The folks at Apple have made it almost effortless to block phone numbers on iPhone devices.
That’s great if you want to get telemarketers off your back, but what if a number got blocked by accident?
Would someone even know if they were blocked?
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Will An iPhone Ring If I’m Blocked?
If you call an iPhone on a blocked number it will either ring only one time and go straight to voicemail or it will not ring at all and you will hear a continuous busy tone on the line which will cut off after a few seconds.
It mostly depends on how the phone has been set up to handle blocked numbers and if a third-party app has been installed to stop the number from leaving voicemails.
If blocked numbers are permitted to leave a voicemail, the person calling on the blocked number will be sent straight to voicemail – but the person who has blocked the number will not be notified that a voice message has been received and that message will end up in a folder for blocked voicemails.
However, if a number is blocked from leaving voicemails, it may be disconnected immediately or the blocked caller may hear a busy dial tone for a few seconds before they are disconnected.
Either way, there will be clues almost right away as to whether or not your number has been shuffled onto the block list, too, just by how your iPhone behaves when you’ve called someone that’s blocked you.
How iPhones Handle Blocked Phone Numbers
Your iPhone will try to handle blocked numbers in a way that will not bother the recipient and not aggravate the blocked caller.
When you block someone’s number, their calls will not get through to your iPhone, and SMS, MMS, or iMessages they send will not be delivered.
Also, the blocked individual will not be notified that they have been blocked.
They can also still leave voicemails, but you will not be notified of them.
Blocking phone numbers adds them to a blacklist that your phone maintains individually.
Every time that number calls it is immediately cut off or shuffled off to voicemail.
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How To Tell If A Number Has Been Blocked On An iPhone
But what about when a blocked number calls someone with an iPhone – is there a way to tell if that number has been blocked?
One Ring and Straight to Voicemail
One indication that your number has been blocked by the iPhone you are calling is if the phone rings just once and then immediately sends you to voicemail.
This kind of behavior – one ring and straight voicemail – is only caused by a handful of things:
- An iPhone is off or doesn’t have service and cannot accept phone calls at this time.
- An iPhone has been switched to “Do Not Disturb”.
- An iPhone is actively blocking this number but still giving it a chance to leave a message.
If you have been trying to reach this person for days and you keep getting sent straight to voicemail, then your number has most likely been blocked on that iPhone.
If the person that you are trying to call leaves their phone on all the time has great service 99% of the time and does not use “Do Not Disturb” often, the odds are pretty good that you are not getting through to them because they have blocked you (accidentally or intentionally).
Busy Dial Tone Followed By Call Disconnected
If you are being disconnected immediately or you are hearing a busy dial tone for a few seconds and then getting disconnected, this is another indication that your number may be blocked.
What If I Send An iMessage Or SMS Text Message To An iPhone That Has Blocked Me?
If you send an iMessage from your iPhone to an iPhone that has blocked you, it will usually appear as though your message has been successfully sent but not delivered.
When you are not blocked and the phone you are trying to reach has coverage and is set to receive iMessages, you should receive a “Delivered” notification beneath the last message you sent.
If you are not receiving a “Delivered” notification, it is an indication that the iPhone you are trying to reach has blocked you.
But it could also mean that the phone is out of coverage or set to airplane mode.
You also won’t get a delivery notification if the phone you are trying to reach does not have “Read Receipts” enabled.
However, if you used to get delivery notifications from that contact in the past, but lately you’ve stopped seeing them, it could indicate that have recently blocked you.
If you have SMS Texts enabled, your iPhone will attempt to resend your undelivered iMessage as an SMS.
This will be indicated when the message bubble changes from blue to green and it will also say underneath “Sent As Text Message“.
But once again, if you are blocked, there will be no “Delivered” notification below your last message.
In reality, no message will be received by the iPhone that has blocked your number and the other person will not even be aware that you are attempting to send them messages.
Could The iPhone I Am Trying To Reach Be Set To Do Not Disturb?
If you are not blocked by the iPhone you are trying to reach with an iMessage or SMS but that phone is set to “Do Not Disturb“, you will still receive a “Delivered” notification below the last message you sent – even though that person will not receive the message until they take their iPhone off “Do Not Disturb” mode.
Once again, if you are receiving no “Delivered” notification below your last message, it may be a sign you’ve been blocked.
Will My Blocked Messages Be delivered Once I Am Unblocked
If you have sent SMS, MMS, or iMessages to a blocked iPhone, they will not be received once that iPhone unblocks you.
Messages you sent to that iPhone while it was blocking you will not be resent automatically at a later date.
However, if you are now unblocked and you send a new message it will get through.
How To Prevent Your Number From Being Blocked By iPhones
It’s actually possible to bypass getting blocked on iPhones completely and the process is pretty easy too.
All you have to do is block your own Caller ID on your end, stopping your phone from broadcasting this information in the first place.
You can also block your number through your carrier.
Depending on the carrier that you have this process is going to differ, but here’s how to do it on AT&T as well as Verizon.
AT&T
Open up your iPhone and navigate to the “Settings” menu.
Go to the “Phone Options“.
Open the “Show My Caller ID” setting.
Flip that button from “Enabled” to “Disabled“.
Now you are good to go and won’t have to worry about your iPhone being blocked ever again!
Verizon:
Dial *67.
Enter the 10 digit phone number you want to call privately.
Your Caller ID will be disabled for this phone call only.
You’ll have to rinse and repeat this step every time you want to disable your Caller ID.
How To Call Someone Who Has Blocked Your Number On iPhone
If you want to get through to someone who has blocked the number on your iPhone, you can turn off your caller ID before you ring them, use *67 before you dial their number, use a different number or use a third-party app.
Turning Off Your Caller ID
Turning off your caller ID in settings is probably the simplest way to get around being blocked.
Go into the settings on your iPhone and tap on “Phone“.
Next, press “Show My Caller ID” and turn it to off.
Call the number you suspect has blocked you and if it rings as normal, doesn’t go straight to voicemail, and doesn’t cut you off, then you most likely have been blocked and your call is only getting through now because your Caller ID is off.
You can also dial *67 before you dial the number and that will hide your caller ID one time.
Using a different phone number will also work, likewise, there are third-party apps that allow you to change your caller ID and location.
Conclusion
If you try to call an iPhone on a blocked number the most it will ring is once and then your call will go straight to voicemail.
But don’t jump to conclusions right away.
A call can go to voicemail for a number of reasons including the phone you’re trying to reach having a dead battery or being out of range of reception.
To check for sure whether you have been blocked or not, turn off your caller ID and ring the number again.
