How do I unblock a number on Android?

Open the Phone app, tap ⋮ → Settings → Blocked numbers, then tap the X beside the number and confirm. On a Samsung Galaxy the path is Phone → ⋮ → Settings → Block numbers, then tap the minus icon.

Where is the blocked numbers list on Samsung?

Phone app → ⋮ (top right) → Settings → Block numbers. The same screen has a Block unknown/hidden numbers toggle, which rejects callers who hide their caller ID regardless of what's on your list.

I unblocked the number but still don't get their texts. Why?

Android's Messages app keeps its own block list separate from the Phone app. Open Messages → ⋮ → Settings → Spam protection (or Block numbers and spam on Samsung) and remove the number there as well.

Why is a number still blocked after I removed it?

Something outside Android settings is blocking it — usually your carrier's app (Verizon Call Filter, AT&T ActiveArmor, T-Mobile Scam Shield) or a spam-blocking app like Truecaller or RoboKiller. Those enforce the block before the call reaches your phone. Also check the Filtered calls section in the Google Phone app.

Does unblocking a number restore missed calls and messages?

No. Calls placed and texts sent while the number was blocked were never delivered to your phone and don't reappear afterwards. Only voicemail may survive, and whether it does depends on your carrier.

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How to unblock a number on Android

Phone app → ⋮ → Settings → Blocked numbers, then tap the X. Samsung puts it under Block numbers instead — and the Messages app keeps a second list of its own.

Unlike iPhone, Android doesn't guarantee one shared block list. The Phone app has one, the Messages app can have another, Samsung labels both differently from Pixel, and your carrier may be running a third. That's why the most common Android complaint isn't finding the list — it's unblocking someone and still not hearing from them. Here's each list in turn, starting with the one that fixes it most of the time.

Unblock a number on Pixel and stock Android

Open the Phone app.
Tap the ⋮ menu in the top right.
Tap Settings → Blocked numbers.
Tap the X beside the number you want to release, then confirm Unblock.

On recent versions of the Google Phone app the same screen may be labelled Spam and Call Screen → Blocked numbers. If you see a Filtered calls section as well, look through it — Google's spam filter silences calls without adding them to the block list, so a caller can be filtered while the block list sits empty.

Unblock a number on a Samsung Galaxy

Samsung's One UI uses different wording:

Open the Phone app.
Tap ⋮ in the top right.
Tap Settings → Block numbers.
Tap the minus (or trash) icon beside the number to remove it.

Samsung also has a Block unknown/hidden numbers toggle on the same screen. If that's on, callers with hidden caller ID are rejected regardless of your list — worth switching off if the person you're expecting calls with their number hidden.

Check the Messages app's separate block list

Calls and texts don't always share a list on Android. If calls now come through but texts still don't:

Open Messages.
Tap your profile icon or ⋮ → Settings.
Tap Spam protection or Blocked numbers & spam.
Remove the number from the list there as well.

On Samsung the equivalent is Messages → ⋮ → Settings → Block numbers and spam → Block numbers. Clearing the Phone app's list does not clear this one.

Unblock a number at the carrier level

If the block was set through your carrier, it's enforced on the network and no Android setting can override it:

Verizon — open the Call Filter app and remove the number from the blocked list.
AT&T — open AT&T ActiveArmor and clear it from the block list there.
T-Mobile — open Scam Shield and remove the number.

The same applies to third-party apps like Truecaller, Hiya, or RoboKiller. These auto-block aggressively, so a caller can be blocked in one of them even if you never added the number yourself.

What happens after you unblock

The next call rings normally. Nothing is retroactive, and no missed-call entries appear for the period the number was blocked.
Texts sent while blocked are gone. Android drops them rather than holding them, so they don't arrive late.
Voicemail behaviour varies by carrier. Some route blocked callers to voicemail and keep the message, some reject the call outright and leave nothing.
The other person isn't notified at any point.

If the number is now clear on every list and calls still aren't arriving, work through calls going straight to voicemail — Do Not Disturb and leftover call forwarding both produce exactly the same symptom as a block.

FAQ

How do I unblock a number on Android?: Open the Phone app, tap ⋮ → Settings → Blocked numbers, then tap the X beside the number and confirm. On a Samsung Galaxy the path is Phone → ⋮ → Settings → Block numbers, then tap the minus icon.
Where is the blocked numbers list on Samsung?: Phone app → ⋮ (top right) → Settings → Block numbers. The same screen has a Block unknown/hidden numbers toggle, which rejects callers who hide their caller ID regardless of what's on your list.
I unblocked the number but still don't get their texts. Why?: Android's Messages app keeps its own block list separate from the Phone app. Open Messages → ⋮ → Settings → Spam protection (or Block numbers and spam on Samsung) and remove the number there as well.
Why is a number still blocked after I removed it?: Something outside Android settings is blocking it — usually your carrier's app (Verizon Call Filter, AT&T ActiveArmor, T-Mobile Scam Shield) or a spam-blocking app like Truecaller or RoboKiller. Those enforce the block before the call reaches your phone. Also check the Filtered calls section in the Google Phone app.
Does unblocking a number restore missed calls and messages?: No. Calls placed and texts sent while the number was blocked were never delivered to your phone and don't reappear afterwards. Only voicemail may survive, and whether it does depends on your carrier.

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