📶 Myth, busted: Bars measure signal strength, not quality. You may get clearer calls with fewer bars if you’re on a less-crowded frequency. For consistent service, consider Wi-Fi calling in areas with spotty reception.
Tech smarts: How to know if someone blocked your calls
I have a rule: If writing an email will take longer than a few minutes, I make a phone call instead. It saves me a lot of time.
What happens when you want to call someone, and you’ve misplaced their number or never had their number? Tap or click for smart ways to find anyone’s cell phone number.
Now that you’re ready to go, uh oh, your cell service is bad. That’s OK, I can help there, too. Tap or click for tricks to get better reception so your call will go through.
And what happens when you make the call but no one picks up? You won’t get any official notice if someone blocks your calls — but you can make an educated guess by looking for these signs.
The sound of silence
When you block a number, you no longer receive calls or text messages from that person. This step helps stop unwanted spam calls, but it’s also great for personal reasons.
The first indication that something’s up is the most obvious: You call and send text messages, but you get no response. There are many reasons this might be happening, of course, but a blocked number is one possibility.
For most cases, texts you send will appear to go through usually, but the person you’re sending them to won’t receive them. That silence is your first hint something is wrong.
What about text messages? Here are the steps to know if someone actually read your text.
Count the rings before voicemail
It’s a normal call when you call a person and hear the usual number of rings before getting voicemail. But if the person has blocked you, here’s the big indicator. You only hear a single ring before being diverted to voicemail.
There are a few caveats. An unusual ring pattern doesn’t necessarily mean your number is blocked. It may just mean the person is talking to someone else at the same time you’re calling, has the phone off or sent the call directly to voicemail.
Check all available TV channels in your area with this web tool
All TV broadcasts have gone digital, meaning those old rabbit ears are useless. If you want access to the free channels in your area, it’s time to use an HDTV antenna.
There are plenty of TV antenna options that can help you access everything on the air, but if you need a little help, tap or click here for a few suggestions.