How to Block or Unblock Someone on Match.com

Open the person's page or your conversation with them, tap the three dots, and choose Block. From then on they can no longer message you, and they disappear from everywhere on the site for you. Undoing a block only works on a desktop, through the gear icon, so there is no unblocking from your phone.

You can block from two places. Open the member's profile, or open your messages with them. Tap the three dots and choose Block.

That is the whole process, and it takes a few seconds. Most men only go looking for it once something has already gone wrong, so it is worth knowing where it sits before you need it.

A block does two things at once. The person can no longer message you. And their profile is removed from everywhere on the site for you, so you stop coming across them anywhere on Match.

Match lets you block a very large number of members, far more than any ordinary user will ever need. There is no reason to ration blocks or to hold back on one you need.

Unblocking does not work in the app. You need a computer. Click the gear icon, open Blocked Profiles, and unblock the person from there.

This matters if you block someone by mistake on your phone. You cannot fix it until you are at a desktop, so check the name on the screen before you tap Block.

The two buttons do different jobs. An unmatch ends the conversation and deletes your messages with that person. A block stops them contacting you and takes them out of your view across the whole site.

A simple way to choose: unmatch when you are done with a conversation, block when you are done with the person.

Most of the time an unmatch is enough. A conversation that fizzled, a woman you are not attracted to, a date that was pleasant but went nowhere. None of those people have done anything wrong, and none of them need blocking.

Keep blocks for the cases where you want contact to stop, full stop:

• Someone who is abusive, crude or threatening, especially after you have asked them to stop.
• Someone asking you for money, crypto or gift cards, whatever the story.
• Someone who keeps writing after you have made it clear you are not interested.
• An ex or a past date you have decided to cut off completely.

On that last one, the usual advice on cutting contact applies. If you are genuinely done with someone, block them and clear away the reminders, because an open door is too easy to walk back through on a bad night. If you only want some space and might want to talk again one day, do not block. Put a little distance in place and leave the door closed rather than bolted.

Sometimes the doubt is quieter. Her photos look a little too polished, her answers are vague, and something feels off without being rude.

a dating coach's answer to the fear of being catfished is simple: if you are at all worried, get her on a video call before the date. A call beats texting, and a video call beats a call, because you see and hear the actual person. A woman who is real and interested will usually find two minutes for that. Someone who keeps dodging it while the conversation drifts toward a favor or a sad story is exactly who the block button is for.

A message that stings is not always a reason to block. Sometimes it is a clumsy joke, or a woman having a rough day, or a line that reads worse in text than it would sound out loud.

Match does let you undo a block, but only from a desktop. A block you regret at midnight stays in place until you are back at a computer. So if you are angry, put the phone down for an hour. If the message still reads as rude after that, block without a second thought.

Blocking protects your inbox from here on. It does not take back anything you already shared.

So keep a few habits on every dating app. Leave your surname, your workplace and your home address out of early conversations. Be wary of anyone who wants money, or who has a sad story that ends in a request. And meet somewhere public the first time. With those habits in place, a block is a bit of tidying up rather than a rescue.