How to unblock a number on an iPhone

Do you want to know how to unblock numbers on an iPhone and get back in touch with people? Maybe you’ve blocked a friend’s new number by accident or decided to reconnect with someone, so you’re wondering how to unblock a contact on an iPhone. Or perhaps you’re trying to learn how to unblock unknown numbers on an iPhone because circumstances have changed, and you’re looking forward to a call from a stranger. Regardless of what you want, unblocking numbers on an iPhone is a quick and straightforward process. If you believe in second chances, continue reading to find out how to unblock on an iPhone:

NOTE: If you unblock a number on an iPhone, they can call, text, email, and FaceTime you again. Furthermore, if you were sharing your location with them, they can see it as Live and track your movements just like before the block. However, remember that when you unblock someone on an iPhone, you don’t receive any of the old texts they sent you while they were blocked.

How to unblock someone on an iPhone from the info screen

If you’re trying to learn how to unblock a number on an iPhone, the process is similar to blocking someone in iOS. There are two screens you can use to unblock a caller on an iPhone, and I’ll start with the info screen, which displays the details for a number. You can reach it from several iOS apps: Phone, Messages, FaceTime, and Mail – I’ll show you details for a couple of them in the next section. Furthermore, the info screen offers the most straightforward way of unblocking a number on your iPhone if that number isn’t saved on your device.

Access the info screen to unblock a number on an iPhone

There are several ways to access the info screen, but the Phone app provides the most options. To begin, open the Phone app by tapping its shortcut.

Open the Phone app to unblock numbers on iPhone

If there have been calls between you and that person lately, tap the Phone app’s Recents tab. You can also go to Favorites if the person you’re unblocking is in that category or access the Voicemail tab if you saved voicemails from that number. These screens look pretty much the same, so you can use either to find the number you want to unblock. When you do, tap the small info icon next to that number or contact. It looks like a circle with the letter i inside.

Tap the info icon next to a number in the Phone app

Alternatively, you can access the Phone app’s Contacts tab, as shown below. Then, find the person you want to unblock and tap their name.

IMPORTANT: During my research for this guide, I noticed a lot of users reported accessing their Contacts list and bringing up the contact, but they can’t seem to find the option to unblock the number on their iPhones. As far as I can tell, the problem is that they mistake the Contacts tab with the Contacts app. It’s an easy mistake to make considering the name and the fairly similar aspect. However, at the time of writing, the Contacts app does NOT have options for blocking or unblocking numbers on your iPhone, so make sure you are in the right place: open the Phone app and then tap Contacts at the bottom.

To unblock an iPhone contact, find it in the Phone app’s Contacts tab

Next, you should see the info screen for that number. It displays all the contact details and should be similar to the one below. However, the info screen of your blocked number probably won’t include the same lion Contact Poster my colleague chose. 🙂

Access the info screen of the contact you want to unblock

You can also access the info screen from the Messages app. Access Messages and open the chat with the contact you’re unblocking. Then, tap their name or number at the top of the screen.

Tap the name at the top of your Messages chat

Next, tap info to access the screen bearing the same name.

Access the info screen to unblock a phone number on iPhone

TIP: Remember that you can use either info icon to access the screen with a contact’s details in several iOS apps.

How to unblock a number on an iPhone from the info screen

On the contact’s info screen, scroll down and then tap the Unblock Caller option at the bottom.

How to unblock a caller on an iPhone

That’s all. The contact is unblocked immediately and can now reach out to you again.

How to unblock numbers on an iPhone in the Settings app

The Settings app offers several options for controlling who can contact you, and I’ll cover them one by one. Are you wondering how to find blocked numbers on an iPhone and unblock them? Then, you should use the Blocked Contacts screen from the Settings app. Here’s how to access it:

Access the Blocked Contacts screen to unblock numbers on an iPhone

First, open Settings by tapping the app’s Home Screen icon.

Access Settings to unblock contacts on an iPhone

On the Settings screen, scroll all the way down and tap Apps.

Access the Settings for Apps

This takes you to a screen with all your Apps. Scroll through them and tap Phone, Messages, or FaceTime. As you’re about to see, I chose Messages, but the instructions are similar no matter what you tap here.

You can tap both Phone or Messages if you’re unblocking numbers on iPhone

The next screen differs based on your choice during the previous step. However, the option you need is the same. Scroll down until you find Blocked Contacts. If you want to unblock a contact on an iPhone, tap this entry to continue.

Access Blocked Contacts to unblock calls on an iPhone

NOTE: It doesn’t matter if you choose Messages or Phone on the Apps screen. You reach the same Blocked Contacts screen featured in the next section. When you unblock a phone number on an iPhone, it’s removed from the Blocked Contacts list, and that person can call, text, email, and FaceTime you.

How to unblock a contact on an iPhone from Settings

The next screen displays all the Blocked Contacts on your iPhone. As you can see below, I don’t like blocking people, I prefer screening my calls.🙂 On the Blocked Contacts screen, find the number you want to unblock. You may think tapping their number would be the next step to unblock someone on an iPhone. However, there are three ways to do this on the Blocked Contacts screen, and tapping the number is NOT one of them. Let’s go through these methods one by one.

The most obvious way starts with tapping Edit in the upper-right corner.

Edit the Blocked Contacts on your iPhone

Next, tap the – (minus sign) icon next to the number you want to unblock.

How to unblock someone on an iPhone

The number slides to the left to reveal an Unblock button. Tapping this button immediately removes the number from the Block Contacts list. Remove other numbers if you want, and then tap Done in the upper-right corner to exit editing mode.

How to unblock a phone number on iPhone

After finding it on the Block Contacts screen, you can also slide the number you want to unblock to the left.

Slide a number to the left to unblock it

This reveals the Unblock button without going into editing mode. Tap it, and the number is unblocked immediately.

How to unblock someone on an iPhone

The third way is even easier: find the number and slide it all the way to the left until the Unblock button takes over the entire entry.

How to unblock a number on iPhone

The contact is unblocked in one swift move.

How to unblock unknown numbers on an iPhone

Whether you’re wondering how to unblock unknown calls or how to unblock spam calls on an iPhone, the answer is in the Settings app. Access Apps, then Phone, like I showed you at the beginning of this section.

Start by accessing Settings > Apps > Phone to unblock calls on an iPhone

Scroll down all the way and tap Silence Unknown Callers.

How to unblock unknown calls on an iPhone

If you want to receive these calls from now on, tap the switch next to Silence Unknown Callers to disable the option.

How to unblock No caller ID on an iPhone

TIP: FaceTime has the same option for blocking spam calls on an iPhone, and the steps to deactivate it are similar. Access Settings > Apps > FaceTime > Silence Unknown Callers and disable the switch with the same name.

How to unblock messages on an iPhone

If you want to unblock text messages on an iPhone, the Settings app has the solution. Go to Settings > Apps > Messages, as shown at the beginning of this section. Then, find and tap the Filter Unknown Senders switch to disable it.

How to unblock text messages on an iPhone

From now on, any messages received from unknown senders are displayed in the Messages app.

Did you learn how to unblock on an iPhone?

Now that you know how to unblock numbers on an iPhone, you can easily restore communication with any contact you previously blocked. I love second chances. Don’t you? Leave your story in the comments below, and tell me why you needed help unblocking a number on an iPhone. I am looking forward to your (dramatic) tales.