New iPhone 13 is blocking random callers.

I recently upgraded to an iPhone 13 and some of my contacts are getting a "blocked" message when they try to text or call. I have never installed a spam caller app, and I have never blocked these callers. When I go to the blocked call list, their numbers are not listed. They are also not listed as blocked in my contacts. How do I fix this? Do I need to reinstall the iOS and hope for the best? Does reinstalling the iOS revert my phone to factory settings? (In which case, how do I get all my info and apps back?) HALP.

iPhone 13, iOS 16

Posted on Jul 12, 2023 5:31 PM

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Question marked as Best reply

Posted on Jul 12, 2023 5:35 PM

Go to Settings/Phone and turn off Silence Unknown Callers. If that isn’t the issue, here are troubleshooting steps:


FIRST: Are there missed calls in Phone/Recents on the phone? If they are not the problem is in the network, because the calls aren’t getting to your phone. Contact your carrier: 

  • check with your carrier that they don’t have a local outage, and that you didn’t have any settings that would have immediately invoked voicemail, such as call forwarding.
  • check up on them at Down Detector - Crowdsourced outage checker


If they are in Recents here’s what to check:


  • Check the MUTE switch on the left side of the phone, above the volume buttons. It should be towards the screen
  • Check the volume setting. With the Home screen displayed, press the VOLUME UP button on the left side of the phone. It’s above the VOLUME DOWN button.
  • Go to Settings/Phone. There’s a switch for Silence Unknown Callers. If it is on any calls from numbers not in your contacts will go directly to voicemail.
  • Also in Settings/Phone: Make sure Call Forwarding is off.
  • iOS 14 & older: Go to Settings/Do not Disturb. Turn it off if it is on. Also turn off Scheduled. With both off none of the other switches there matter.
  • iOS 15: Go to Settings/Focus, and verify that all focus settings are disabled.
  • iOS 16: Open the Control Center and turn off Focus.
  • Go to Settings/Sounds & Haptics. Make sure there is a sound assigned to Ringtone.
  • Go to Settings/Accessibility/Touch/Call Audio Routing and make sure Auto-Answer Calls is off.
  • Go to Settings/Screen Time/Communications Limits. Tap each of the 2 entries and make sure both are “Everyone"
  • Restart your phone-->Restart your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support
  • If all else fails, talk your carrier into replacing your SIM card (thanks to ASC user DShelbyD)




5 replies
Question marked as Best reply

Jul 12, 2023 5:35 PM in response to AOB787

Go to Settings/Phone and turn off Silence Unknown Callers. If that isn’t the issue, here are troubleshooting steps:


FIRST: Are there missed calls in Phone/Recents on the phone? If they are not the problem is in the network, because the calls aren’t getting to your phone. Contact your carrier: 

  • check with your carrier that they don’t have a local outage, and that you didn’t have any settings that would have immediately invoked voicemail, such as call forwarding.
  • check up on them at Down Detector - Crowdsourced outage checker


If they are in Recents here’s what to check:


  • Check the MUTE switch on the left side of the phone, above the volume buttons. It should be towards the screen
  • Check the volume setting. With the Home screen displayed, press the VOLUME UP button on the left side of the phone. It’s above the VOLUME DOWN button.
  • Go to Settings/Phone. There’s a switch for Silence Unknown Callers. If it is on any calls from numbers not in your contacts will go directly to voicemail.
  • Also in Settings/Phone: Make sure Call Forwarding is off.
  • iOS 14 & older: Go to Settings/Do not Disturb. Turn it off if it is on. Also turn off Scheduled. With both off none of the other switches there matter.
  • iOS 15: Go to Settings/Focus, and verify that all focus settings are disabled.
  • iOS 16: Open the Control Center and turn off Focus.
  • Go to Settings/Sounds & Haptics. Make sure there is a sound assigned to Ringtone.
  • Go to Settings/Accessibility/Touch/Call Audio Routing and make sure Auto-Answer Calls is off.
  • Go to Settings/Screen Time/Communications Limits. Tap each of the 2 entries and make sure both are “Everyone"
  • Restart your phone-->Restart your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support
  • If all else fails, talk your carrier into replacing your SIM card (thanks to ASC user DShelbyD)




May 29, 2024 11:07 AM in response to AOB787

There is no solution to this problem! Many people have reported it to Apple but as of yet they have not responded with any kind of fix. My wife's number keeps getting tagged as blocked. I unblock it and at some indeterminate time later it is again blocked. The only way I can detect the error is to look at an iMessage group, select my wife and scroll down the info and see "Unblock Caller". Selecting this temporarily unblocks the number but it will reappear later. None of the suggested solutions I have seen fix the problem. I have contacted Apple and ATT neither of which can find an answer. 

May 29, 2024 1:08 PM in response to tonyfromsnoho

tonyfromsnoho wrote:

There is no solution to this problem! Many people have reported it to Apple but as of yet they have not responded with any kind of fix. My wife's number keeps getting tagged as blocked. I unblock it and at some indeterminate time later it is again blocked. The only way I can detect the error is to look at an iMessage group, select my wife and scroll down the info and see "Unblock Caller". Selecting this temporarily unblocks the number but it will reappear later. None of the suggested solutions I have seen fix the problem. I have contacted Apple and ATT neither of which can find an answer.

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New iPhone 13 is blocking random callers.

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