How Do You Know When Someone’S Phone Is Dead? The 165 New Answer

Credit: grinvalds/iStock/GettyImages

Your iPhone’s Messages app supports both Apple’s free iMessage service and standard SMS text messages. The free iMessage service offers a convenient way to send individual and group messages on various Apple devices without having to pay for regular text messages. The colored speech bubble you see with a message doesn’t indicate the message status at the recipient, but rather how the message was sent – as a regular SMS text message or as an iMessage. Your sent iMessages always appear in a blue speech bubble. Although you can’t determine exactly when your contact will receive or read your message unless that person has the read receipt option turned on, rest assured that Apple will save your message until your contact comes back online, and then forward it to that Your recipient’s iPhone or other Apple device sent .

advertisement

Identifying the colors of message bubbles

The blue speech bubble on an iMessage indicates that you are sending secure encrypted messages sent from your Apple device to another Apple device using the Apple Messages app and iMessage service. If the message you sent is addressed to someone without the Messages app, it will be transmitted through regular SMS text messages and the messages sent will appear in a green speech bubble. The green color indicates that these messages are traditional SMS or MMS messages sent to a phone. Both iMessages and regular texts you receive from others always have gray bubbles; This is the same whether you are chatting with a group or just one person.

advertisement

video of the day

Detect iMessage delivery

Usually, when you send an iMessage, the word “Delivered” appears immediately below the blue speech bubble, indicating the message arrived on Apple’s servers, not that your recipient saw it. Apple temporarily holds the message until the iPhone comes online, and then delivers it to the recipient.

advertisement

If you get an error message when sending an iMessage, it usually indicates that the problem is with the recipient’s address or phone number. Confirm accuracy and try again. If you see a red “Not Delivered, Try Again?” Message below the speech bubble, try again. This message did not reach Apple’s servers.

advertisement

Will iMessages be delivered to a dead phone?

When the recipient’s phone is off or dead, Apple stores the iMessages sent to that account on its servers and delivers them to the iPhone when the recipient turns it back on. However, this does not mean that your contact cannot read your message when the phone is dead. If the recipient has enabled “SMS forwarding” in the iPhone’s settings, the iMessages will also be sent to your other Apple devices that are signed in with your account, such as B. an iPad, iPod Touch or Mac with the Messages app. The message will be delivered to each of these devices if it’s active, even if the message didn’t reach the phone.

advertisement

Message receipt confirmation

In order for you to know that someone has read your iMessage, that person must have Send Read Receipts turned on in Message Settings. This option is not enabled by default and is not available for group chats. If your contact has enabled the feature, you’ll see the word “Read” under the message you sent, along with a timestamp indicating when the message was seen.

question

Can you tell if someone has blocked your SMS?

wikiHow staff editor

Staff Response Staff Response This response was written by one of our trained research teams who has reviewed it for accuracy and completeness. wikiHow Staff Editor Staff Answer

In some cases, you may find that you have been blocked. Various methods of detection are explained in detail in the above article. Since you can’t figure this out by texting, for example, you can try calling the number and listening to see what happens. Signs that you may have been blocked include the call being redirected after only half a ring or one ring, or a message saying the contact is unreachable. However, these signs can only mean that the network is down, the caller is busy, or the caller’s phone is dead. So try again later, maybe several times over a few days. If it keeps happening, it could mean you’ve been blocked. You could ask a friend to call to see if the person answers and maybe even ask them about the ban. If you really suspect you’ve been blocked, maybe try talking to the person you think blocked you in person to find out why.

Kim Commando

Specially for USA TODAY

I have a rule: if writing an email takes longer than a few minutes, I’ll call you instead. It saves me a lot of time.

What if you want to call someone and you’ve misplaced their number or never had their number? Smart tap or click to find someone’s cell phone number.

Now that you’re ready to go, oh oh, your cell service sucks. That’s OK, I can help with that too. Tap or click for tricks to get better reception to get your call through.

And what happens if you call and nobody picks up? You won’t get an official notification if someone blocks your calls — but you can make an educated guess by watching for these signs:

The sound of silence

If you block a number, you will no longer receive calls or texts from that person. This step helps stop unwanted spam calls, but it’s also great for personal reasons.

The first clue that something is wrong is the most obvious: you call and text, but you don’t get a reply. There can of course be many reasons for this, but a blocked number is one possibility.

In most cases, the texts you send appear to go through normally, but the person you send them to will not receive them. This silence is your first clue that something is wrong.

What about text messages? Here are the steps to determine if someone has actually read your text.

Count the rings before voicemail

It’s a normal call when you call someone and hear the usual number of rings before getting voicemail. But if the person blocked you, here’s the big indicator. You only hear a single ring before being redirected to voicemail.

There are a few caveats. An unusual ring pattern does not necessarily mean that your number is blocked. It can only mean that the person is talking to someone else at the same time you are calling, turned off the phone, or transferred the call straight to voicemail.

Try again later. If the one-ring and direct-to-voicemail pattern persists, it’s likely a blocked number.

TECH NEWS YOU CAN USE: The tech world is changing day by day. Stay up to date with The Current, my smart, fun (and ad-free) newsletter. Try it here. It’s totally free!

Automated Responses

If you make a call and get an automated message like “The customer is unavailable,” that person’s carrier may have blocked you. The messages may vary, but the result is the same. Your call will not go through.

Again, a blocked number is not the only reason for such a message. But it’s a strong indication that you’ve been blocked.

Organize Your Tech Life: Too Many Cables and Wires? Use this simple trick to tell them apart.

It could be something else

Don’t jump to conclusions even if you suspect your number is blocked. There may be a simple reason why your calls aren’t going through. There could be a network problem, the person turned off their phone, the battery is dead, or they didn’t pay their bill on time. It happens.

They could try to disguise your phone number. There are ways to hide your number from caller ID, either by changing your call settings or by downloading an app that will do this for you.

Here are five ways to block or hide your number when making calls.

don’t be an idiot Use this power wisely. Respect that person’s decision if someone doesn’t want to hear from you.

Bonus Tip: 5 Things You Must Do With Your Photos Before It’s Too Late

We all have more photos than we know what to do with. Most of them are on our phones and computers, but then there are all those albums and frames full of old printed photos. In this episode, you’ll learn how the pros take care of and organize photos before it’s too late.

Watch my Kim Komando Explains podcast on Apple, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast player.

Listen to the podcast here or wherever you get your podcasts. Just search for my last name “Komando”.

Learn about the latest technology on The Kim Komando Show, the nation’s largest weekend radio talk show. Kim takes calls and shares advice on today’s digital lifestyle, from smartphones and tablets to online privacy and data hacks. Visit her website at Komando.com for her daily tips, free newsletters and more.

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of USA TODAY.

Have you ever called someone who went unanswered? Or are you confronted with a voicemail recording? Not a big deal – unless this happens every time you call that person. what could be wrong Why aren’t your calls going through?

There may be an innocuous explanation. Maybe the person you want to contact accidentally turned off their phone or the battery is dead. Tap or click here if you have an Android—there’s a reason your batteries drain fast.

Of course, there could be another reason: your number could be blocked. Before you start worrying about what you could have said or done to get ignored, there are several ways to tell if your number is really blocked.

Hi?

We called all the people and were put straight to voicemail; However, if repeated attempts to call or text the same person result in complete silence, a blocked number is a possibility.

Note: This shouldn’t be your first conclusion unless it happens every time you call or text for a long period of time. If it’s only been a day or two, don’t assume you were blocked. Sometimes people really lose their devices, accidentally break their screens, or just turn off their phones to shut out the world.

You should really get suspicious if it’s been several days or even a week.

A ring

Repeated redirects to voicemail after a single ring, or no rings at all, could be an indication that your number is blocked.

If you hear multiple rings before hearing the voicemail prompt, the person may not have blocked your calls, they are just rejecting them.

Domo Arigato?

Do you hear automated messages informing you that the person you are calling is unavailable or not currently taking calls? Because there is no default “You have been blocked” message, the only way to assume that your message is blocked is when you receive automated messages. This includes messages like “The number you are calling is temporarily out of service”.

If you can’t even reach the person’s regular voicemail, that’s a clear indication that you’ve been blocked.

You may not be

While the idea of ​​your phone number being blocked is a bit unsettling, it might not be because you messed up the relationship in any way. Several situations can result in the phone going straight to voicemail, continuing to ring with no answer, or delivering automated messages. Here are some possible scenarios:

The person is traveling and has limited or no service.

The battery is empty.

A natural disaster has damaged the network infrastructure.

The phone is switched off or the Do Not Disturb feature is activated.

function is activated. (S) he forgot to pay his or her phone bill and service was disconnected.

The phone is lost or not in their possession.

The person has blocked all contacts for whatever reason.

The person used Apple’s new automatic call blocking feature and doesn’t have your number on their phone. Tap or click here for more information on how the block works.

Last resorts

Unfortunately, if someone blocks your number, there’s nothing you can do to unblock it. However, there are a few ways to tell if you’re blocked or just calling at bad times.

Consider the following methods:

Hide your phone number when you call. You can enter *67 before dialing their number, or turn off caller ID for outgoing calls in your phone’s settings. Options vary by carrier, phone model, manufacturer, and operating system.

Call from another phone number.

If you have a trusted family member or mutual friend, ask if they would be willing to contact the person directly for you.

Try reaching out through social media or email.

If you’re still being treated as mute, especially if others are able to reach the person you were trying to contact, we’re sorry to report that you’ve been blocked.

While you can use any of the options above, continued attempts to contact someone who has taken steps to cut off communications with you may be considered crossing boundaries (harassment or stalking), which may result in legal action.

One of the best things to do in this situation is not to keep checking back unless you have reason to believe the person is in danger. If this is the case, notify the authorities; Otherwise, step back and take a few days between calls to give the other person a chance to get back to you.

If you’re the one trying to block someone, just tap or click here to learn how.

You pick up your Samsung® phone and see a notification for five missed calls—even though your device didn’t ring. Is there something wrong with that?

Here at Asurion we fix technical glitches – whether it’s your Samsung Galaxy not turning on or your keyboard not working. We’ll show you what to do when your Android phone doesn’t ring so you don’t miss another call.

Why your Samsung phone won’t ring for incoming calls

Muted calls doesn’t necessarily mean you have a big problem with your phone. There are various reasons why your Android phone won’t ring when someone calls, including:

Your ringer volume is turned down.

Your phone is in Do Not Disturb or Airplane mode.

You have activated call forwarding.

Your phone is paired with Bluetooth®.

There is a problem with a third-party ringtone.

The speaker connector is clogged.

Your phone is infected with malware.

Your phone is physically damaged.

Check your phone for dust, dirt and damage

First, look at your device and look for any damage like dents or cracks – this could be a sign that your phone may need to be replaced, but we’ll wait until we’ve tried a few other fixes. Next, check the speaker connector for dust or dirt, which you can easily remove by blowing it off or cleaning it with a cotton swab dipped in a drop of rubbing alcohol.

Restart your phone

Whether it’s a Samsung not ringing or any other Android device, try restarting your phone for a quick and easy fix.

Samsung phones:

Press and hold the power button until you see the power off prompt. Tap Restart, then tap Restart again to confirm.

Other Android phones:

Press and hold the power button until you see the options menu. Tap Restart.

Don’t let a broken phone ruin your day If your phone stops working, your life shouldn’t have to. Go to a store near you or make an appointment to have it repaired quickly. Schedule a repair

Check your volume settings

If a simple restart doesn’t work, it could be a problem with your ringer volume, especially if you’re still listening to other media like music or videos. To check your volume settings:

Samsung:

Open settings. Tap Sound & Vibration. Tap Volume. Drag the ringtone bar to the right to increase the volume.

Other Android:

Open settings. Tap Sound & vibration. Drag the ring and notification volume to the right to increase it.

Turn off silent or do not disturb mode

You can temporarily silence your ringtone and pings from texts with Silent or Do Not Disturb mode. Once you enable this feature, you need to turn it off to get your phone to ring again.

Samsung:

Swipe down from the top of the screen to open the quick settings panel. Tap the Do Not Disturb icon to turn it off (it should be greyed out when off and blue when on).

Other Android:

Open settings. Tap Notifications > Do Not Disturb. Check if the setting is disabled. If it doesn’t, tap the Deactivate Now button. Check schedule settings and other settings to make sure they won’t be activated later.

Make sure Airplane mode is turned off

If you put your device on airplane mode during a flight and forgot to turn it off upon landing, your phone won’t ring. How to turn it off:

Samsung:

With your device unlocked, swipe down from the top of the screen to open quick settings and check if Airplane mode is on. If that’s the case, tap Airplane mode to turn it off (it should be greyed out if it’s off).

Other Android:

With your device unlocked, swipe down from the top of the screen to see your quick settings. Check Airplane mode to see if it’s turned off. If it’s on, tap the setting to turn it off.

Make sure call forwarding is not enabled

Samsung phones include a call forwarding option in the Settings app. You might even have it enabled to record voicemails by using a third-party app like Google Voice.

How to check if call forwarding is enabled on your device.

Open the Phone app. Tap on the three vertical dots in the top right corner. Tap Settings > Additional Services > Call Forwarding. If a phone number is listed under Always forward, tap Always forward, then tap Turn off.

If call forwarding options are enabled, turn them off.

Check Bluetooth

If you have paired your Android phone with headphones or earbuds and are not using them, you will not hear your phone ring. To disable Bluetooth pairing:

Samsung:

Open Settings > Connections > Bluetooth. Tap the three vertical dots in the top-right corner, then tap Advanced > Block pairing requests.

Other Android:

Swipe down from the top of the screen to open quick settings and tap Bluetooth to turn it off.

Remove third party ringtones

Third-party ringtones sometimes contain a software bug that can cause your phone not to ring. If you downloaded one, that could be the problem. As much as you love the sound of a duck quacking when your mom calls, try going back to a default ringtone on your phone. Here’s how to do it on most Android devices:

Open the Settings app. Choose Tone or Tones and vibration. Tap Ringtone or Ringtone. Select one of the preloaded ringtones – you may need to press OK or Save.

Perform a factory reset

If you’ve gone through all these options and your Samsung Galaxy or other Android phone still won’t ring, try performing a factory reset to restore your device to its original factory settings.

Make sure to back up your device before you start so you don’t lose any data. Read this article and follow the recommended steps.

If you’ve tried these steps and still need a little help, we’re right around the corner. uBreakiFix® by Asurion is a Samsung Authorized Repair Provider – schedule a repair at your nearest store and our experts can get your device back up and running the same day.

So recently I lost my phone or think it was stolen by a psychotic girl.

If I call my phone from a landline or another cell phone and it’s dead, does the phone ring once and go to voicemail? or does it go directly to the voicemail???

Have you ever called someone who went unanswered? Or are you confronted with a voicemail recording? Not a big deal – unless this happens every time you call that person. what could be wrong Why aren’t your calls going through?

There may be an innocuous explanation. Maybe the person you want to contact accidentally turned off their phone or the battery is dead. Tap or click here if you have an Android—there’s a reason your batteries drain fast.

Of course, there could be another reason: your number could be blocked. Before you start worrying about what you could have said or done to get ignored, there are several ways to tell if your number is really blocked.

Hi?

We called all the people and were put straight to voicemail; However, if repeated attempts to call or text the same person result in complete silence, a blocked number is a possibility.

Note: This shouldn’t be your first conclusion unless it happens every time you call or text for a long period of time. If it’s only been a day or two, don’t assume you were blocked. Sometimes people really lose their devices, accidentally break their screens, or just turn off their phones to shut out the world.

You should really get suspicious if it’s been several days or even a week.

A ring

Repeated redirects to voicemail after a single ring, or no rings at all, could be an indication that your number is blocked.

If you hear multiple rings before hearing the voicemail prompt, the person may not have blocked your calls, they are just rejecting them.

Domo Arigato?

Do you hear automated messages informing you that the person you are calling is unavailable or not currently taking calls? Because there is no default “You have been blocked” message, the only way to assume that your message is blocked is when you receive automated messages. This includes messages like “The number you are calling is temporarily out of service”.

If you can’t even reach the person’s regular voicemail, that’s a clear indication that you’ve been blocked.

You may not be

While the idea of ​​your phone number being blocked is a bit unsettling, it might not be because you messed up the relationship in any way. Several situations can result in the phone going straight to voicemail, continuing to ring with no answer, or delivering automated messages. Here are some possible scenarios:

The person is traveling and has limited or no service.

The battery is empty.

A natural disaster has damaged the network infrastructure.

The phone is switched off or the Do Not Disturb feature is activated.

function is activated. (S) he forgot to pay his or her phone bill and service was disconnected.

The phone is lost or not in their possession.

The person has blocked all contacts for whatever reason.

The person used Apple’s new automatic call blocking feature and doesn’t have your number on their phone. Tap or click here for more information on how the block works.

Last resorts

Unfortunately, if someone blocks your number, there’s nothing you can do to unblock it. However, there are a few ways to tell if you’re blocked or just calling at bad times.

Consider the following methods:

Hide your phone number when you call. You can enter *67 before dialing their number, or turn off caller ID for outgoing calls in your phone’s settings. Options vary by carrier, phone model, manufacturer, and operating system.

Call from another phone number.

If you have a trusted family member or mutual friend, ask if they would be willing to contact the person directly for you.

Try reaching out through social media or email.

If you’re still being treated as mute, especially if others are able to reach the person you were trying to contact, we’re sorry to report that you’ve been blocked.

While you can use any of the options above, continued attempts to contact someone who has taken steps to cut off communications with you may be considered crossing boundaries (harassment or stalking), which may result in legal action.

One of the best things to do in this situation is not to keep checking back unless you have reason to believe the person is in danger. If this is the case, notify the authorities; Otherwise, step back and take a few days between calls to give the other person a chance to get back to you.

If you’re the one trying to block someone, just tap or click here to learn how.