How to tell if your phone number has been blocked.
Anyone who has tried online dating may have experienced the awkwardness of having their phone number abruptly restricted. When meeting new people, this can happen as well.
Unfortunately, determining whether or not your phone number has been blocked might be tricky. Your inquiries and comments may go unanswered, but it’s not always clear if you’ve been blocked or ignored.
There are a few telltale signals that your phone number has been blocked, which can be an uncomfortable scenario. Regardless of why you were blocked, it’s better not to push the issue too far out of respect for other people’s privacy.
See how fast you get to voicemail
The person who has blocked your phone number will not receive any form of notification if you attempt to contact them. Because of this, the ringtone/voicemail pattern won’t work in the typical way. Calling an unblocked number will result in a voicemail prompt after between three and a dozen rings. As an alternative, if the person’s phone is off or busy, you’ll be sent to voicemail.
In the case of a blocked number, things are a little more complicated. After one ring, you’ll be directed to your voicemail box. A voicemail is acceptable, but it will not be delivered to the recipient’s mailbox. Instead, voicemails from blocked numbers are stored in a separate location. There are a variety of ways to access it, depending on your phone model, and it isn’t germane to the topic at hand.)
Is your phone going straight to voicemail if it rings a lot or goes straight to voicemail? A single ring and a voicemail prompt indicate that you’ve received a call.
If you hear a recorded message saying that the phone number is “unavailable,” that’s another red flag. Depending on the recipient’s wireless carrier, the exact message will differ, but if a number is unavailable—especially if other phones can reach it—your number is almost probably blocked.
Try sending a text message
For iOS, text messages are a better indicator of whether or not a person has blocked you than for Android. “Delivered” and “Read” are the two most common notifications you’ll see on iOS after you send a text. In the first case, your text message was delivered successfully, but the recipient hasn’t yet seen it. The second one should be self-explanatory.
A person who has blocked you will not receive any of these alerts, though. Instead, a white space will appear below your content.
Consider the fact that you may not receive a notification if your account has been blocked. Users who have their phones set to Do Not Disturb will not receive any notifications unless they remove that setting. But if you haven’t seen anything in a few days, you may want to block the most likely cause.
However, the process is far more difficult if you or the intended recipient have an Android phone. This feature is available on some Android phones, but not all. Not all SMS receipts are compatible with iOS. Your best bet if you’re using an Android phone would be to simply send a text message and hope for the best.
Call from another phone
A simple remedy may be the most effective. Try phoning the person’s number from a different phone if you fear you’ve been blocked. It doesn’t really matter if you use your work phone or borrow a friend’s phone. There’s a significant possibility you’ve been blocked if you can’t get through to a person on your phone but can get through to them on another phone.
Try the following steps: Choose a time when you know the person you’re phoning is most likely to be available. Make a phone call. What do you think? After then, dial a second phone number instantly. If you want to know how long it takes for a call to go to voicemail, remember that you don’t actually need the person on the other end of the line.
Ideally, you will be able to talk to the person and find out why they are ignoring your calls. (It’s also telling if they instantly hang up on you.) Even in the worst-case situation, you’ll never know for sure if your account has been blocked.
When it comes down to it, it’s hardly the worst mystery in the world. There is no difference in the ultimate outcome if a person is screening your calls indefinitely or has blocked you outright. Most of the time, the best course of action is to respect it and, if things haven’t improved, try again in a few months.
Avoid this
If you’ve been blocked by someone, especially if you don’t know why, it can be plain upsetting. We get that.
If you can’t handle it, don’t worry. To avoid being accused of harassment, refrain from contacting the individual who blocked you.
If you’re feeling down about the circumstance, chat to a friend about it or reach out to other accessible resources for support.