Lifestyle: How to get someone to stop texting you unnecessarily

When push comes to shove and a simple text becomes a hundred, what do you do? Use these steps on how to get someone to stop texting you.

FINALLY. Almost everyone who owns a cell phone has received unwanted text messages, from stalkers, spammers, angry boyfriends and exes, jealous friends and family, and heaven-knows-who-else.

The bottom line, we don’t need these text messages bugging us day in and day out. If it leaves you wondering how to get someone to stop texting you, read on! We have 11 tried and true tips to help you out. How to get someone to stop texting you There’s nothing more annoying and disturbing than someone who relentlessly texts you. From nonsensical SMS gibberish, spams, and threatening text messages, it all adds up to some serious anxiety.

Unlike calls where you hang up or easily tell the person to stop calling, you can’t screen the text messages you receive. You, therefore, become a slave to your text notifications. Unlike calls, you can’t just hang-up on your annoying texter. But there are some things you can do to get them to stop texting you—FINALLY.

#1 Be honest. Let the person know their constant texting makes you feel uncomfortable or distracted. Tell them if they want to say something, you prefer them call you or even talk to you in person. Don’t confuse your honesty with rudeness, and don’t let them think the same thing too. Being honest about your boundaries is important so people around you, especially the one constantly texting you, knows what to do.

#2 Confront them. If a few honest words of discouragement will not cut it and they continue to make you feel uncomfortable, then go ahead and talk to them face to face. While provoking them in anger may just make things worse, it helps to be firm as you let them know what you feel about their badgering text messages. Set a meeting with them and let them know just how it’s making you feel. Use constructive words and be firm about your boundaries if you want someone to stop texting you.

#3 Ignore. Sending a message doesn’t mean you actually have to send a message. Let the person know you are not interested in them or you don’t like texting back and starting SMS conversations by simply ignoring them. No matter how many times they text you, they get the message eventually—unless they’re very dense, in which case you proceed to the next steps below.

#4 Make it seem like an error. Another effective way of getting someone to stop texting you is to send them an error message similar to the automated messages service providers send. One good example is: “SMS SERVICE ERROR 404: DESTINATION UNAUTHORIZED.” Receiving this most likely makes them think there’s something wrong with the service. Keep doing this each time they text you, and eventually they might give up altogether. You can also go another route and make them think they’re going to be charged: “SMS SERVICE ERROR 202: Message delivery failed. Further messages will be charged to your account.” You can even caps lock everything for added effect.

#5 Block them. Many phones, and even the network providers themselves, give you options to block phone numbers. These are probably created to address the exact situation you are dealing with, which is fairly common. If you can’t find a block option, call customer service to ask how to block phone numbers.

#6 Get an app. If you don’t have an option for blocking numbers, worry no more—there’s an app for that. Today, there are a number of apps for both Android and iPhone helping you block texts as well as calls. There’s the Mr. Number, which automatically blocks private or unknown numbers, as well as Truecaller. Both are for Android. For iPhone, iOS 9 has built-in options for blocking calls and texts, while various providers such as AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, and T-Mobile provide the same services.

#7 Pretend your phone was lost or stolen. Text the over-texter that the person they are trying to contact is not you, or that you just found the phone they’re texting in a dumpster or some radioactive wasteland. The downside is if the texter doesn’t care who owns the phone and just continues to torment-text the new receiver.

#8 Give them a dose of their own medicine. If you want to get someone to stop texting you, you can also give it back to them and bombard them with your own brand of text-fight combos. Send them the most annoying phrases, or give a little bit more effort by sending them hundreds of images of cats or pugs or Donald Trump. The con, though, if they decide to fight back and text you as much, or even more, than you send them. Now this is just a matter of who gives up first.

#9 Change your number. If the above measures didn’t work, change your number. However, you may go through all the motions and hassle of getting a new number, transferring all your contacts, changing your business cards and letterheads, and the whole nine yards only to find that your texting tormentor found out your new number. In this case, start with number one again.

#10 Seek help. If they still continue to pester you with just about anything they can type on their phones *as if they have nothing better to do*, then you can get your friends, parents, colleagues, and “allies” on board. Talk to other victims of such harassment for support, or have other people help you do something about your over-texter. One great tip here is to get them on board and do a class effort to give your tormentor a big dose of their own medicine.

#11 Get the authorities involved. If the above things still don’t cut it *and boy, do you have such a persistent texter*, then you can go to authorities. If you know your texter from the same school or office you’re in, go to your teacher, principal, or manager to have them address the harassment your texter is bringing.

You can also go to court or the police to have a no-contact restraining order served to them. If nothing else can faze them, believe us, jail-time will. Keep your digits private. Don’t publish it on social media, and make sure you secure your privacy settings in all your online accounts connected to your number.

And next time someone asks for your number, don’t just give it out to them. You won’t know which creep will turn up over-texting you and before you know it, you have anxiety over your SMS notifications.