How to tell if your number's been blocked — 5 tell-tale signs Android users need to know

Tom's Guide

2 days ago

As an Android user, you might wonder if someone has blocked your number — especially if your calls suddenly go unanswered or texts seem to vanish into thin air.
There are many reasons why some people may reach for the block button. In some cases, it's a temporary escape. In others, it's more permanent. Some may want to exert greater control over a relationship or avoid negative interactions. Others are looking to cut real-world ties.
Whatever the reason, it's important to respect a person's decision to block — but that doesn't make it hurt any less. Studies have shown it can lead to feelings of rejection, confusion, or anger.
But first, you'll want to determine whether you've actually been blocked, especially if you're using an Android phone, where some signs can be subtle.
Here we look at five tell-tale signs that someone doesn't want to interact with you — plus a few reasons why those signs might be misleading.
If you've not heard from someone in a while, it may be a good idea to give them a call. Chances are it'll ring, you'll chat and everything will be ok. But if it rings once and then goes straight to voicemail, it's a good indication that your number has been blocked by the recipient.
Numbers can be easily blocked on Android: it only requires a user to tap the Phone app, tap the More menu (the three-dot icon in the top-right corner of the screen), tap Settings then select Block numbers.
From there, it is possible to tap Recents or Contacts to choose a number to block or manually enter a number and tap the + sign.
To be sure you have been blocked, it may be worth trying again later or on another day just in case the recipient simply had their phone turned off or had been suffering a poor signal.
Before you give this one a go, it could be worth asking a friend or family member if they've been able to get through to the recipient — provided, of course, they are mutual friends.
If that isn't an option, then you could try calling the contact yourself using a different phone number or device. Should that call not go straight to voicemail, you can decide whether to allow it to keep ringing until the recipient answers or just hang up.
Can't access a different number? You can hide your own instead. To do so, add *67 before the phone number you are calling. Again, if it rings, you will know your number is blocked.
If you have sent a few texts but you've yet to receive a reply, be patient. The person may yet respond and, as before, a lack of response could be due to them not having their phone turned on. They may even be busy!
There are, however, some telltale signs that you may not get a response. Time is one — if you're waiting an extraordinary amount of time to hear back, you may have been blocked (to block in Google Messages on Android, a user has to touch and hold a conversation, then tap Block).
Many messaging apps have read receipts. You will see them in WhatsApp, Signal, Google Messages and more. In the case of the latter, read receipts will depend on whether the recipient is allowing use of Rich Communication Services (RCS). In any case, take a look at your sent messages.
In general, you will see a checkmark or two beneath a sent message, showing it's been successfully sent. If the checkmark is colored, it tends to indicate the message has been read. If you have either of these, you haven't been blocked.
But what if you don't see any checkmarks appear? Well, the recipient either has read receipts turned off, doesn't have RCS, or has blocked you.
No, this isn't a tit-for-tat move, but if you have an Android phone you can go into the Contacts app, look for the person you suspect is blocking you, make a note of their contact details, select the More menu and select Delete to remove.
You can then go to the main Contacts screen, tap + and search for their name or number.
If someone has blocked your number, you won't see them as a suggested contact. It's a neat little trick to try.
Chances are that if someone has blocked your number, they've also sought to block you from contacting them in other ways.
If you were connected on social media, you should go through your various social media accounts to see what the situation is. Some social media services such as X will tell you outright that you've been blocked, but others are more subtle.
You may not be able to find someone's profile when searching, or you may be told you can't follow them due to their privacy settings. Sometimes, profile images are missing and online statuses are absent.
Any of the above is a strong indicator that you've been blocked.
So, now you know how to tell if someone's blocked you on Android. Just remember that if someone has blocked you, it's their choice. It's also a function that you may need to use as well.
To that end, it's worth knowing how to block emails in Gmail, how to block a number on your iPhone and if you want some temporary peace, here's how to block all calls on Android.
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