A method and an apparatus for starting an operating system. The method is: when a terminal determines that a currently received message is a broadcast message, determining whether the broadcast message is an unwanted broadcast message according to a user identifier included in the broadcast message; and when determining that the broadcast message is an unwanted broadcast message, reversely searching for a recipient identifier corresponding to the unwanted broadcast message, and removing the recipient identifier from a recipient identifier list, so that the recipient skips receiving the foregoing unwanted broadcast message.