You dial a number, but you’re not getting through. You’re frustrated. Maybe you’re a little anxious. What’s going on? Maybe the person you’re trying to get in touch with forgot their phone, or the battery is dead or it’s on silent or turned it off for some reason.
Or maybe they blocked your number, either by accident or on purpose. Want to know how to tell if someone blocked your number? You should know that when you block a number, you no longer receive calls or text messages from that person.
This can be helpful for stopping some unwanted spam calls, but it can also be used for personal reasons. Here’s what happens when you call someone who blocked you. You won’t get any sort of official notice if someone blocks your calls, but you can make an educated guess by looking for these signs.
Your calls are never answered
The first indication something’s up is you’re calling and sending text messages but you get no response. There are many reasons this might be happening, but a blocked number is one possibility.
For most cases, texts you send will appear to go through normally, but the person you’re sending them to won’t receive them. That radio silence is your first hint something might be up.
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A single ring sends you to voicemail
If you call a phone and hear the normal number of rings before getting sent to voicemail, then it’s a normal call. If you’re blocked, you would only hear a single ring before being diverted to voicemail.
An unusual ring pattern doesn’t necessarily mean your number is blocked. It may just mean the person is talking to someone else at the same time you’re calling, has the phone off or sent the call directly to voicemail. Try again later. If the one-ring and straight-to-voicemail pattern persists, then it may be a case of a blocked number.
Tip in a Tip: How to stop robocalls for good.
Automated responses
If you make a call and receive an automated message along the lines of “the customer is unavailable,” then you may have been blocked by that person’s wireless carrier. The messages can vary, but the result is the same. Your call won’t go through.
A blocked number isn’t the only reason for a message like this, but it can be a strong indication if you keep receiving the same message over several days.
Your texts look different
We covered calls. But you may be wondering how to tell if someone blocked your number from texting. As it turns out, there are a few different signs you can look out for through text.
So if you’ve ever found yourself Googling “How to know if someone blocked your number iPhone” or “How to tell if someone blocked your number Android,” we’ve got you covered.
Here’s how to know if someone blocked your number when you both have iPhones or Androids
- Open iMessage (or your other messaging app)
- Send a message and you’ll get a “delivered” confirmation — or you should.
- If your previous texts were delivered but your most recent texts don’t have that label, you may have been blacklisted
It could be something else
How do you know if someone blocked your number? Don’t jump to conclusions based on suspicion alone. There may be a simple reason why your calls aren’t going through.
So before you find yourself researching something like, “How to know if someone blocked your number on iPhone,” take a breath and think. There could be a network problem, the person may have the phone turned off, the battery is dead or they forgot to renew their monthly calling plan on time.
One possible way to still get through is to disguise your phone number from the other phone. There are ways to hide your number from caller ID, either by changing your call settings or by downloading an app that will handle it for you.
Check out our guide to making anonymous calls. Just remember to use this power wisely. If someone really doesn’t want to hear from you, you may need to just respect that person’s decision.
There’s a fine line between just trying to get in touch and bothering someone. Don’t cross that line. If you’re concerned, then try reaching out over email, through snail mail, or through a family member or mutual friend.
Today's technologies are all about connection: See what this person is doing, watch what your doorbell camera is seeing, read what that person is posting. We're connected with others in ways we never thought possible mere decades ago. And it's no surprise: humans are social creatures.
But what happens when you need to break a connection in a world that encourages visibility above everything? What happens when you feel no other way to get rid of a persistent caller? Blocking a number can be the perfect way to start breaking that link, however awkward it may be.
Most of us have gotten those calls: "Your car's warranty is about to expire...", whether we have a car or not. Aside from going to DoNotCall.gov or calling 1-888-382-1222 to be added to a do-not-call list, you can also block specific phone numbers. But whether it's a personal or professional relationship gone sour, or a pesky telemarketer, ever wondered if someone can actually tell if you've blocked them?
Can someone tell if I block their number?
If you end up blocking someone's number, they won't find out right away, if at all. They won't get a message or call saying they were blocked and won't be able to see it plainly anywhere, but they can infer it. There are ways a person can figure out if they were likely blocked, like sending you texts and calling you.
If you and the other person you blocked both use iPhones, your text message exchange is through iMessage, so they show up in blue.
This text is delivered as an iMessage so it comes up in blue and says Delivered, which means your number isn't blocked
Image: Maria Diaz / ZDNetIf they weren't blocked and decided to send you a text message, it'd come up as Delivered.
The signs are in the colors
After blocking my number on the other phone, the message was delivered as a text instead of an iMessage
Image: Maria Diaz / ZDNetIf the sent text looks green instead, it means it was sent as an SMS instead of iMessage. They may also see Not Delivered in red under the green text bubble or the message may go through as an iMessage but not show if it was Delivered. These can all be clues that they may have been blocked by the other person.
However, iMessages can show up in green or not show as Delivered when someone's phone is off or if they don't have a signal or internet connection. So the other party may assume that before realizing they were blocked.
When someone thinks they're blocked, it's all about putting the pieces together to determine if the other person has in fact blocked their number. If you call someone that hasn't blocked your number, you typically hear several rings before it goes to voicemail.
When you call a number that has blocked yours, you may hear one or half a ring or no rings at all and then the call will go to voicemail. If it goes straight to voicemail, their phone may also be off or out of range, or they may have temporarily turned on Do Not Disturb mode to work, drive, or sleep, however.
If the person you blocked calls you, they'll go to voicemail and can leave a message, but you won't get a missed call or voicemail notification.
If the "Someone" you blocked calls your number, they'll probably go straight to voicemail
Image: Maria Diaz / ZDNetIf the blocked party's messages are delivered as text when they used to be iMessages and their calls go straight to voicemail consistently, they may try calling you from a different number or hiding their number. They can hide their number by dialing *67 before your phone number and the call will come in as No Caller ID.
If the blocked caller gets through from a different number or by hiding their number, then they'll probably be pretty certain you have blocked them.
Dialing *67 + phone number. So, *67(XXX)-XXX-XXXX, shows up as No Caller ID on the other phone
Image: Maria Diaz / ZDNetFor my peace of mind, I wouldn't answer No Caller ID calls after blocking someone, unless I was expecting a very important call.
If you're the one that was blocked, keep in mind that though no one wants to find themselves being blocked by another person, especially if it's someone you care about, the best thing to do is to allow that person the privacy
and time to process their needs for doing so.
Incoming call with no caller ID a hidden phone number using *67
Image: Maria Diaz / ZDNetFAQs
Can someone tell if I block their number on Android?
Android is not as straightforward as iPhone when trying to figure out if someone blocked you. Since there is no iMessage in Android, it's a little trickier to determine. Some phones offer read and delivered receipts, so if yours does and you're not seeing them, they may try doing some digging.
Either way, if they try calling you and then hiding their number to call you, they will likely figure out you blocked their number regardless of delivered or read receipts.
Does blocking a phone number
block it on Whatsapp?
When you block someone's number, you won't receive their calls, texts or notifications for voicemail. But if you also use Whatsapp to communicate, their number won't automatically be blocked on the messaging app.
Whatsapp is a messaging app independent of your phone manufacturer and provider. To block someone from contacting you via Whatsapp, you'll have to do it through the app. Going to the contact info in Whatsapp and tapping on Block (this person)
will do the trick.
How do I know if someone blocked me on Whatsapp?
If you fear someone has blocked you on Whatsapp, you can send them a message to check. When someone receives a Whatsapp message, two checks will show up when it's been delivered and they'll turn blue when it's been read. If only one gray checkmark comes up, then the message hasn't been delivered to the recipient.
It may not be delivered if that person doesn't have internet service at the time, or if their phone is off. If you have other reasons to think they might have blocked you on Whatsapp, give it a couple of days and if the checkmark never doubles, they probably have.