How To Tell If Someone’s Phone Is Off Or Dead

Sometimes, getting a voicemail doesn’t mean that the phone is dead, it could mean that the person has blocked your phone number or doesn't want to answer your phone call.
Timothy Mark
Timothy Mark - Writer & Editor
14 Min Read
how to tell if someone phone is off or dead

When a phone is dead, it’s not going to ring, and immediately it will take you to the person’s voicemail if they have one, or the operator stating that the number you’re calling is unavailable or unreachable.

If you’re trying to reach someone through a phone call and you keep on ending up on voicemail, how do you know if the phone is dead?

In a wake-up call like this, it’s not easy to tell if someone’s phone is off or dead, but with some factors, we can tell if the phone is turned off.

Sometimes you may think that they are ignoring your calls, and you may be wrong. The problem might be a network issue. They might be at the wrong location.

There are things you need to know if you want to tell if someone’s phone is off or dead.

Most carriers could say that the number you’re trying to reach is currently switched off. How to set up voicemail on an iPhone device.

Sometimes, getting a voicemail doesn’t mean that the phone is dead, it could mean that the person has blocked your phone number or doesn’t want to answer your phone call.

It may be a network issue or the person has made all phone call routes to voicemail. Here’s how to tell if someone’s phone is off or dead.

How Do You Tell If Someone’s Phone Is Off Or Dead?

There are different ways to know if someone’s phone is dead or turned off. If you make a phone call to the number and their phone is switched off or the number is no longer in service, the device won’t ring.

And soon you’ll be redirected to voicemail if they have any setup.

The network provider might say that the number you’re trying to call is switched off or unavailable. For a phone that’s dead, they’ll say the phone number is no longer in service.

In some cases the phone won’t just go to voicemail, it may ring once before heading to the person’s voicemail if the person has blocked your number, or enabled Do Not Disturb.

This setting blocks calls and texts from the person’s phone, so they won’t get anything. Instead, it will show as a missed call. Your network provider might tell you that the phone can’t be reached or is unavailable.

1. The Phone Will Not Ring, Not Even Once

If the phone is switched off or dead, it’s not going to ring, it can’t ring, and won’t ring. This is the fastest way to know if someone’s phone is dead or turned off.

Once you make the phone call to the phone LINE, it will take you directly to the person’s voicemail, or the network carrier might say the phone number is not available, or it’s unreachable.

2. They Haven’t Been Online On Their Social Network Account

Another way to know if a person’s phone is dead is to check when they were last active on social media, especially WhatsApp.

Or go to the social network that they are most frequently active on and check their last active status. If it’s longer (hours), then there is a high chance that their phone is off.

You can wait and try reaching them again after a few hours or use another phone to contact them (you may never know).

How To Tell If Someone’s Phone Is Off When Texting?

When you’re done trying to make a phone call and it’s not going through, you can tell if someone’s phone is off or dead with text messages and iMessage for iPhone users.

Do texts get delivered when the phone is off?

No, If the person’s phone is off or dead the message will not be delivered, this is only applied to Apple iMessage users if you’re not sending with iMessage the message with go through but you won’t know if the phone is turned off.

For Android, the text messages will be sent as normal SMS. If it takes longer than usual for the message to send, then there’s a good chance their phone isn’t receiving any service.

For iMessage, if the person has multiple devices configured for iMessage the message will be delivered, and you won’t know if the phone is dead.

If the person only uses one device for iMessage the message won’t be delivered if it’s dead or turned off. Once the phone is turned on, iMessage will say the message is delivered.

What Happens When You Send An iMessage To A Dead Phone

When you send iMessage to the person’s phone and it happens to be turned off it will not be delivered until the phone is turned on.

Will iMessage Turn Green If A Phone Is Off?

No, iMessage will not turn green if the person’s phone is off, this will only happen if iMessage is switched off on the person’s iPhone or yours. iMessage can still turn green if you’re sending a text to someone using an Android device.

What happens when you text someone on Do Not Disturb?

When you text someone on Do Not Disturb mode on both iPhone and Android, any incoming calls, texts, or other notifications will be blocked.

Your phone won’t ring or even make a sound for any incoming activities and notifications, but it will be stored on your device, once you turned off Do Not Disturb you’ll see everything you have missed.

How to tell if someone’s phone is turned off without calling?

If you want to know if someone’s phone is dead you can try disguising your calls so the person won’t be able to tell if it’s you calling, or use location data to determine if the person’s device is off. On the other hand, will know if the person is off.

Use location data

You can use location data to determine if someone’s phone is dead. If they have shared their location with you indefinitely you’ll be able to see their location on your Find My app.

If they haven’t been online for long, you’ll see their last location on the app. You can also track their iPhone with Find My app.

Try calling with another phone

The best way to know if someone’s phone is off is to try and call them with another phone number, this will ensure that the phone is off.

If you have a second phone line you can use it to make a phone to the person if you don’t have one you can use one of your friends or family’s phone to make the call.

Calling with another phone number is the surest way to know that someone’s phone is off or dead, there is no two ways about it. And if the person has a second line, you can also try to reach it.

Hide your phone number

Another way to avoid the person knowing is hiding your phone number, it’s also one of the best ways to know if their phone is off.

Try calling by hiding your phone number if it’s ringing, it means that their phone isn’t off and probably you have blocked, but if it doesn’t their phone is off.

If you want to hide your phone number you can use the shortcode number “*67” before dialing the person’s number, then press the call button to make the phone call.

Reasons why someone’s phone is off or dead

There are plenty of reasons why someone’s phone is turned off and why you can’t reach them with their mobile number. If you’re unsure, here are several reasons that may be caused someone’s phone to be dead.

They turned the phone off

Probably the quickest, and first conclude if you can’t reach a person. Once you try reaching the person after several failed attempts, you may consider that their device is off.

The person’s phone has no service

Even if the person’s phone is on, you won’t be able to reach them if their device doesn’t have any signal.

For you to be sure, check the social media account that they’re most active on and look at their last seen, if it’s made available.

They have blocked you

text,When the person blocked your mobile number on their device, you won’t be able to reach them, instead, you’ll be redirected to voicemail. And even if you try sending a text it won’t go through.

The person’s phone is on Do Not Disturb

If the person’s phone is on Do Not Disturb mode, they won’t get any phone call, and instead, it will be redirected to voicemail.

What happens when your phone is on Do Not Disturb?

When a person’s phone is on Do Not Disturb mode, they won’t be able to receive any calls, texts, or notifications. This silent your device and blocks any incoming notification alerts.

Does a phone go straight to voicemail when dead?

Yes, the phone call will go directly to voicemail if the phone is dead. This is a direct way to know that the person’s phone is off.

Is their phone off or am I blocked?

There are different ways to know if their phone is off or you’ve been blocked. If you call and it immediately went to voicemail means that the phone is off.

And if you have been blocked, your message won’t be delivered if you use iMessage on your iPhone. On Android, try using another phone number to confirm. How do you know if someone has blocked you on FaceTime?.

Will a phone still ring if it’s dead?

No, the phone will not ring. If it’s dead, the call will be redirected to a voicemail. If they don’t have one you’ll get a message from the carrier that the phone is unavailable or unreachable.

A dead phone means that the phone number isn’t in service, and thus nobody will be able to contact the line.

Your network provider will send you a response that it’s out of service if you try reaching the phone number.

You now know how to tell if someone’s phone is off or dead. Use anyone one of the methods and possibly it will go through except, of course, the phone is switched off, or the person doesn’t want to be disturbed.

You can always mask your phone number and hide your caller ID to get in touch with the person or contact them with one of their social media accounts.

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By Timothy Mark Writer & Editor
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As a seasoned content writer with 4+ years of experience in consumer technology, Timothy has been a dedicated author and editor at Techvocast.com since its inception. Specializing in addressing user concerns, his articles offer effective solutions for Android, iOS, Windows, and Mac-related issues. Timothy's expertise also extends to crafting content about social media and various applications. Through his daily articles, he consistently aids users in overcoming their technology challenges.
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