Being blocked is one of the worst feelings out there, and it can make you question everything. Was I really blocked? When was I blocked? And why!? You’ve probably noticed someone’s text becoming green all of a sudden, and wondered if that means you’ve been blocked. Actually, it’s not that simple.
On Android devices, like Samsung phones, there really aren’t any set text bubble colors, and users can customize appearance, so green doesn’t indicate anything in particular. If you’re on iPhone and noticed that the usual blue conversation bubbles have turned green, that could be an indicator that you’ve been blocked, but it’s not necessarily the case, since texts can turn green for so many other reasons.
When you see green messages on iPhone, that usually means the message was sent using SMS rather than iMessage. Only Apple devices can send and receive iMessages, while SMS messages are compatible with basically all smartphones, and mobile phones in general. This means the recipient may not have an Apple device, they have turned iMessaging off, or it’s unavailable on either their phone or your phone. iMessages become unavailable if the server is down, you run out of data, or the setting is turned off on your phone. If your message doesn’t get delivered, then there’s a much higher possibility that you’ve been blocked.
So, how can you know if someone blocked you?
If you truly want to know if someone has blocked you, there are two pretty solid ways to know for sure: First, your calls go directly to voicemail. You’ll usually hear one ring, followed by the automated voicemail announcement. This can sometimes happen if someone is on Airplane Mode, but you can really make sure by calling them again from a different number.
Second, as mentioned before, you will notice that your messages failed to send. On most devices and messaging platforms, you’ll see a notification indicating that the text hasn’t been delivered, like a red exclamation point on the side of the unsent message. On iPhone, you will see “Delivered” under successfully sent messages, and you won’t see that once you have been blocked. On Android devices, copy their phone number, delete the contact details, then search for their number in the Contacts app — if their name doesn’t appear as a suggested contact, you could very well be blocked.
