How to Unblock a Number on Your Android Phone

Restore callers to your good graces on your Android phone

Photo of a smartphone with a blocking indicator on the screen

 Jin Shng Jn Ji / EyeEm / Getty Images

by Susan J. Owens
Susan J. Owens is a tech writer focused on AI, blockchain, and virtual machines. Her work appears in InformationWeek, Entrepreneur, and Fast Company.
Updated June 30, 2019

We've all blocked someone's phone number on our cellphones, sometimes as part of a ghosting effort, only to decide later on that we aren't really that annoyed with the person. When you block someone's calls, you've also blocked their ability to send you texts as well.

So, if you'd like to get those calls and text messages back, here's how, step-by-step:

The steps outline below are specific to Android 8.1.0 as it comes on a Google phone. If you have a modified version of Android, like what you might find on a Samsung smartphone or one from another hardware maker, the specific steps may vary but they should be pretty similar. If you have an iPhone (or iPad), here's how to unblock a number on the iPhone.

  1. Perhaps unsurprisingly, your blocked numbers are stored in your Android's Phone app. So the first step is to tap or search for Phone and open it.

    Android call settings

  2. Once Phone is open, click on the menu button on the top right and then tap Settings.

    The menu looks like three stacked dots. Don't tap the menu on your contact cards. The one you're looking for is the one at the very top-right.

  3. From the Phone app's Settings menu, locate and tap on Blocked numbers from the list of options.

  4. What you'll see here in the Blocked numbers screen is a list of all the numbers you've blocked. Locate the one (or more) that you want to unblock and tap the big X to the right.

    Unblock a number on Android

  5. In the small pop-up that appears next, confirm that you want to unblock this number by tapping UNBLOCK.

    If you've chosen wrong, or changed your mind, tap CANCEL instead.

  6. That's it! While it might have been a little hard to find, it's that simple to do. Moving forward, calls to your Android phone from the number you unblock will ring through just like other calls.