

The steps above work when the problem is a handful of senders. Once you're blocking new addresses every day, or juggling the same blocks across Gmail and Samsung Email, a per-address list stops keeping up.

We build AI Emaily, and that's the gap it's designed for. It connects to your Gmail, Outlook or IMAP account and scores every incoming message for spam and phishing server-side, at sync, so filtered mail lands in a Spam folder with a score and a plain-English reason. You can hard-block whole domains or rescue a sender with one tap. The limits, stated plainly: on Android it's a home-screen PWA rather than a Play Store app (a native app is on the roadmap), and its filtering applies inside AI Emaily — it doesn't change what the Gmail app or Samsung Email shows. See how spam protection works.

If you only have one or two persistent senders, a Gmail filter or an Outlook Blocked domains entry is free and permanent. Start there.