There’s been plenty of buzz about Apple’s iOS 26 update and what it means for voter contact. Some vendors are selling fear. But as two teams who live and breathe political outreach every day, on the phones, behind the dashboards, and inside the data, we’re here to set the record straight.
This isn’t about panic. It’s about perspective.
What CampaignHQ Is Seeing on the Ground
At CampaignHQ, we’ve been testing iOS 26 from the beta stage and tracking delivery, engagement, and pickup rates on both texts and live calls. We’re working directly with AAPC, major committees, and industry partners to stay ahead of every change.
Here’s what the data shows so far:
- Filters are optional. iOS 26’s new call and text filters are turned off by default and only available on newer iPhones (11 and up). So far, adoption remains under 30 percent.
- Android has had filters for years. These systems use algorithms to categorize messages, sometimes labeling political or mass texts as “promotions” or even “spam.” The good news is that these filters rarely prevent delivery. Messages still arrive, and they’re often visible in the main inbox or just one tap away.
- Live calls are connecting. When calls go to voicemail, voters also receive a text alert, doubling visibility. CampaignHQ is still achieving a 70 percent penetration rate on live calls to mobile numbers with voicemail.
- Telephone town halls are seeing their biggest resurgence since the pandemic. We called 150,000 people and connected a candidate with 19,000 voters who stayed on for an average of seven minutes. $1.16 per participant. $0.21 per minute. Real conversations. Real results. All for less than a quarter.
Bottom line: we’re not seeing any meaningful changes in reach or engagement. Campaign results before and after iOS 26 have remained consistent across both iPhone and Android audiences.
Our focus remains on what always matters, message quality, trusted numbers, and strong follow-up.
What Wonder Cave Is Seeing Across Political Texting
From the platform side, Wonder Cave has been monitoring millions of political texts across every carrier and handset type since iOS 26 rolled out. Delivery rates, opt-outs, and engagement metrics remain stable across the board.
Here’s what the data tells us:
- No new carrier restrictions. Neither Apple nor Android has changed the core delivery pathways for registered 10DLC, toll-free, or short code messaging.
- Filters don’t equal blocks. Both iOS and Android filters are client-side features, they affect how messages are displayed, not whether they’re delivered.
- Android “spam labeling” is inconsistent. Political messages that follow CTIA and TCR compliance rules are still delivered, but spam labeling can vary slightly based on carrier and device settings. It’s not tied to content type, it’s tied to engagement signals like low response rates or high opt-out patterns.
- Proper registration and message reputation still protect you. Campaigns using verified 10DLC or toll-free numbers and maintaining good audience engagement rarely experience filtering.
Our data shows no measurable decline in delivery or read rates on either platform. The real difference comes from message relevance, compliance, and registration hygiene, not the filters themselves.
The Real Risk: Fear Marketing
The biggest threat to campaigns right now isn’t iOS 26 or Android filters, it’s misinformation. Fear marketing is an easy way to get attention, but it doesn’t help campaigns reach voters. It distracts from the fundamentals that actually drive performance.
The truth is simple: successful voter contact depends on authentic messaging, smart audience segmentation, and transparent reporting, not hype.
How Campaigns Can Stay Ahead
Here’s what actually matters heading into 2026:
- Encourage supporters to save your campaign number. MMS vCard attachments make this easy and build trust signals that prevent filtering.
- Keep your numbers registered through The Campaign Registry (TCR) and maintain good reputation scores with carriers.
- Use MMS and RCS (coming soon!) formats to boost visibility and engagement across both iOS and Android devices.
- Avoid spam-like behavior. Personalize messages, don’t repeat identical content to massive lists, and limit frequency.
- Monitor engagement weekly. Look at delivery, click, and opt-out trends, not just one-off delivery reports.
- Work with trusted partners who share data transparently and don’t push fear-based fixes.
- Non-textable voters can decide the outcome. Around 20-25 percent of voter lists are still landlines, even in 2025. You could be missing up to a quarter of your audience. Opt-outs aren’t opposition. They just didn’t want a text that day. You can still reach them with a call.
Looking Ahead to 2026
Heading into the next election cycle, one thing is clear: campaigns that stay grounded in facts and focused on genuine voter connection will outperform those chasing headlines.
At CampaignHQ, we’ll keep testing, tracking, and training to ensure voter contact stays personal and effective. At Wonder Cave, we’ll continue analyzing performance across millions of texts to keep campaigns ahead of every platform change, iOS, Android, and beyond.
Together, we’ll keep separating fact from fiction, so campaigns can stay focused on what actually wins: real conversations with real voters.
No panic required.
