It’s a frustrating feeling. Your messages to someone on Signal are just… sitting there. You’re met with silence, and you start to wonder: “Is their phone off, or have I been blocked?”
Here’s the most important thing to know upfront: Signal will never tell you if you’ve been blocked.
As a privacy-focused app, Signal is designed with user privacy in mind. The experience of being blocked looks exactly the same as if the other person uninstalled the app. It also appears the same if they lost their phone or have no internet connection.
While there is no single “You are blocked!” notification, there are several key clues you can piece together. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the four biggest signs to look for.
How to Know If Someone Blocked You on Signal: The 4 Clues
No single clue is 100% proof. If you see all four of these signs at once, it is extremely likely you have been blocked.
Clue 1: Your Messages Are Never “Delivered”
This is the biggest clue. Pay close attention to the check marks next to your message.
- One Check Mark: This means your message has been “Sent” from your phone.
- Two Check Marks: This means your message has been “Delivered” to their phone.
- Two Solid Check Marks: This means they have “Read” your message (if you both have Read Receipts on).
If you are blocked, your messages will permanently show only one “Sent” check mark. They will never get the second “Delivered” check mark, because their phone is refusing to receive the message from you.
Expert Tip: This could also mean their phone is off, broken, or has no internet. But if this “Sent” status lasts for many days or weeks, it’s a strong sign of a block.
Clue 2: You Stop Seeing Their Profile Updates
When someone blocks you, Signal stops sharing their profile information with you. You will no longer see any updates to their profile picture or their name.
Their profile picture may be “stuck” on the last photo you saw. It may also disappear entirely and be replaced by a generic gray initial. You might know they’ve changed their picture. Perhaps you saw it in a group chat. If it’s not updating in your 1-on-1 chat, you are likely blocked.
Clue 3: Signal Calls Will Not Go Through
This is another strong test. If you try to place a Signal voice or video call to the person:
- The call will either ring endlessly without ever connecting…
- …or it will fail almost immediately.
On their end, their phone will not ring at all. They will receive no notification that you are trying to call them.
Clue 4: The Group Chat Test
This is the most definitive test if you are in a mutual group. A Signal block only applies to one-on-one chats, calls, and profile updates. It does not apply to group chats.
If you are in a group with this person, you will both still see each other’s messages in that group.
If you see them actively talking in a group chat, your private messages to them may still be stuck on one “Sent” tick. They have most likely blocked you. It is a near-certainty.
Conclusion: How to Be Sure
As Signal is designed for privacy, you have to be a detective. You can’t rely on just one clue, but you can be almost 100% sure you are blocked if you see this combination:
Your 1-on-1 messages are stuck on one “Sent” check mark for days. Their profile picture never updates. Your Signal calls to them never connect.
If you see all of these signs at once, the person has almost certainly blocked you on Signal.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens when I block someone on Signal?
You will no longer receive any messages, calls, or profile updates from them. They will not be notified that you blocked them. From their perspective, you will just look like you are offline (their messages will be “Sent” but never “Delivered”).
If I use a new account, can I message them?
Yes. A block is tied to your specific account. You can create a brand new Signal account using a different phone number. Then, message them. Your message would go through. It would show two “Delivered” check marks. This is a final, but complicated, way to confirm a block.
Can I be blocked from a group?
Not in the same way. A group admin can remove you from a group. However, one member cannot “block” you from seeing their messages within that group.
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