Signs that you have been blocked
Imagine standing in front of a closed door, knocking a few times, but no one answers. That's how it feels when you think your phone number has been blocked by the person you're trying to reach.
But how do you know if someone has blocked your number? There are a few clues:
- Your calls go straight to voicemail, and you don't get a chance to leave a message.
- You don't get a response to your messages, or you only see a gray checkmark on your WhatsApp messages.
- When you try to call someone, you don't hear a ringing tone and the call is immediately ended.
- You no longer see the person's profile picture or status updates on WhatsApp.
And while most signals are similar for iPhone and Android phones, there is also a difference.
- On an iPhone, it could be a sign if your iMessage is not delivered or read. When a message is delivered, you can be sure that you are not blocked.
The investigation starts with fact-checking
You just sent an important message, or you're trying to call someone, but you only get their voicemail, or the message isn't delivered. Does this mean your number has been blocked? Not necessarily!
Before you panic and think that you have been blocked, here are a few things to check.
Voicemail
When you go straight to voicemail, it doesn't necessarily mean that your number has been blocked. Maybe the recipient is temporarily unavailable, the phone is in airplane mode or simply turned off. Check these options before assuming that your number has been blocked.
Message not delivered
If your message isn't delivered, there may be issues with the connection, the app, or the recipient's phone. It could also mean that the recipient has blocked your number, but this is not 100% certain.
Blocked on WhatsApp
Being blocked on WhatsApp does not automatically mean that your number has been blocked. It is possible that someone has blocked your number, but you can still send messages to that person via WhatsApp. Conversely, blocking someone on WhatsApp does not mean that person has blocked your number.
If you think your phone number has been blocked, it's always a good idea to double-check before drawing any conclusions. And even if your number has been blocked, there is no reason to panic.
There are always other ways to communicate with people. Think of social media channels, like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Snapchat.
Check if your number is blocked
Of course, you don't want to make false accusations. So it's time to put on your detective hat and see if you can discover whether your number is indeed blocked with the following clues.
Clue 1: try calling someone
A simple way to check if someone has blocked your number is to call that person. If you get their voicemail immediately when calling, it may mean that someone has blocked your number. The follow-up is to double-check.
Call again, but this time with a different phone number. If you get an answer or the phone rings multiple times using the other number, then you can be pretty sure that your number is indeed blocked.
Clue 2: send an anonymous SMS
If your messages, for example via iMessage, are not being delivered, and you suspect your number has been blocked, you can easily send an anonymous text.
If you receive a delivery confirmation for this message, it means it was delivered, unlike the messages you send from your phone number. This means there is a good chance that your number has been blocked by this person.
Clue 3: call the number anonymously
How can you tell if someone has blocked your number? Do you always get sent straight to voicemail? Then do a control call. You do this by hiding your caller ID before calling the number again.
To make a one-time anonymous call, use your special country code before entering the number. For example, in the US you would first enter 67, so you would dial for example 67 444 333 2222 on your phone.
If the phone rings more than once, likely you are indeed blocked. Keep in mind that many people do not answer anonymous calls.
So, don't expect the person you suspect of blocking your number to answer the phone, but you can tell whether you are blocked or not by how many times the phone rings.
How can you be sure that your number is blocked?
You now have some handy tricks up your sleeve to check if your number is blocked. Sometimes it's necessary to be able to prove that someone has blocked your number, for example for legal matters. If this is the case, you can contact the provider of the person you're trying to call and explain the situation.
Keep in mind that this is not an easy task due to the privacy protection of their customers. Hopefully, our tips will help you find out if your number is blocked.
What happens when you block a number?
To give you an idea: this is what happens on the other side when you choose to block someone.
Blocking a number on iPhone
If you block a number on your iPhone, the blocked number will not be able to make or receive phone calls, send SMS messages, or initiate FaceTime calls to your iPhone. The blocked number will also not be able to leave a voicemail, and it will not appear in your recent calls and messages list.
Blocking a number on Android
Blocking a number on Android works similarly to iPhone. The blocked number will not be able to send phone calls or text messages to your phone, and you will not receive notifications of calls or messages from the blocked number. Calls from the blocked number will also be forwarded directly to voicemail.
Blocking a phone number on one device
It's also important to know that if you ever want to block someone yourself, the block only works for the device on which you set it up. This applies to both iPhone and Android. If you want to block the same number on multiple devices, you have to do it on each device separately.
In addition, if you change your phone, the blocked numbers will not be automatically transferred to the new device. You have to set up the blocking again on the new device if you want the numbers to remain blocked.
You can always hide your number so that you can make anonymous calls. Read more about this in our article ‘How to block your phone number’.