How to Know If Someone Blocked You on iMessage?

So you think you’ve been blocked on iMessage, but you don’t know how to check and are confused by the text colors, icons, and notifications. It’s a real bummer when someone blocks you, and what’s even worse is that you receive no notification when it happens. Instead, you will continue trying to communicate with that person and get no response. This leaves you to wonder if you’ve been blocked, and you have to figure it out yourself. Keep reading to learn how to confirm if you’ve been blocked on iMessage and if there’s anything you can do about it. 

What is iMessage?

iMessage is the primary messaging application for Apple’s iOS devices. With your Apple ID, you can receive iMessage across any of your iOS devices, including your iPhone, iPad, Mac, iWatch, or iPod touch. This means your iMessages are synced across all devices, allowing you to switch it up and keep your conversations going. Unlike SMS/MMS, all iMessages are encrypted. 

Functionality you need to know

• iMessage can send messages even when you don’t have access to a cellular network.
• iMessages can be sent over WiFi without service or a data plan.
• All iMessages are displayed as blue text. 
• iMessages are only sent between iOS devices. If you send a message from the iMessage application to an Android user, the message will be in green. This green text means that your message was sent over SMS/MMS. 
• iMessage shows a “delivered” flag when your message arrives at the recipient iCloud devices.
• iMessage shows a “read” flag when the recipient reads your iMessage, as long as Read Receipts aren’t turned off. 

How an iMessage looks normally

When you are not blocked, your iMessages should generally look like the below image:

Notice that the iMessage is blue, and there is a Delivered flag underneath the message. The Delivered status means that the recipient’s iCloud account has received the iMessage on at least one of its linked devices. 

How to tell if someone blocked you on iMessage

Let’s go over some of the signs indicating that you’ve been blocked on iMessage. If you are reaching out to this person and not hearing anything back, you may start to be suspicious that you’ve been blocked. The more of these signs you can verify, the more likely you’ve been blocked. 

1. iMessage not delivered

If you’ve sent an iMessage but aren’t getting the “Delivered” flag underneath the iMessage content, then you may be blocked. The message will still be blue, but a red “Not Delivered” notice will display under the message, with an exclamation point icon. 

This by itself is not a sure sign you’ve been blocked. To rule out that the issue is isolated to this one contact:

1. Send an iMessage to another contact. Look for the Delivered notification underneath the message. If your iMessage delivers without issues to a different contact, you may have been blocked.
2. Next, check if you have a network connection through either WiFi or your cellular network. If you try to send an iMessage while your service is interrupted, you’ll get the Not Delivered error. 
3. Turn iMessage off and back on to reset the application and potentially fix any bugs. 
   1. Navigate to Settings, then select Messages. 
   2. At the very top, toggle the iMessage option off and then back on. 
   3. Try to send your iMessage again to the same contact.  

If none of those options seem likely or have worked, turn your Apple device off. iMessage and iOS devices aren’t immune to bugs. Sometimes powering off your device can fix these kinds of issues. When you turn your device back on, try to send a message to the contact you think might have blocked you. 

Unfortunately, if these simple fixes and checks didn’t resolve the “Not Delivered” flag, then you most likely have been blocked by that person. 

2. iMessage sent as a green text message

Your iMessages should not be sent as text messages if you can connect to your network or WiFi and have not been blocked. If you are sending messages to someone you know has an iCloud account (the conversations used to be blue), but now your messages are displayed as green text, you may be blocked. 

There are a few things you can rule out before settling on the conclusion that you’ve been blocked: 

1. Check that iMessage is turned on within your Message settings.
2. Check if you have a network connection through either WiFi or your cellular network. If you try to send an iMessage while your service is interrupted, you’ll usually get a “Not Delivered” message. But if you keep trying to send an iMessage, it will provide you with the option to send it as a text message. This doesn’t necessarily mean you are blocked if your phone is having connection issues. 
3. If the contact has gotten a new phone, but not a new number, and is now using an Android device, any messages you send will be sent as text messages and will be green.
4. If the message is green, it may not be an issue on your end. The recipient also has to have a cellular network or WiFi connection to receive iMessages. If they don’t, your phone will show that the texts are sent as SMS. This case is nearly impossible to verify yourself. Try to wait a few hours and send another message to see if the person can now receive an iMessage. 

3. Straight to voicemail after one ring

If you get tired of trying to send an iMessage without success, you may decide to call the person instead. One of two things will happen:

1. If you aren’t blocked, they may answer the call, or the phone will ring multiple times before sending you to voicemail. 
2. But if you’ve been blocked, you will hear only one ring and then immediately be directed to voicemail. Leaving a voicemail when blocked won’t help the situation. Voicemails from blocked numbers go into a separate blocked voicemail location, and the recipient will probably never see it.

Ways to get in contact if you’ve been blocked on iMessage

You’ve gone through all the checks, and it looks like you are blocked. There are many reasons you might get blocked, but most of them are not good. When you decide to reach out to someone, even though you’ve been blocked, don’t get your hopes up for a good response. It’s possible that you were blocked accidentally, but it’s highly unlikely. They may not appreciate you trying to find another method to contact them. 

1. Message using another messaging platform

If your number has been blocked, you may be able to contact them using another messaging platform. WhatsApp and Messenger are popular messaging alternatives to Android and Apple messaging apps. If you know their contact information on these platforms, reach out and see if you get a response. 

2. Use a different phone

Borrow a family member or friend’s phone and send a message or give them a call. If your behavior caused them to block you, sincerely apologize. They may consider unblocking your number if you approach them with respect. 

3. Hide your caller ID

You can hide your caller ID to get around being blocked. But they may not pick up the number. When you hide your caller ID, incoming calls from your number will show that the caller ID has been hidden. 

These days, most people don’t answer phone numbers they don’t know, especially numbers that appear to be purposefully evasive or shady. Plus, if you’ve just been blocked, the person will likely be suspicious of an incoming call with a hidden caller ID. 

To hide your caller ID:

1. Open the Settings application and scroll down and select Phone. 
2. Within the Phone settings, find Show My Caller ID under the Calls header. 
3. Then toggle Show My Caller ID off (grayed out). You can turn this back on at any time. 

4. Reach out on social media

If you have someone’s phone number, you probably have them added on social media. Try to contact them on their social media. Just be sure to be friendly and apologetic for any previous bad behavior. If they don’t respond, don’t continue to pressure them, or they may block you from their other accounts.

Blocked on iMessage

If you see the “Not Delivered” error when sending an iMessage to a specific contact, you are most likely blocked. Be sure to rule out network or WiFi issues, restart iMessage and your phone to clear any bugs, and verify that it’s isolated to only one contact. 

If your iMessages are being sent as green SMS messages, this is another sign you’ve been blocked. Again, you should verify that your iMessage is turned on and your network connection is stable. The final nail in the coffin to confirm that you’ve been blocked is getting sent to voicemail immediately when you call their number. 

You can try to reach out using one of the four methods mentioned in this guide, but don’t expect any response. It can be a major drag to be blocked, but for the most part, it’s out of your control. They may decide to unblock you in the future. 

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