Older mobile phones didn’t make it easy for us to block phone numbers. It didn’t matter whether you were blocking a spam number or an irritating friend; either way, it was a hassle.
After smartphones hit the shelves, it became very easy to block a phone number. On iPhones, it’s as simple as tapping two buttons. You might not know how to unblock someone on your iPhone afterward, though, which isn’t as easy.
Sure, blocking a number on your iPhone is hassle-free, but this makes it easy to block someone too accidentally.
In this article, we’ll be explaining the ins and outs of blocking and unblocking your iPhone. So, let’s jump right in.
Does Blocking Someone Alert Them?
The simple answer is no.
If you block a marketing phone call or a spam number, it doesn’t matter. Blocking won’t offend them, they’re used to it, and it simply doesn’t matter.
On the other hand, if you were to block a friend or family member, the situation would be different.
See, marketing companies you block will move on and won’t try contacting you any other way. People you know, however, will eventually realize you have them blocked and could confront you.
How to Tell If Someone Blocks You
Do you worry that you’ve fallen on the receiving end of a block? Not to worry, this is easy to figure out. Here are some ways to tell if you’re on someone’s block list:
- Do they reply to your text messages?
- Have they been avoiding your phone calls?
- Are you both iPhone users, do your iMessage texts stay marked as “Delivered”?
- When was the last time they sent a text?
- Before their last response, did you text someone that could annoy them?
Ultimately, if you haven’t been receiving any responses from them for several days, there’s a good chance you’re on their block list. Similarly, people can tell if you block them by considering these things.
Adding Contacts to Your Blocked List
Let’s start at the beginning – how do you block someone on an iPhone? iOS has two features available for blocking, and below, we’re going to show you both.
Method #1 to Unblock Someone on iPhone
If you are blocking someone already in your contacts, use this method to prevent them from contacting you.
#1 – Unlock your iPhone and open the Settings app.
#2 – Scroll down and tap on “Phone” and then “Call Blocking & Identification.”
#3 – Tap the “Block Contact…” button, and all your contacts will be shown.
#4 – Swipe through your contact list and tap on whoever you want to block.
#5 – After adding them to your block list, repeat this process with any other contact you wish to block.
Alternatively, you can open the Phone app, tap the “Contacts” tab, select the person you want to block, and tap “Block this Caller.”
Method #2 to Unblock Someone on iPhone
If you are blocking a spam call or someone who isn’t in your contacts, use this method instead.
#1 – Take your iPhone and launch the Phone application.
#2 – At the bottom of your iPhone’s display, tap on “Recents.”
#3 – Locate the number, email, or name of the person you want to block.
#4 – Next to the person on your list, tap on the small “i” symbol.
#5 – Finally, swipe to the bottom of this menu and tap “Block this Caller.” You’ll see a notification that confirms you now have them on your block list.
Either way works fine. If you’re sick of getting robot calls, the number won’t be in your contacts; thus, the second method is what you’ll use.
After you block a number, you can see it added to your block list by going to “Settings > Phone > Call Blocking & Identification.” This will display all of the people who currently aren’t able to contact you.
Unblock an Email Address or Phone Number on iPhone
Now that you know how to block someone on your iPhone, what if you want to know how to unblock someone? This is also a simple process and doesn’t take more than a few seconds to do.
Follow the Few Steps Below to Unblock Number on your iPhone.
#1 – Launch the “Settings” application on your iPhone.
#2 – Swipe down and locate the “Phone” option from this list.
#3 – Next, tap “Call Blocking & Identification,” which will display your block list.
#4 – At the top-right corner of your screen, tap on the “Edit” button.
#5 – Swipe through your list, and next to the contact you want to unlock, tap the red circle and then tap “Unblock.”
If you are unblocking many numbers or email addresses at once, you can skip steps 4 and 5.
Instead, swipe far left on each of the contacts. This does the same job but is more efficient for mass unblocking.
How to Prevent Robot Texts
A common reason iPhone users have a bulky blocklist is that they receive many robot calls.
These calls are usually telemarking agencies who want you to buy their latest product or scam artists trying to get your bank details.
When it comes to phone calls like this, there is no definitive way of preventing them. Apps like Truecaller can flag annoying numbers when they call you, which is as good as it gets for the time being.
When it comes to texting, though, a built-in iOS feature has proven to be handy for filtering out these types of texts.
Here’s How to Enable It.
#1 – Open the “Settings” application and select “Messages.”
#2 – Swipe down and locate the “Message Filtering” header.
#3 – If the slider next to this option is not enabled, tap on it to enable it now.
Once you turn this feature on, any texts from anyone who isn’t your contact will be shown on a separate list. The “Unknown Senders” feature hides any texts from non-contact numbers and won’t notify you of them either.
If you want to view these texts, you can open “Messages” and tap on the “Unknown Senders” tab.
Just as with any other contact, you might ask how to unblock someone on your iPhone. If you mistake someone’s phone number for a spam call, you can use the same unblock methods we’ve shown above.
FAQs
Q1: Can I unblock someone on my iPhone without their knowledge?
Yes, unblocking someone on your iPhone is a discreet process, and the unblocked person will not receive any notifications about their unblocking status.
Q2: Will unblocking someone restore previous text messages and call history?
No, unblocking a contact on your iPhone does not restore any text messages or call history that may have been deleted. It only allows the person to contact you again.
Q3: Can I block and unblock someone multiple times on my iPhone?
Yes, you can block and unblock someone multiple times on your iPhone. The process remains the same each time.
Q4: Will unblocking someone add them back to my contact list?
No, unblocking someone on your iPhone does not automatically add them back to your contact list. You will need to manually add them as a contact if you wish.
Q5: Can I unblock someone on my iPhone if I don’t remember their contact details?
Yes, you can unblock someone on your iPhone even if you don’t remember their contact details. The Blocked Contacts list provides the necessary information to identify the person you wish to unblock.
To Conclude
Blocking numbers is now a very easy thing to do. Older cell phones made it a chore, but smartphone manufacturers such as Apple and Samsung have made it easy. In particular, iPhones make blocking a number easy.
Furthermore, as we’ve shown you above, they also make learning how to unblock someone on iPhone easy. Hopefully, the guides above help you manage your block list and avoid those annoying spam texts too!
Also, here is the best call blocker for Android for your reference.