In today’s world where spam calls and robocalling have become a common phenomenon, blocking a phone number is a common practice that many people use to avoid these calls and messages. But have you ever wondered what actually happens when you block a number? Does the person on the other end know that they’ve been blocked? Are they still able to leave voicemails or send messages? And what happens if you accidentally block someone? 

In this blog post, we’ll explore the ins and outs of blocking phone numbers. We’ll explain how blocking works, what happens to calls and messages from blocked numbers, and provide tips for managing your blocked contacts. So, if you’re curious about what happens when you block a number, keep reading!

What Happens When You Block a Number: Explained!

Now, blocking a phone number has become really easy over the years as smartphones, be it Android devices or iPhones, come with built-in blocking features right in the system settings. However, there are a few key things that you should know before you block someone on your mobile device.

Check out the following sections for information.

What Happens After I Block a Number?

Now, blocking a phone number on your Android or iOS device has a few significant effects on the contact(s) whom you have blacklisted. While the effect of blocking a number is similar on both Android and iOS, there are a few differences that we will discuss shortly.

Starting with the most basic effect of blocking a phone number on your Android or iOS device is that it essentially prevents the blocked contact(s) from directly calling or messaging you on your mobile device via their phone number. This effect is the same on both platforms – Android and iOS, and it basically declines all the direct calls and messages from blocked contacts and prevents them from reaching your mobile device.

However, blocking a contact from your iPhone or Android device’s system settings does not mean that the blocked contacts cannot contact you on other social platforms. While they will not be able to call you or send messages on your mobile device, you can still receive calls and messages from them on social apps like WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, and others. You will have to block them on each of these platforms separately to avoid their calls and messages on the said platforms.

Now, although blocking a number on Android has similar effects as on iOS, there are a few additional things that you must keep in mind when it comes to iOS. On iOS, when you block a number via the system settings, the blocked contact(s) not only loses the ability to call or message you but also FaceTime or email you from their number or email ID. Other than these, however, blocked contacts can still connect with you on other platforms, if not blocked separately.

What Happens When a Blocked Contact Calls and Messages?

When you have blocked a person’s number or contact ID on your Android or iOS device and they try to call you, there can be different outcomes. The blocked contact might hear pre-set messages from the network carrier and their call will be automatically declined. Other than this, they might be able to hear a single ring before the call automatically disconnects.

As for messages from blocked contacts, although they will be sent from the blocked number’s end, the messages will not reach your Android or iOS device. In fact, the blocked contact will even see the message as delivered.

Can I Call or Message a Blocked Contact?

Now, although the contact or phone number that you blocked on your Android or iOS device will not able to call or message you on your mobile device, you will be able to. Confused?

Well, in a nutshell, blocking a number on your Android or iOS device has a one-way effect. While calls and messages from the blocked contact’s number will be automatically declined, you will be able to contact them via calls or messages from your end. However, do keep in mind that you might not be able to find the blocked contact on your contact list and have to manually put in their number to call or message them.

How Does a Person Know That They Have Been Blocked?

There are no clear-cut ways for the person whom you have blocked on your device to know that they have been blocked. However, when they try to call or message you on your smartphone, their calls will be auto-declined and messages will be prevented to reach you. So, you will not be able to reply to their messages or call them back.

Hence, although the person who has been blocked might not get the fact right initially, they will eventually realize that their number has been blocked on your device.

How to Block a Number on My Smartphone

So now that you know the possible effects of blocking a number on your mobile device, let’s take a look at how you can actually block a number on your smartphone. Below, you can find step-by-step guides on how to block a number on your iPhone or Android devices.

How To Block a Number on iPhone

Step 1. Open the Phone app on your iOS device.

Step 2. From here, you can either go to the Contacts tab to find the number you want to block or open the contact page from the Recents or the Favorites tab on the bottom nav bar.

Step 3. Once the contact page opens, scroll all the way down to find the Block this Caller option. Tap it to initiate the blocking process.

Step 4. Tap the Block Contact option to finally block the number on your iPhone.

Alternatively, you can also use the following steps to block a number on your iOS device.

Step 1. Open the Settings app on your iOS device.

Step 2. Scroll down to find the Phone option and tap it to open.

Step 3. Here, tap the Blocked Contacts option. On this page, you will see all the contacts that you have previously blocked on your iOS device and also unblock them from here.

Step 4. Tap the Add New… button.

Step 5. Choose the contact that you want to block on the following contact list. You can also use the search bar to find the number.

Step 6. Once you find the number you want to block on your iPhone, tap it to immediately add it to the Blocked Contacts list.

How To Block a Number on Android

Step 1. Open the Phone app on your Android device.

Step 2. Choose the contact that you want to block on your device from the Call Logs section or the Contacts section.

Step 3. Once you find the number that you want to block, tap and hold it to open the context menu.

Step 4. On the context menu, tap the More option with the … glyph.

Step 5. On the following menu, tap the Add to blacklist option.

Step 6. Confirm your action on the following prompt, and voila! You have successfully blocked the contact on your Android device.

So, using the above step-by-step guides, you can easily block a number on your Android or iOS device to prevent them from calling or messaging you on your mobile device.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Final Words

So, there you have it! This was all about what really happens when you block a number or a contact on your Android or iPhone. We hope this article helped you understand the basics of blocking a contact on your mobile device and that it added value to your digital knowledge bank. Let us know your thoughts and opinions in the comments below and we will see you in the next article.