When you block someone on most major platforms and communication services, they are generally not explicitly notified that they have been blocked. From their perspective, their messages may simply appear to be sent (but remain undelivered), or calls may ring without an answer.
When you block a phone number or contact, they can still leave a voicemail, but you won't get a notification. Messages that are sent or received won't be delivered. Also, the contact won't get a notification that the call or message was blocked.
Soft blocking on Instagram is a subtle way to remove someone from your followers without them knowing, achieved by briefly blocking and then unblocking a user; this forces them to unfollow you, stopping their content from appearing in your feed and yours in theirs, but allows them to still find your profile and interact if they try, acting as a low-drama way to set boundaries. It's different from Instagram's built-in "Restrict" feature, which hides their comments and messages without unfollowing them, though both offer discreet ways to manage unwanted interactions.
People aren't notified when you block them.
It depends on your end goal. If you are doing this to get them back then just ignore. If you just want to move on then block. If your goal is to hurt them, I would advise not to.
There's no way to see texts from blocked contacts. However, you can try contacting your mobile network carrier to see if you can access your message logs through them. Verizon, for instance, lets you download mobile, text and data usage details for the last 90 days. Call logs are also not visible for blocked numbers.
First, If you can see their tweets on their profile but don't show up in your timeline, they've likely soft blocked you. If you try to search for the person's username on Twitter. It's most likely that a soft block prevented you from following each other.
The app doesn't notify restricted users if you read their direct message (DM) without accepting the request. And if you're in a group chat, Instagram informs you that there's a restricted user in your conversation. Blocked users, on the other hand, cannot access your profile or send you direct messages.
Dialing *77 on your phone activates Anonymous Call Rejection, blocking incoming calls from private or blocked numbers, making anonymous callers hear a message to hang up and try again. It's a landline/VoIP feature (like AT&T, CenturyLink) to stop spam/prank calls but can sometimes vary by carrier or state, potentially connecting to emergency services (like *87 to turn it off).
Naturally, when you're on DND, your phone automatically puts off call or text message notifications from everyone. So, can you put one person on Do Not Disturb? To be candid, the answer is YES, either on your iPhone or Android device.
For Android Users
Here's how to do it on Messenger: Open the conversation with the person you want to restrict. Tap their name at the top of the chat. Select Restrict or Mute Notifications.
Muting helps you ignore someone without preventing them from doing anything. Blocking someone prevents them from messaging you, commenting on your observations, identifying your observations, and otherwise interacting with you on iNaturalist.
Enabled: You can display your Caller ID for a single outgoing call. Press *67, call the destination phone number, then press #. Disabled: You can hide your Caller ID for a single outgoing call. Press *82, call the number, then press #.
The Power of Control
Blocking someone allows a person to regain control over their interactions and creates a safe space free from unwanted engagement. According to psychological research, control is a basic human need. People derive a sense of security when they can dictate the terms of their digital interactions.
No one will ever receive a notification that you've blocked or unblocked them.
Important things to know about using block:
Accounts you have blocked cannot follow you, and you cannot follow an account you have blocked. Blocking an account you are currently following will cause you to unfollow that account (and them to unfollow you).
They Won't Be Notified
Instagram has kept the whole 'restricting someone' as a discrete process. It means when you restrict someone on Instagram, they will not receive any alert message.
Blocking contacts via the Contacts app
Navigate to and open the Contacts app. Tap the contact you want to block. Select More, then tap Block contact, and confirm by tapping Block.
“It's a more subtle way to limit unwanted interactions without completely removing them from seeing your content,” says Day. “Unlike blocking someone on Instagram, the account you're restricting will not be aware,” so you can hopefully avoid unwanted interactions without breaking social media etiquette rules.
Yes, *69 (Star 69) tells you who called by redialing the last number that called you and revealing the number, but it only works if the caller didn't block their ID using features like *67, and its availability depends on your phone carrier and service plan. It's a service that connects you back to the last caller or gives you their number, but modern smartphones often display this in the recent calls log anyway, making *69 less essential now.
When someone you've blocked tries to text you, you will not receive text messages from them. The system does not send any notification to the blocked person. However, many iPhone users may be able to deduce that you've blocked them. This is because of the iMessage text “status” feature on iPhones.
Blocked messages are not delivered to your inbox at all. Unlike some messaging apps, iPhone does not keep a hidden folder of blocked messages. This design ensures maximum privacy and eliminates potential risks.