Do you want to find out if someone has blocked you on iMessage? Do you have a suspicion at the back of your mind that this has happened to you?
In this guide I show you how to know if someone blocked you on imessage and teach you a few tips along the way.
iMessage is the iPhone’s integrated messaging app and if you are blocked by someone there are a few tell tale signs.
It can be frustrating if you can’t get through to one of your contacts on iMessage and of course there can be several reasons why. Here we’ll check if you are actually blocked.
Let’s dive in ….
The Color of Your Message
Usually, if both people use iMessage the message you send should turn blue as soon as you send it. If your recipient is not on iMessage, the message you send will be delivered as a green text bubble in the form of an SMS.
However, if it first turns blue and then suddenly turns green, it might indicate that the intended recipient has blocked your number on iMessage or iPhone.
Delivery Status of the Message
When you send your iMessage and it gets delivered to the recipient, you will be able to see a ‘Delivered’ message right below your iMessage. If the person has blocked you, however, you will no longer be able to see the ‘Delivered’ message after you send them something.
To confirm this, check the last message that said ‘Delivered’. If the subsequent message you sent them no longer displays that word, it means that they might have blocked you.
If their phone is simply on the ‘Do Not Disturb’ mode, your messages will still get delivered to them. It is only if you are blocked that you will not be able to see the ‘Delivered’ message.
This also works in the same way for an SMS on iMessage. If your SMS does not say ‘Delivered’ and if it turns blue from green, you should take that to mean that they have blocked you. Confirm by checking if this happens repeatedly.
Delivery Status on MacBook
If you have a MacBook, try the above method on that as well. Using the MacBook, send a message to the person. If you do not see the ‘Delivered’ message there either, they may have blocked you.
Read Receipts on iMessage
If the ‘Read’ message suddenly stops showing up after your message is delivered, this might mean that you are blocked. However, this is an inconclusive method and you should not rely only on this. It could simply also mean that the recipient has turned off their read receipts.
Call the Person
If you suspect that someone has blocked your number, try calling them and see if the call goes through. If it rings once or twice and then sends you to voicemail, it is possible that the person has blocked you.
However, if the call goes straight to voicemail without ringing, that does not mean that you are blocked. It could simply mean that the person is busy.
Try this multiple times at different times of the day to make sure.
You can also leave a voicemail for the person. If you are blocked, they will not receive any notification of this voicemail and they will not get back to you.
Use a Masked Number
If you suspect that you are blocked by someone, you can also try using a masked number to call them. To do this, dial *67 (for the US) right before their phone number. This will mask your caller ID when you call them.
If it rings normally this time, this means that they may have blocked your number. If, however, it goes to voicemail after one ring, they may no longer be using their number or simply not at the moment.
However, you should make sure that the person won’t report you if you try this method. It would be best to respect their decision and steer clear of this method if you are unsure.
Further, this might not always work if your carrier settings do not allow it. This will be different for different carriers. Yet, it is still something that you can try in case of an emergency.
Hide Your Caller ID
On your iPhone, go to your ‘Settings’, tap on ‘Phone’ and then on ‘My Caller ID’. Turn that setting off.
Once you have turned it off, try calling the person. If they pick up, it means they have blocked your number.
Call Them on FaceTime
Try calling the person on FaceTime. If they have blocked you, they will not be able to pick up the call and the call will appear to be rejected.
Make sure you try this after calling the person normally so that you can make sure that you are blocked using both methods.
Location Sharing
If you and the intended recipient were sharing your locations with each other using ‘Find My Friends’, you can try using this method to check if they have blocked you.
If they have blocked you, their location will no longer be shared with you. However, if it simply says that their location is unavailable, this could mean that their phone is switched off or that they don’t have their phone with them.
Check on WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger
If the person has blocked your number on iMessage, it is likely that they have blocked you on other apps as well.
To confirm this, send the person a voice note on WhatsApp. If they listen to it, your voice note will turn blue to indicate that.
This will work even if they have turned off their read receipts. If they listen to your message, they might have blocked you on iMessage and not on WhatsApp.
You can also check if they have blocked you on WhatsApp. If your messages keep showing a single tick next to them, it means that they have been sent but not delivered. This could be a result of blocking if it happens repeatedly.
If you want to check if they have blocked you on Facebook Messenger, try sending them a message on that app. If your message does not go through and only an open blue circle with a tick shows up next to your messages, they may have blocked you.
Can the Person Still Read My Messages?
If someone has blocked you on iMessage, they will not be able to read your message. The fact that they have blocked you means that your message will not be delivered to them and they will not be able to view it.
Can the Person Only Block Me on iMessage?
It is not possible for someone with an iPhone to only block you on iMessage. They can only block your number which will block all your calls and messages to them.
This is because iMessage is a built-in native messaging app on iPhone and not from a third party.
Can I Unblock Myself?
Unfortunately, there is no way for you to unblock yourself in any way if someone else has blocked you.
Other Tips and Tricks
If you really need to find out if someone has blocked you, you can try contacting them using other third-party apps such as Instagram, Snapchat, Skype or Zoom. This should work if they have not blocked you on those apps as well. You can also try sending them an email.
Make sure that this does not lead to them reporting you. If they manage to do that, you will lose access to some of these apps either temporarily or permanently.
You can also try calling them from another number to see if they pick up.
Another thing you should be aware of is the option of them sending you automated responses. If they have enabled these, they will be able to send you an automated response indicating that they cannot currently respond to you. If this happens, you can be assured that they have not blocked you.
Security Concerns – It pays to be aware of other problems that could interupt you communications on any iPhone. Spy apps can be used on Apple devices very easily and cause serious problems. I have a guide here about iMessage spy apps and what they can do.
Check out my guide on how to know if your iPhone is hacked by spy apps and then see if someone could hack your phone by sending a text message. I think you’ll be surprised!
To Sum Up
Now that you know how to tell if someone has blocked you on iMessage, go ahead and try these methods out to finally know for sure if you have been blocked.
However, remember that in some of these cases, the person may end up reporting you completely if you keep trying to contact them in various ways. This might lead you to lose access to some features on your phone. If you are afraid of that happening, do not keep trying those methods.
Further, simply trying one of these methods successfully will not guarantee that the person has blocked you. Try out three or four options to be completely sure.
Hopefully, these methods will be able to give you the clarity and closure you need. Try them out to see for yourself!