Introduction
iMessage is a popular messaging app that comes pre-loaded on Apple devices. It allows you to send text messages, images, videos, and audio messages. However, if you can’t send messages to someone on iMessage, it’s possible that you’ve been blocked.
In this article, we’ll explore how to know if you are blocked on iMessage. We’ll provide various approaches, including a step-by-step guide, comparison guide, troubleshooting guide, Q&A-style article, technical guide, and personal experience story. By the end of this article, you’ll have a better understanding of how blocking works on iMessage and how to find out if someone has blocked you.
Step-by-Step Guide
If you suspect that you’ve been blocked on iMessage, here are some signs to look out for:
- Your messages are not being delivered
- Your messages are not marked as ‘delivered’
- Your messages are marked as ‘sent’ but not ‘delivered’
- You can’t see the recipient’s last active status
- You can’t make a call to the recipient via FaceTime
- The recipient’s name appears in blue text, but you can’t send a message
If you’ve noticed any of these signs, it’s possible that you’ve been blocked on iMessage. Here’s what to do next:
- Restart your device – it may be a temporary glitch
- Try sending a message from a different Apple device
- Try calling the recipient via regular phone call or FaceTime
If you still can’t send messages or make calls, it’s likely that the recipient has blocked you. But you can take further steps to confirm if you’ve been blocked:
- Create a group chat with the suspected blocked user and someone else who you know will participate in the chat
- Send a message to the group chat. If the person is just ignoring you, the message will be delivered to everyone in the group, except the ignored person. But if you are blocked, the message won’t be delivered to the group or the person in question
- Look on social media to see if the suspected person has been posting or responding to messages. If they’re active, they may have blocked you specifically on iMessage.
Comparison Guide
When you’re blocked by someone on iMessage, the app behaves differently. Messages aren’t delivered to the blocked user’s device. Here’s how a non-blocked user will notice a difference in the app’s behavior:
- Your messages will be noted as ‘delivered’
- The recipient’s last active status will be visible
- The recipient’s name will be highlighted in green to indicate an active Facetime connection
- You will be able to send messages without any obstacles
In contrast, these are the characteristics of a blocked user:
- Your messages will not be delivered or marked as ‘delivered’
- The recipient’s last active status will not be visible
- The recipient’s name will not be highlighted in green to indicate an active Facetime connection
- You will find it unable to send messages despite the recipient’s name appearing in blue text in the message bar
Troubleshooting Guide
It can be frustrating not being able to know if you’ve been blocked on iMessage. Here are the steps you can take to confirm:
- If your messages are only marked ‘sent’, this may indicate that you’ve been blocked. Switch to a cellular network to test whether that makes a difference
- Instead of using iMessage, try sending a regular SMS text message. A green text bubble indicates an SMS rather than an iMessage connection.
- Create a new contact for the suspected blocked user and try to call them via regular phone call or Facetime. If the calls don’t connect, there might be a chance of getting blocked
- Try accessing iMessage on a different Apple device to see if the same problem persists.
If all else fails, it’s time to suspect that you’ve been blocked. However, take note that it’s not the end of the world – you can always communicate with the person through other channels.
Q&A-Style Article
How can I tell if my messages are being delivered on iMessage?
Your messages would show as ‘delivered’ once the recipient’s device receives them. But if the messages only show ‘sent’, it may mean that the recipient has blocked you or they are unable to access iMessage on their device.
How is being blocked different from being ignored on iMessage?
If someone ignores you on iMessage, your messages would still be delivered on their device, and they would be free to respond whenever they want. But when someone blocks you, the messages would not be delivered, and you won’t be able to send messages or make calls to the person
Can other iMessage users see if I’ve been blocked?
No, other iMessage users wouldn’t be able to find out that you’ve been blocked or excluded from seeing the recipient’s messages.
Can I still send messages to a person who’s blocked me on iMessage?
No, blocked users can’t send messages to the person who blocked them on iMessage. Blocked messages wouldn’t be delivered to the recipient’s iMessage account or email address.
Technical Guide
iMessage employs end-to-end encryption to secure messages from being accessed by unauthorized parties. Once a person is blocked on iMessage, messages from the blocked user will not be delivered to the recipient device. To confirm an incoming message’s authenticity on iMessage, the receiving device checks the digital signature on the received message against Apple’s servers. Apple is committed to preserving users’ data privacy, and they never store any user message data on their servers.
Personal Experience Story
A while ago, I got excluded from messaging one of my contacts on iMessage, and I wasn’t sure if I was blocked. I tried a few things like restarting my device, but it didn’t work. I had to try the group chat method to confirm if I was blocked, by involving another friend and checking if the message was delivered. It turns out that the person had blocked me even though they still communicated with mutual friends on the app. I had to resort to communicating via text messages, which was not too bad in hindsight.
Conclusion
It can be frustrating to suspect that you’ve been blocked on iMessage, but it doesn’t have to be the end of the world. We’ve shown you various ways to confirm if you’ve been blocked on iMessage, including signs to look out for, step by step methods, and technical guides. Understanding blocking on iMessage is essential for effective communication, and we encourage you to be persistent in fixing the issue if you encounter it.
