With the release of iOS 26, Apple is making it easier for iPhone users to turn on a feature called “Screen Unknown Senders”. When someone turns this on, their text messages get sorted into two separate piles. A main inbox for people and brands they know, and a second inbox tucked away for everyone else.
Think of it like a school desk with two trays. The "important" tray is front and center. The "unknown" tray is somewhere in the back of the classroom.
For brands sending SMS, the goal is simple: you want to be in that front tray.
This feature is turned off by default in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. Users have to manually switch it on, so the impact will be limited.
How to fix the issue
Your subscribers have a few ways to allow your SMS/MMS to be delivered to them:
After receiving a message, they can tap the "Known Sender / Mark as Known" button, a small button that appears under messages when the feature is on. This will allow your messages to be delivered.
They can Save your number in their phone contacts.
Replying to your messages will also ensure that your future messages bypass the filter.
Every little interaction helps. The more your subscribers engage with your messages, the better your chances of staying front and center in their inbox.
TIP: Add a simple "save our number" nudge inside your Welcome Series. A single line asking subscribers to save the number goes a long way toward securing 'Known Sender' status.
The good news for TxtCart merchants
Here's where TxtCart has a real leg up over other SMS tools, and it comes down to one thing: Conversations.
Most SMS platforms just blast messages out and wait. No reply, no back-and-forth, but TxtCart is built around two-way conversations. When your subscribers reply to your messages, whether they're asking about an order, responding to an offer, or chatting with your AI agent, that reply is a signal to Apple that they know you.
A subscriber who replies to your messages is much more likely to have your number land in their main inbox automatically. That's not a workaround. That's just how the feature works, and TxtCart's conversational model is built for exactly this.
TxtCart's two-way conversational model is a structural advantage here. Every real reply a subscriber sends naturally keeps TxtCart in the Known Senders list.
Should you be worried?
Nope. Here's why this isn't an overnight emergency:
The feature is turned off by default in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia, in order to use this feature, users need to turn it on manually.
iPhone users typically take months to update to a new iOS version, not days.
There are still some bugs and rough edges in the feature that may slow adoption even further.
For now, it's just worth noting that deliverability may be lower for iOS users who have this feature enabled, though this only affects a subset of iOS users, not the broader group.
What TxtCart is doing about it
We're actively working on ways to make sure your messages keep reaching your subscribers where it matters. More updates coming soon, but the foundation is already in your favor.
Every real conversation your brand has with a subscriber through TxtCart is a step toward staying in their main inbox, naturally.