Key Takeaways
- If you suddenly stop getting read receipts for your messages, it could be because the recipient disabled the feature, enabled Do Not Disturb, or blocked you.
- If your calls go straight to the recipient’s voicemail for a few days, try calling from a different number to confirm a block.
Trying to reach someone without any luck? It’s possible you’ve been blocked. Even though there’s no definite way to figure out that someone has blocked your phone number, the following signs may indicate that to be the case.
1. No Read Receipts Appearing Under Sent Messages
If someone has blocked your number on their iPhone or Android phone, you can still continue to send messages, but their device will never receive them. Therefore, the recipient will not see those texts, and the usual Read indicator won’t appear in the messages you sent.
However, read receipts will not appear if you and your recipient are using different devices. For example, in the case of Apple users, read receipts only work for iMessage, which is an Apple-exclusive messaging service.
If you’re an iPhone user sending a conventional SMS text message via your Messages app to an Android user, you won’t receive a read receipt even if you aren’t blocked. If the recipient previously used an iPhone but switched to Android, your iMessage will also be sent as a text message instead.
Furthermore, take note that your recipient may have chosen to disable read receipts for everyone. As a result, you won’t see a read receipt even if they have read your text. For instance, not receiving an iMessage read receipt from a fellow Apple user may be a sign they blocked you on iMessage, but it may not necessarily be the case.
2. You Get Quickly Redirected to Voicemail
Unfortunately, when calling a person who has blocked your phone number, you won’t get any kind of notification about it. But if you notice that you get redirected to voicemail very soon after you start calling, that may be a sign you’re blocked.
Don’t jump to any conclusions right away, though. Maybe the recipient has turned their phone off or is in an area with no service coverage. But if this happens every time you call over a long period of time, chances are high that they might have blocked you.
3. The Person Takes Calls From Other Phone Numbers
Another method you can try is calling that person from a different phone number. Borrow someone else’s phone and dial that person’s number. You don’t necessarily need to talk; just check whether the call goes through and the person picks up.
If they pick up from this number but your own number goes straight to voicemail, then there’s the answer to your fears—they’ve blocked your number.
If you can’t use someone else’s phone for this, you can try to hide your phone number to get past the block instead.
Maybe They’re Using Do Not Disturb Mode?
Sometimes, you might think you’ve been blocked when the person you’re calling is actually using Do Not Disturb on their iPhone or Android device. They may also have enabled other Focus modes, which can block calls, messages, and app notifications to help users focus on work or rest without digital interruptions.
However, if the person you are trying to reach has Do Not Disturb or a similar Focus mode set up in a way that lets repeated calls through, try making one call right after the other within three minutes. This could help your call bypass Do Not Disturb (or similar Focus modes), provided they didn’t actually block you.
Additionally, as soon as your contact disables Do Not Disturb mode, any messages you’ve sent will be marked as “Delivered” as they become visible on their phone at the same time.
With the methods listed above, you can get a good idea of whether or not you’ve been blocked. But since there’s no way to know for sure, it’s still best to speak with them directly in person. You can also consider contacting them via social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram instead.
