How to text a blocked number on iMessage

How do you know if someone blocked you on iMessage? Here's six easy ways to figure it out.

By Leanne Hays Updated 12/22/2022

What to Know

• If you receive an automated response or your texts show a delivery notification, you can rest easy! Your number has not been blocked.
• However, you might have been blocked if your calls go straight to voicemail and your texts don't show a "Delivered" or "Read" status.

How do you know if someone blocked your number? While you can't know for certain without asking the person, there are some telltale signs that will certainly help. We'll cover a few ways to tell if someone blocked your number, plus some specific tips for how to know if someone blocked you on iMessage. Let's dive in!

Quick Ways to Tell If Someone Blocked Your Number on iPhone

1. Got an automated response to your text? You're NOT blocked on iPhone!
2. If you see a delivery notification, you're NOT blocked. They might just have Do Not Disturb enabled.
3. If your iMessage doesn't show a "Delivered" or "Read" status, you MAY be blocked.
4. An iMessage Not Delivered error doesn't mean you're blocked, it means your messages are just not sending. 
5. If your call goes straight to voicemail, you MAY be blocked.
6. If you disable Caller ID and your call no longer goes straight to voicemail, you have likely been blocked. 

Below, we'll cover each of these signs in more detail and walk through how to enable or disable certain settings to help you know if someone blocked your number.

How to Know If Someone Blocked You on iMessage

You can combine the methods below to help you determine whether you’re blocked or the person is simply unavailable, out of service range, or has Do Not Disturb mode enabled. While these methods can give you great hints, there's not a foolproof method for how to know if someone blocked you on iPhone. Below, we'll cover four ways to know if someone blocked you by looking at text messages, plus red flags to look for if you call.

1. An Automated Response Means You’re Not Blocked on iPhone

This first tip is pretty straightforward. Another person might have an automated text response set to send if they're in Do Not Disturb mode or have the Driving Focus mode enabled. If you receive an automated text response to a message you send, good news! You're definitely not blocked, because those auto-generated text responses don't go through to numbers that have been blocked on iPhones. 

If you don't get an obvious automated response (or any response, for that matter), keep reading to learn about how to tell if someone blocked you on iMessage.

2. Am I Blocked on iPhone, or Is It Do Not Disturb?

For this method, let's cover how to tell if someone blocked your number, or if they just have Do Not Disturb enabled. In order to test the difference, I had my friend set her iPhone to Do Not Disturb for one text, and then block me for a second text.

When I texted her while she was on Do Not Disturb, I got a delivery notification right away, despite the fact that she didn't receive the text until after she turned off Do Not Disturb. For the blocked iMessage, my text looked like it sent, but I didn't get any kind of confirmation; it just sat there. 

So, if someone just has Do Not Disturb or other Focus mode enabled, you'll still see delivery notifications. However, if you do not see delivery notifications, this is a great way to know if you're blocked on iMessage (more on this in the next section). 

3. How to Know If You’re Blocked on iMessage by Checking Delivery Status

How do you know if someone blocked you on iMessage? If you're blocked, you won't see "Delivered" or "Read" below the recent text bubbles. However, it is important to note that this method only works if the other person owns an iPhone. If the person has an Android phone, your iPhone will not display delivery notifications.

Here's a great tip for how to tell if you're blocked on iMessage: Look underneath the last text you sent before you suspect you were blocked. If the previous iMessage says "Delivered" under the message bubble but the most recent one doesn't, it can mean that you've been blocked.

If you see an iMessage Not Delivered error instead, you may want to try the trick in the next section.

4. An iMessage Not Delivered Error Doesn’t Mean Someone Blocked You on iPhone

Here's another great method for how to tell if someone blocked your number from texting them: if you're seeing the iMessage Not Delivered error, try enabling SMS texts on your iPhone. This way, if an iPhone message is not delivered via iMessage, your device will automatically reattempt the text using your cellular plan, or you can manually reattempt with SMS instead of iMessage. If your SMS message also fails to receive a reply, it's another sign that you may have been blocked on an iPhone.

Here's how to manually resend a text via SMS after an iMessage Not Delivered error:

1. View the text you attempted to send and tap on the red info icon.
   
   
   

2. Tap Send as Text Message. This option will send your text as an SMS message instead of an iMessage.
   
   
   

3. Your device will attempt to resend the text. If you do not see the "Not Delivered" error, your message has been successfully sent. 

Resending the text rules out the other person not responding due to a technical glitch on your side. However, if you still don't receive a reply, this indicates that your number might have been blocked. 

Related: How to Check Voicemails from Blocked Numbers on iPhone

5. How to Know If Someone Blocked You by Calling

Calling someone can be a great way to tell if someone blocked you on the iPhone. If you call someone and the call goes straight to voicemail (with barely even one ring), this is a sign that you may have been blocked. However, because there can be other reasons a call you make from your phone rings once and goes straight to voicemail, it's best to combine this step with the to be more certain you've been blocked. 

Note: Unless there's an emergency, our recommendation is to wait to call your friend or family member for a few hours after the , just in case they're out of their cellular service area or otherwise unable to reply temporarily. If your text still isn't answered after a few hours and you decide to call, here's how to know if you've been blocked on an iPhone.

For this experiment, I asked my sister to block my number, and here's what I discovered. The phone rang, but very briefly, not even a full ring before connecting to voicemail. I was able to leave a message as with any unblocked call, but it appeared in a separate section of the voicemail on her iPhone, called Blocked Messages. While I was blocked, there was no way at all for her to know I'd called, and no notification to either her or me about the blocked voicemail.

For me, I know I'm almost certainly blocked when I've tried the iMessage steps and then called, but their phone rings once and goes straight to voicemail.

6. Hide Caller ID to Call Someone Who Blocked You (Emergencies Only!)

While there can be many reasons a number gets blocked, sometimes emergencies happen and users need to contact someone who has previously blocked their number. This is a tough area, and we do not recommend using this tip unless it's a true emergency. There can be legal ramifications to contacting someone who has made it clear they do not want you to do so! We strongly recommend respecting people's privacy, and we do not accept responsibility for users who act otherwise.

However, if you truly need to contact the person who has blocked your number, you can try hiding your caller ID by using *67. This will hide your phone number and allow the call to go through; it will show up as No Caller ID or a similar message. This means that many users will still decline the call, but it at least hides your caller ID. Note that this still doesn't always work depending on carrier settings, but it's an option in an emergency.

How to Know If an Android Blocked You on iPhone

Calling is the best way to tell if an Android blocked you on iPhone. If you call someone and go straight to voicemail (with barely even one ring), you've likely been blocked. Unfortunately, there is no way to tell if you've been blocked by looking at text messages, since texts from iPhones to Androids will send as SMS (green text bubbles) without a 'Delivered' or 'Read' status. 

FAQ

• Can you call someone who blocked you on iPhone? 
  Yes, you can call someone who blocked you by disabling caller ID or by using *67 to hide your caller ID. However, we do not recommend using this tip unless it's a true emergency. We strongly recommend respecting people's privacy, and we do not accept responsibility for users who act otherwise.
• Can you leave a voicemail if your number is blocked?
  Yes, but your voicemail will appear in a separate section under Blocked Messages. The other person will not receive any notification that you have called, making it highly unlikely they will see your voicemail.
• Does iMessage turn green when you're blocked? 
  No. Green text bubbles do not mean that your number has been blocked on iMessage. This is a common myth and simply means your text has been sent via SMS. When you're blocked, your text will continue to appear as usual, except blue iMessage bubbles won't show a 'Delivered' or 'Read' status. 
• Will iMessage say 'Delivered' if you're blocked?
  No. If your number has been blocked, you will not see a delivery notification beneath the blue iMessage text bubbles. 
• What does it mean when iMessage doesn't say 'Delivered'?
  While this can be a sign your number has been blocked, it can also just mean the messages have not yet been successfully delivered to the recipient’s device. This can happen when the person's device is turned off, while Do Not Disturb or another Focus mode is enabled, or if they don't have service.

Now that you have a few helpful clues to check for in your texts and calls, you'll be able to tell with reasonable assurance whether your number has been blocked or not. If this has happened to you, hopefully, there's been a misunderstanding! However, if they did intend to block you and no longer want to be in contact, please respect their wishes and privacy.

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