You run the risk of being blocked if someone doesn’t reply to your iMessage. However, it’s also possible that you’re just messaging from an unresponsive or turned-off phone.
You won’t be able to contact someone who has their Focus mode set to Do Not Disturb, but you will be able to tell when they are. See whether you’ve been blocked on iMessage by looking for these telltale signals.
Look at your iMessage conversation
Your iMessage thread with the person you believe has blocked you is the best location to look for indications that you have been blocked on iMessage.
Check to see if the last text you sent has Delivered, Read, or nothing at all underneath it. You are surely not blocked if your most recent text reads “Read.” You’ve been blocked if there is nothing beneath your most recent text message; however, the iOS 16.5 update removed this indication.
Whether you’re blocked or not, iMessages on iPhones running iOS 16.5 or later will show Delivered beneath your most recent text. You are not blocked if you see Delivered below your most recent SMS on an iOS 16.4 or previous phone.
It is not a clue that you have been blocked if you see a Not Delivered notice below your most recent text. If this message appears, it simply indicates that there was a mistake when delivering your message. To resend the text, tap the exclamation point next to it and choose Try Again.
See if your messages have lately changed from blue to green by checking your text thread. This indicates that you have most likely been prohibited from using iMessage, unless the other person recently moved from an iPhone to an Android device.
Seeing the moon icon doesn’t mean you’ve been blocked
If you notice a moon icon next to “[recipient] has notifications silenced” in your iMessage discussion, it means that Focus mode’s Do Not Disturb feature is activated. You have not been blocked as a result of this. Rather, it appears like the other person is momentarily blocking all calls and texts, not just yours, in an attempt to concentrate for whatever reason.
Notifications about Focus mode within an iMessage thread won’t appear on an iPhone running any version of iOS prior to iOS 15. It is impossible to determine whether someone is using Do Not Disturb on an iOS device older than iOS 15 without this moon icon and message.
Try calling the person you think blocked you
Try contacting the individual you believe may have blocked you if you want to take a more direct approach. If you call someone who has blocked you, the call will almost immediately go to voicemail. If you leave a voicemail when you’re blocked, the recipient will have to look for it to listen to it because it will be in a different voicemail section of their phone.
It is noteworthy that receiving a call that ends up in voicemail does not necessarily indicate that you have been blocked. The phone may be turned off, not in service, or in Focus mode with the Do Not Disturb feature enabled.
You can always use someone else’s phone to call or use *67 to disguise your caller ID before making a call, but you should only do this in an emergency situation, such as if you believe an ageing parent may have accidentally blocked you. You’ve been blocked if the phone rings instead of going directly to voicemail. Having said that, you shouldn’t utilise *67 to violate someone’s privacy after learning that you’ve been blocked.
It’s possible that the person who barred you on iMessage also blocked you on third-party apps. You can use third-party apps like WhatsApp, Instagram, X (Twitter), and others to determine if you’ve been blocked.