In a world of constant connectivity and speedy accessibility, there are times when we need a break from communication.
Despite modern applications and features that allow us to distance ourselves from the social world – e.g. Flight Mode, Do Not Disturb, and Sleep Time – there are certain situations where the old function of blocking a contact is the only way to get some peace.
Be it from telemarketers or a pesky flirt, blocking has remained a vital crutch in the toolbox of functions that allow us some much-needed “me-time” in our day.
…But what happens if after blocking a contact and coming to terms with your severance, you still end up receiving phone contact from them?
“Why are blocked numbers still coming through on my Samsung phone?” You may wonder.
Is there no measure for peace and solitude anymore?!
Before you throw your phone into the ocean or file that restraining order, today we’ll have a look at why this is happening and how you can use blocking contacts more efficiently.
While blocking numbers is a universal feature of most modern cell phones, each phone company has different processes for getting the job done.
If you have an Apple product it is unlikely that you will receive any further notification from a blocked number, though if you are an Android-stan then you may have to jump through a few more hoops to be truly notification-free.
Why Is My Samsung Phone Still Getting Calls From A Blocked Number?
So after a week of receiving spam calls, you took justice into your own hands and blocked the pesky number… yet your phone keeps blowing up with unwanted notifications.
What is going on?!
To fix this issue, it is best to first understand what happens when you block a number:
When you block a contact, it is often assumed that the link between the two numbers disappears completely, and that all communication between the phones will fail with the messages going nowhere.
Instead, when a number is blocked, the protocols that cause the contact to send data to you are deterred, and vice versa for any data that you send to them as well!
In most cases, the person that you blocked will not receive any indication that they have been blocked by you.
This means that despite the blockade being up, they will often continue trying to contact you and proceed to leave voice messages as if your cell phone was turned off.
Texts that the other blocked party sends to you will also appear to them as being sent, as the messages go to the routing location first before they reach your phone- which then blocks the data of the message from the blocked number.
While this sounds great, there are still some unfortunate flaws that can result in notifications from blocked numbers.
Depending on your network carrier, the voice messages left by blocked numbers will not get stored in a separate hidden compartment of your answering machine service, and you may get notifications of missed calls from a blocked number.
Another issue is that some third-party applications like Instagram or Facebook Messenger that use an individual’s phone number have calling functions, which can bypass the block that was set up on the local level of your cell phone’s settings.
Dealing with these notifications can be a pain when you are trying to find social freedom; however, do not fear- there are some solutions available!
How Do I Stop Getting Calls From A Blocked Number?
If the main problem with blocked numbers on your Samsung device is voicemail messages, your best bet is to give your network carrier a call.
While your phone is where the action happens, your voicemail service is always facilitated through your carrier.
Therefore, it’s best to talk to them about how they process voicemails from blocked numbers.
There is a chance that the company that you are using isn’t properly compartmentalizing the calls from blocked numbers and dealing with the messages appropriately.
Another option worth looking into is the many third-party applications that deal with blocked numbers or spam callers.
There are many out there suited to different requirements, though most of them are designed to help the foundational blocking function of your phone to better block numbers and restrict the data that is sent to you.
If your Samsung model is fairly recent, then the Smart Call feature could be the fix that you’re looking for.
Smart Call gives you the option to block all unknown numbers that aren’t already saved in your Contacts list.
While this option is much more extreme than individually blocking select contacts, it can be an effective failsafe option for someone that is receiving an overwhelming amount of spam calls or unwanted callers.
In Summary
There are a few different options when it comes to completely ridding yourself of unwanted notifications and communication from blocked numbers on your Samsung phone.
These can include:
- Giving your network provider a call;
- Looking into third-party applications that supplement a phone’s native blocking capabilities; and
- Utilizing the Samsung Smart Call function.
While it can require a bit of extra effort, it’s well worth the peace and quiet of being able to use your phone comfortably and without fear of disturbances from unwanted sources!