Has My Contact Blocked Me? Understanding iMessage Communication Silence Cues

Key Takeaways

• Signs you’ve been blocked could include not seeing “Delivered” statuses in iMessage, going straight to voicemail, and not being able to find that person on social media.
• However, if the phone rings when you call, you get automated responses, or you can see they’re using a Focus mode, then you definitely aren’t blocked.
• There’s no surefire way to tell if you’ve been blocked on iMessage, but you can look for several clues to make a good guess.

We all get a little anxious when our calls or messages don’t get through to someone. You might even worry if that person has blocked you. But how can you actually know if you’ve been blocked on iMessage? There’s no way to know for sure, but certain factors can offer clues.

4 Ways to Test if Your Number Was Blocked on iMessage

If you haven’t heard back from someone in a little while, they might just have their phone on Airplane Mode or Do Not Disturb . But if you can’t reach someone for an extended period, it’s possible they blocked your number. And while it’s not a good idea to contact someone who’s blocked your number , there are other ways to figure out if that’s what happened, so you can have a better idea of where you stand.

1. Look for an Automated Response

If someone has their phone in Do Not Disturb mode, or using a driving Focus mode , they can set up an auto-responder text to let people know. If you send someone an iMessage and get an auto-response, good news! You’re not blocked; automated responses don’t get sent to blocked numbers.

By a similar token, you aren’t blocked if you see a little moon icon in the Messages app, that says the person has notifications silenced. That just means the person is sharing their Focus status on their phone so won’t see notifications until they off that Focus mode.

2. Check the Delivery Status

If someone has blocked your number on iMessage, you won’t see a “Delivered” or “Read” status under the messages you send them. If you see either of those, you aren’t blocked. It’s likely that they’re just busy or missed the message and haven’t responded yet.

Comparing the status of recent messages can help you deduce whether your text messages are being blocked . If the last message you sent them before you think they started blocking you says “Delivered,” but the most recent one has no status update, they may have blocked your number.

It’s important to note that those status updates only work for other iPhones. If you’re texting someone on an Android phone , you won’t be able to tell if your message is delivered even if they haven’t blocked you.

If someone has Do Not Disturb, driving Focus, or some other Focus mode turned on, iMessages will still show up as “Delivered” right away. If someone has you blocked, they won’t. So if you see that status but don’t get a reply right away, the person you’re trying to reach is probably just busy and will get back to you later on.

However, iPhone users can also disable read receipts in the Settings. So if you don’t see them, that doesn’t definitely mean you’ve been blocked. They may have simply turned these statuses off.

3. Try Calling the Number

If you’ve been blocked by someone and you try to call that number, the call will usually go straight to voicemail, without ringing properly. If that happens when you call, you may have been blocked.

As with the other tests, don’t rely on this method alone. There are other reasons you could get sent to voicemail right away besides a blocked number, for example if the person’s phone is turned off or doesn’t have any signal. Try combining this method with others, like the message status test, to see if it’s likely you’ve been blocked.

If it’s truly an emergency situation and you need to contact someone who you think has blocked you, you can try masking your number. Dialing *67 to hide your caller ID may allow your call to get through if someone has blocked you, though they could still decline the call when they see it coming from an anonymous number or have unknown callers silenced .

*67 should only be used in an emergency. Be aware that contacting someone who has blocked you could have legal ramifications, especially if they’ve made it clear through other means that they do not want you to contact them. Do not use this method as a means to get around blocking to harass someone. Respect their privacy and their choice instead.

4. Check Social Media

If someone’s blocked your number and blocked you on iMessage, they’ve probably blocked you in other places as well. Check apps like Facebook and Instagram to see if you’re able to send them a message there. If you can’t, or if their page doesn’t even show up for you when you search, you’ve probably been blocked on everything.

If You’ve Been Blocked on iMessage, Let It Go

If you’ve used these methods and have enough evidence to be reasonably sure you’ve been blocked, it’s not a great feeling. But you need to respect the privacy and wishes of whoever blocked you and let it go. It could end up being a fluke or a misunderstanding, so try not to take it too personally if you don’t get an instant reply from someone.

FAQs

What if It’s an Android Phone?

Want to know if someone’s blocked your number, but the person you’re texting has an Android phone? Try calling. If it goes to voicemail after barely one ring, you may have been blocked. The message status method won’t work, since that only shows up for messages sent between two iPhones.

Will My Message Say “Delivered” if I’m Blocked?

Nope, there will be no “Delivered” status underneath your blue iMessage text bubble if your number’s been blocked. However, there are other potential causes for a missing delivery message, so don’t take it as absolute proof.

Can I Still Leave a Voicemail?

You can always leave a voicemail, assuming the person has set up their voicemail inbox . However, if you’re blocked, it gets stored under a separate Blocked Messages section away from their regular voicemail list, meaning they probably won’t see it anyway.

Does a Green iMessage Bubble Mean I’m Blocked?

No, it’s a common misconception that a green text bubble means you’ve been blocked on iMessage. All it really means is that your message was sent via SMS, or that you’re texting someone on an Android phone. If you are actually blocked by an iPhone user, the message bubble will stay blue, but you won’t see a “Delivered” status.

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