How to Know if Your Number Was Blocked

Written by Jack Lloyd

Last Updated: December 8, 2022

Finding out whether or not you've been blocked by a contact can be an uncomfortable process. If you think you've been blocked and you need to verify one way or the other, you can do so by calling your contact a few times and listening to the way the call ends. Be aware that, if you realize that a contact has blocked you and you continue to attempt to contact them, they may be able to file a harassment complaint against you.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Finding Out if You've Been Blocked

1
Call the contact who you suspect blocked you. You usually won't be able to tell whether or not a contact has blocked you by sending a text message, so you'll need to call them.^{[1]
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2
Listen to the way the call ends. If the call ends after one ring (or, in some cases, half of a ring) and you are diverted to voicemail, you are either blocked or your contact's phone is dead.^{[2]
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- If the phone immediately hangs up or beeps rapidly, then either the line is busy or the contact blocked you through their carrier. If the phone gives the error "Your call could not be completed as dialed", they could have changed their number or blocked you through your carrier.
- Of course, if the contact answers your call, you haven't been blocked.
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3
Call your contact again to confirm. Sometimes a call will divert to voicemail even if the line is clear and your phone unblocked; calling again will confirm the call's ending.
- If your call still ends after a ring or less and diverts to voicemail, your contact's phone is definitively dead or blocking your calls.
4
Call your contact back with a masked number. You can do this by typing "*67" before their phone number. While you can't feasibly expect anyone to pick up a call from a restricted number, calling in this way will verify the contact's phone status:
- If the call goes through like usual--e.g., five or more rings--then your contact has blocked your number.
- If the call still stops after a ring or less and diverts to voicemail, your contact's phone is dead.
5
Ask a friend to call your contact's number. If you've determined that you're blocked but would like verbal confirmation, you can ask a friend to call your contact and talk to them about the situation. Keep in mind that, as tempting as this may be, doing so might harm your friend's relationship with the contact who blocked you.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Circumventing a Block

1
Understand the potential consequences. If you were blocked in error, then the person probably won't be unhappy to hear from you. But it could be considered harassment for you to attempt to work around a block that somebody enacted to put distance between you and them. Be wary of the legality of disregarding a block in your region before proceeding.
2
Mask your phone number. You can do this by typing "*67" before the phone number you're trying to call; this will result in your call showing up as an unidentified number.
- Most people won't pick up if they see a "Restricted" or "Unknown" number calling them; this is because telemarketers often use this tactic to reach numbers on the do-not-call list.
3
Message your contact using an IM service. If, for example, you and your contact both use Facebook, you can use Messenger to try to reach out to them. The same concept applies to WhatsApp, Viber, Skype, or any other IMing services you share.
4
Leave a voicemail. Though your contact won't receive a notification of your call or your voicemail, it will still end up on their phone. You can use this loophole to communicate important information to them if need be.^{[3]
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5
Attempt to get in touch via social media. If you absolutely have to get into contact with someone who has blocked you, you can email them or message them from various social media accounts. Again, consider your urgency here: if you're simply upset because they blocked you, it's best to leave the situation alone until both you and your contact have cooled off a bit.

Community Q&A

Question

Can you tell if someone blocked your texts?

wikiHow Staff Editor
Staff Answer
This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

In some cases you may be able to tell that you have been blocked. Various methods for finding out are explained in detail in the article above. For example, since you can’t work this out by texting, you can try calling the number and listening to see what happens. Signs that you might have been blocked include the call being diverted after a half or one ring only or a message that the contact is unreachable. However, these signs might just mean the network is down, the caller is busy or the caller’s phone is dead, so try again later, perhaps several times over a few days. If it keeps happening, it could mean you’ve been blocked. You might ask a friend to call to see if the person answers and maybe even ask them about the block. If you truly suspect you’ve been blocked, then perhaps try to talk in person to the person whom you think has blocked you, to find out why.
Question

How many times does the phone ring when you are blocked?

wikiHow Staff Editor
Staff Answer
This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

In many instances, the phone will ring out after half to one ring only. In some cases, there will be no ring at all. Be aware that what can happen when you’re blocked will depend on the carrier and where you are located but as a general rule, there won’t be many ringing sounds, and this will be a repeated pattern every time you try to call.
Question

When you block someone do they know?

wikiHow Staff Editor
Staff Answer
This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

There is nothing to alert the person the moment you block them. Your phone carrier won’t inform anyone they’ve been blocked. Rather, they’ll work it out eventually when they can never get through to you, or if you tell them (or someone else offers this information to them).

Warnings

Attempting to contact someone who has blocked you--especially doing so in person--can be considered harassment.

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