If your texts and calls don’t seem to reach your friends, family, or colleagues, it’s possible that your number has been blocked.
Of course, depending on the circumstances, whoever blocked you may not want to tell you that they did – or you may have no way to reach them to ask anyway. In other cases though, someone may have blocked you by accident.
Anyway, the good news is that you can find out if someone has blocked you. Here’s how Android users can check if that’s the case.
What happens when your number is blocked?
The first thing to know is what actually happens when someone has blocked your number.
If you try to call them, you will probably find that you hear one or two rings and then they tell you that their number is not available. What is happening necessarily means you’ve been blocked – they may just have Do Not Disturb turned on – but that’s a clue. If their phone keeps ringing instead, you’re not blocked, they just don’t pick up for some other reason.
If you try to send them text messages, unfortunately there are no obvious clues. Your message will seem well delivered, the recipient will simply not receive it.
How to Check if You’re on Someone’s “Blocked Numbers” List
If you are By talking with the person who might have blocked you, it’s pretty easy to check if you’re blocked using their phone – with their permission of course.
If they’re also using an Android phone, they should open their Contacts app, go to its settings menu (this will be located slightly differently depending on their phone), and tap “Blocked numbers.”
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If they are an iPhone user, they should instead go to Settings, then Phone, then “Blocked Contacts”.
If your number is in the list, it means you have been blocked by their device. By removing it from the list, your calls and messages should once again arrive on their device.
How to check if you’ve been blocked from your own Android phone
What if you don’t have a line of communication with the person you think blocked you? On Android devices, there is an alternative solution to find out if your number has been blocked:
- Open the Contacts app on your phone
- Find the contact you think has blocked your number
- Save their contact details or write down their phone number and anything else
- Tap the three dots in the top corner of the screen
- Tap “Delete”
- Close contacts by long pressing the home button / swipe up from the bottom of the screen and hold until all open apps are visible, then swipe contacts up and out ‘screen
- Reopen Contacts
- Search for the deleted contact using the search bar at the top of the screen
If the contact in question – the one you just deleted – appears as a suggested contact, chances are they haven’t blocked your number.
If they don’t show up, chances are they’ve blocked you.
This tip only applies if someone has blocked your real phone number through their phone. If you’re worried you’ve been blocked on another specific platform, check out our guides to find out if you’ve been blocked on WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook Messenger.
