FaceTime Tips (Blocked Ringing, Voicemail, Phone Off)


There are various reasons why you may want to block some people on your phone and certain apps. The blocking feature prevents them from calling or texting you unless you remove them from the blocked list. Since FaceTime is not the regular calling app, you may wonder what happens when a blocked contact tries to reach out to you.

So, will FaceTime Ring if Blocked? Blocked contacts’ calls will not ring on your end, and you will not receive any notification about their video or audio call. Blocking them shuts them out the same way with standard calls. However, the blocked callers will hear a ring on their phones as they try to establish a connection. This ring will persist each time they call, and they cannot tell that you have blocked them.

FaceTime is the preferred calling app for most Apple product users, explaining why you may block some contacts from communicating with you using the app. You may have personal reasons for blocking someone on FaceTime; it may be a stalker or someone with whom you want to cut communication ties permanently. You may have questions to determine how effective the FaceTime block is such that the call will not ring on your end.

You will not receive any incoming calls from the app if you have a blocked contact trying to reach you. You will not even know that the person is calling you because it will not ring on your end.

On the other hand, if the contact you are trying to reach has blocked you on FaceTime, the call will ring as the app does when trying to establish a connection. However, it will not go through even when the contact has a stable network. FaceTime will keep ringing but cannot connect to the other end.

FaceTime, regular calls, and other calling and messaging apps follow your blocking instructions. If you don’t want someone to reach you, you can always put them on the blocked contacts list to permanently stop them from finding you.

They will keep calling, and their app will ring countless times but nothing will happen. FaceTime does this for all outgoing calls as it tries to establish a connection. In contrast, your FaceTime will not ring on your side as long as the caller is on the blocked list.

You will never know about the call since the app will place a solid wall between you two. They will only call until they tire out. However, you will have to block the contact on every other app to avoid them entirely; otherwise, they can always locate you using other calling platforms.

Fortunately, blocking a number will prevent them from locating via FaceTime or the standard calling app. Thus, you don’t need to worry about them finding you through messages or standard calls besides FaceTime.

Remember that FaceTime calls may also fail to connect with unblocked contacts if you have issues on your side, like poor network or improper phone settings. Lastly, note that blocked contacts can use some workarounds to call you on FaceTime. They may mask their caller ID, consequently disguising their details from your phone. Therefore, your phone will ring even when the actual caller is on the blocked list.

Will FaceTime Work if Blocked?

Sometimes you may be on the receiving end of the block, unable to get your calls through to a particular contact. If you are confident that the other party has blocked you but still need to communicate with them, you may wonder whether the app can still work.

A barred number on FaceTime cannot go through, and the initiator will keep trying until they tire out. When someone blocks you, you will only hear the phone ringing whenever you call but they will not receive any notification on their end. The beeping sound is due to the FaceTime servers trying to locate the recipient. The application will also act the same way if the phone you are trying to reach is dead.

You will notice that getting blocked by another contact on FaceTime is different from iPhone’s regular calls. The application will not notify you or give any hints telling you that the other person has blocked your number.

You can obliviously keep calling, thinking that the receiver is away from the phone or busy, and hope they will hear the ring and pick up. You should not mistake the ringing sounds for call connection because whatever you hear happens when the server tries to respond to your request.

Note that the number of rings on a typical FaceTime call is different when you are on the blocked list. Typically, if the receiver declines or picks up the call, you will notice that the rings are approximately four.

However, a blocked call will ring over ten times, indicating something is wrong. A poor network may also make FaceTime unavailable but the case is different when dealing with barring. Generally, the longer the call’s ring, the higher the chances of call obstruction.

Do FaceTime Calls Go through when the Phone Is Off?

Perhaps you forgot to carry your charger and you are expecting an urgent FaceTime call, or you are attending a meeting and don’t want calls to come through the app. In such instances, you may wonder, do Facetime calls go through the phone is off?

Your FaceTime will never ring if your phone is off or you have not connected your phone to the internet. The app is an online platform, meaning that your phone and internet connection must be on for it to work. Calls will not go through if your internet connection is unstable or your cellular data is not working.

Otherwise, you will only hear the app’s ringing tone until it disconnects if you are on the calling end. It does this while establishing the connection between the servers and the contact you are reaching. 

You can deliberately turn the phone off if you want to avoid distractions from FaceTime if at school or work. In other cases, your phone’s battery may drain when you don’t have a charger on you.

Either way, note that it will be impossible for anyone to contact you unless you turn on your phone again or recharge it. It will interfere with the standard calls and text messages, and all the other apps will not function.

FaceTime also demands one more thing from the user, a stable internet connection. Therefore, you must connect to Wi-Fi or cellular data, and the network must be reliable. Otherwise, you will have buffering and lags, ruining the entire experience, which applies to all online calling and texting applications. Ultimately, your phone must be on for FaceTime to work. Since it needs internet, you will automatically be offline if your iPhone is off.

It is also evident that you will not make any calls if your phone is off. All FaceTime or online calls can only work when you meet the two conditions above. If you are on the other end, trying to call a dead phone, you will only hear the usual ring when the app is trying to look for how to connect to the other ID. It will keep ringing until you finally get a message that the contact is unavailable. With this, you can conclude that they are offline or their phone is off.

Do FaceTime Calls Go To Voicemail?

One of the best aspects of the standard call is that you can reroute your calls to voicemail if you are not in a position to answer the phone. Similarly, the feature lets you leave a message for the receiver when you cannot find them, like when their phone is off. It would be convenient if FaceTime had voicemail, too, allowing you to record a video or audio call for the contact to receive when they get back online.

Unfortunately, there is no voicemail feature in FaceTime, despite the frequent requests from users over the years. Unlike routine calls, the app does not give you an option of leaving an audio or video message for the other party to receive. Instead, the alternatives are either to decline the call then tap the messages icon. You can click the camera app or send a voice record to make an audio or video message.

FaceTime users may have to wait longer for the app to create a faster and more effective way to leave messages through the app. Apple usually includes cool new features in its devices with every software release.

However, everyone looks forward to when there will be an update allowing users to leave voicemails after using FaceTime. It would be easier to relay important information even when the receiver is not online yet or the phone is dead.

It would be a great option if it worked the same way as the standard calls that redirect automatically to voicemail when the receiver doesn’t pick. This way, if you attempt to call a friend when they are not available, there will be an option for you to record your voice or make a video for the recipient to playback whenever they can. Presently, the only form of voicemail in FaceTime involves using messages.

If the caller declines or fails to answer, you can tap the Messaging icon, where you can click the camera or microphone symbol to send video or audio recordings. This method may be pretty straightforward but it involves using another app. Voicemail would only be faster and more convenient if it were an inbuilt feature in FaceTime.

How To Tell If You Are Blocked on FaceTime

FaceTime is an excellent way to communicate with your loved ones but you may be unlucky to find yourself on the blocked list due to various reasons, meaning you cannot make audio or video calls to the other person. On the downside, FaceTime will not tell you that the other party has blocked you, and to be sure, you may have to consider some tips.

The first way to tell that you are blocked is when the FaceTime call rings longer than usual without a response. Secondly, you can try calling using a new number that doesn’t exist in their contact list and see whether it will go through, and if they will pick up. You can also try calling them on FaceTime while you are in the same place together.

If their phones fail to ring, then there are high chances that they have barred your calls. Blocked numbers on FaceTime do not leave notifications for the recipient to find, and FaceTime won’t beep on the other end, irrespective of how much you try calling.

It may be challenging to conclude that your FaceTime calls cannot go through because the recipient has blocked you. Therefore, it will be wise to find alternative means to determine the truth.

For example, suppose you have called several times unsuccessfully using your conventional number. In that case, you can try calling using an alternative number that you are sure is not in their contact list. If they receive it, you can now conclude that your friend has barred you.

Another sure way to tell is by meeting up with the person and calling them when you are together, looking for signs that the phone is ringing. Sometimes, your buddy may have blocked you mistakenly, thinking that FaceTime will run smoothly without detecting the changes. Sadly, a number barred on the phone cannot function on FaceTime, too; hence your connection may fail to go through.

If you try these options and they all seem to be inclining to the same conclusion, you will have all the proof you need to confirm your doubts. You can now accept the case and find amicable solutions for friendship or family’s sake. Remember that sometimes your friend may have mistakenly blocked you or may have valid reasons like shutting you out when they were busy but forgot to remove you from the list.

Summary

Personal reasons warrant you to block another contact. Luckily, you don’t have to worry about them calling you as soon as they are on the blocked list. Your phone will not ring, and you will not get any notification about them calling.

Additionally, they will not know that you have blocked them when they reach out because the phone will ring on their end trying to look for a connection. On the other hand, your FaceTime will not work if your phone is off.

Therefore, you can switch it off to avoid calls when busy. However, unlike regular calls, FaceTime doesn’t have a voicemail feature. Thus, all your callers will have to wait for you to get back online before communicating.

Bal Kang

Bal Kang is a technology expert based in the UK, with experience across a number of technology areas from phones, tablets, computers to gaming.

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