While direct notifications are a rarity, most social media platforms have a way of letting users know that they have been blocked by someone. Instagram has the infamous ‘User cannot be found’ error message, while Snapchat displays a cross instead of a camera icon next to the user’s profile. Interestingly, it is much harder to find out if someone has blocked your phone number. But it is not impossible. Here are some ways you can check your blocked status.
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In This Article
How to bypass a block
If you suspect someone blocked your phone number by accident (ex: an old grandparent who can’t get the hang of smartphones), you can bypass the action and contact them. Here are some methods.
- Use *67 while calling the number.
- Hide your Caller ID in phone settings before calling the number.
- Call the user on WhatsApp/Facebook/Instagram or any other social media platform.
- Use a temporary/burner number to call the user.
Send them a text
If someone has blocked your phone number, they won’t receive your text messages. This means you won’t get read receipts for your texts. While this does not confirm that the user has blocked your number, it is a good place to start. It is possible that the user has disabled read receipts on their smartphone. Additionally, if you’re an iPhone user, you won’t receive read receipts from Android users. Keep these things in mind while trying to confirm the block status.
Inconsistent messages from the service provider
As you can tell, when your phone number is blocked by another user, you cannot hear any rings when you call them. Instead, you will either be redirected to voicemail or encounter a message from the network provider, letting you know the reason why your call isn’t going through. Network providers do not have a pre-recorded message for blocked numbers. Instead, they reuse the messages that are recorded for other scenarios (like service unavailable, busy line, user out of network coverage, etc). If you encounter a different error message every time you call the user, it is probable that they have blocked you.
Are your calls going directly to voicemail?
If you notice that your phone calls are going directly to voicemail, it could mean that the user has blocked you. Typically, the network provider redirects you to voicemail only when the user does not pick up the call. If you’re blocked, your calls are immediately cancelled, which means you are directed to voicemail right away. Of course, this can also happen if the user is out of the network coverage area. This is why you should certainly try the next method to confirm if you’ve been blocked.
Call the user from another number
If you’re consistently encountering voicemail while trying to call the user from your number, simply use someone else’s number instead. If the call goes through, it is a very strong sign that your phone number has been blocked by the user.
How to find out if the user has DND on?
While calling the user from another number is generally a sure-shot way to find out if they’ve blocked your number, there is one small caveat that you need to take into consideration. If the user has turned on Do Not Disturb, your call won’t get through. However, DND mode passes the call to the user if you ring them multiple times. You can deploy this trick to check if you’ve been blocked.
Check if you’ve been blocked on WhatsApp
If someone has blocked your phone number, it is likely they have blocked you on WhatsApp as well. If you cannot view the user’s profile picture on WhatsApp and your messages get stuck on ‘sent’, it is a strong sign that you have been blocked. Calling the user on WhatsApp will display the ‘Calling’ message on the screen, but it won’t change to ‘Ringing’.
Check if you’ve been blocked on socials
As a final confirmation, check if the user has blocked your profile on other social media platforms. If you’ve been blocked on Instagram, the user’s profile name will change to ‘Instagram User’. On Snapchat, a cross icon will display instead of a camera icon next to the user’s profile.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How do I find out if someone has blocked my phone number?
If your call goes directly to voicemail but other users are able to ring the number, it means that your phone number has been blocked.
How do I bypass a block?
If you want to call a user who has blocked you, you can mask your phone number by prefixing the call with *67.
How do I find out if someone has blocked me on WhatsApp?
If you can’t view a user’s profile picture on WhatsApp and your messages to them get stuck on a single tick, it means they have blocked you on the platform.
Can I send a text to someone who has blocked my number?
You can send a text to someone who has blocked your phone number, but it won’t be delivered to them. Your text will get stuck on a single tick.
How do I block someone’s number on my phone?
Launch the Dialer app, hit the ellipses, go to Settings>Blocked numbers>Add a Phone Number, and enter the user’s phone number in the blank field.
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Conclusion
These are the top 7 ways to find out if someone has blocked your phone number. If you’ve been blocked by someone, do not try to bypass the action by contacting them with other phone numbers. Badgering someone repeatedly counts as harassment.
