Today’s technologies are all about connection: see what that person is doing, watch what your doorbell camera sees, read what that person posts. We connect with others in ways we never thought possible just a few 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 all else? What happens when someone needs to break a connection with you? Blocking a number can be the perfect way to start breaking that bond, however awkward it may be.
How to know if someone has blocked your number
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECxIfEA21T4
If you follow these steps and find that you’ve been blocked by someone, don’t try to contact them. They have their own reasons for blocking you, and you don’t want your efforts to be harassed. It’s important to remember that your feelings are valid, but so is the other person’s right to privacy.
Step 1: send a test text
If you and the other person you think may have been blocked, you both use iPhones, your text message exchange is via iMessage, so they appear blue.
This text is delivered as an iMessage, so it appears blue and says Delivered, which means your number is not blocked Image: Maria Diaz/ZDNet
If you send a text message and it shows as Delivered, you haven’t been blocked.
The signs are in the colors
After blocking my number on the other phone, the message was sent as a text instead of an iMessage Image: Maria Diaz/ZDNet
If the sent text looks green instead, that means it was sent as a text message instead of iMessage. You can also see Not delivered in red under the green text bubble or the message may pass as an iMessage but not show if it was Deliveredall of these can indicate that you may have been blocked by the other person.
However, iMessages may appear green or may not appear as Delivered when someone’s phone is off or has no signal or internet connection. So give the other party time to access their text messages before assuming you’ve been blocked.
If your message does not appear as Delivered or it looks green instead of blue, it’s time to dig a little deeper.
Step 2: Call them
Try calling the “Someone” you fear has blocked you to see if the call goes through Image: Maria Diaz/ZDNet
It’s all about putting the pieces together to determine if someone has blocked your number. If you call someone who hasn’t blocked your number, you usually hear several rings before they go to voicemail.
When you call a number that has blocked yours, you may hear ringing or half ringing or no ringing at all, 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 turned on temporarily. Do not disturb mode to work, drive or sleep, so it does not necessarily mean that they have blocked your number.
Step 3: Hide your number
Dial *67 + his phone number. So *67(XXX)-XXX-XXXX Image: Maria Diaz/ZDNet
If your messages are delivered as text when they were previously iMessages and your calls go straight to voicemail consistently, chances are your number has been blocked. You can try calling the number of the person who may have blocked you from another number or hide your number by dialing *67 before their phone number.
To note: Before taking this step, think about how the other party will react if they pick up and find out it’s you.
Incoming call without caller ID a hidden phone number using *67 Image: Maria Diaz/ZDNet
If you’re switching from a different number or hiding your number, you can be pretty sure you’ve been blocked.
No one wants to be blocked by someone else, especially if it’s someone you care about. But if you confirm that someone has blocked your number, the best thing to do is to give that person privacy and time to deal with their needs.
FAQs
Android is not as straightforward as iPhone when it comes to knowing if someone has blocked you. Since there’s no iMessage in Android, it’s a little harder to figure out. Some phones offer read and deliver receipts, so if yours does and you can’t see them, try digging.
In any case, trying steps 2 and 3 will likely help you determine if someone has blocked your number, regardless of read or read receipts.
When you block someone’s number, you won’t receive their calls, texts, or voicemail notifications. But if you also use Whatsapp to communicate, their number will not be automatically blocked on the messaging app.
Whatsapp is a manufacturer- and provider-independent messaging application for your phone. To block someone from contacting you through Whatsapp, you will need to do so through the app. Going to contact info in Whatsapp and tapping Block (this person) will do the trick.
If you are worried that someone has blocked you on Whatsapp, you can message them to check. When a person receives a Whatsapp message, two checks are displayed when it is delivered and they turn blue when it is read. If a single gray check mark appears, the message was not delivered to the recipient.
It may not be delivered if that person does not have internet service at the time or if their phone is turned off. If you have other reasons to think they might have blocked you on Whatsapp, give it a few days and if the tick never doubles, they probably did.
