Have you ever found yourself staring at your iPhone screen wondering why your contact hasn’t replied to your message for quite some time?
The radio silence might leave you in a state of uncertainty, as you don’t know whether someone is ignoring you or their phone is actually dead.
That’s where this guide comes in handy, as I’ll show you how to know if someone’s phone died on iMessage through 7 handy methods and smart tricks. Let’s dive right in!
Does iMessage Show the Phone Status?
The simple answer to this question is no. There’s no straightforward way to use iMessage to know a phone’s status.
Unlike some other messaging apps, Apple designed iMessage so that it doesn’t provide real-time information about the recipient’s phone, so you won’t know whether the phone is turned on/off.
That being said, you can still use a variety of tactics and tricks to tell whether the iPhone in question is turned off.
7 Methods to Know If Someone’s Phone is Dead on iMessage
Now that you know that iMessage itself doesn’t have a clear method of telling if an iPhone is dead, here are some alternative methods to help you with that.
Before I proceed with these methods, you should note that none of the following methods is 100% guaranteed to work.
However, by combining some of them, you can still reach a fairly certain conclusion about the phone’s status.
1. iMessage Delivery Status
When you send an iMessage, you’ll see delivery status indicators right below your messages. Unlike other apps, this status is indicated in words rather than symbols, so they’re easy to understand.
When you send a message on iMessage, it’ll typically have the word “Delivered” beneath it, which indicates that the message reached the other end. This turns into “Read” when the recipient checks the message.
If the message is stuck at “Sent” for a long time, it’s an indicator that the message has yet to reach the other end. This can happen because the iPhone is turned off or isn’t connected to the internet.
Note: If the recipient has iMessage configured on other devices, such as Macs and iPads, the message would indicate “Delivered” even if their iPhone is turned off.
2. Last Seen Status on Whatsapp or Telegram
Most people have various messaging apps installed on their iPhones besides iMessage, such as Whatsapp, Telegram, etc.
Unlike iMessage, these apps have a “Last Seen” feature, which shows the timestamp of when the users last opened these apps.
If the Last Seen status is set before the time you sent the message on iMessage, it suggests that the phone’s battery is dead indeed.
Note: Users can optionally hide their Last Seen status on these apps. Additionally, like iMessage, you can configure these apps to work on other devices as well, so they aren’t always accurate.
3. iPhone Is Not Reachable on Call
If the iMessages are not going through, you might want to give actual calls a try. If the phone is turned off or out of network, the carrier will play the non-reachable prerecorded message.
This is by far the most reliable way to know if a phone is turned off, although other situations could trigger this response even when the phone isn’t actually dead, such as:
- Being in a weak signal area or out of coverage
- If you’re blocked by the number you’re calling
4. Calls Go Straight to Voicemail
Instead of telling you the phone is out of network, your call might be sent to voicemail. Here, you have two situations with different meaning:
- Straight to Voicemail: The phone is most likely turned off or out of coverage
- Ringing Then Voicemail: The most is not turned off and the call went through, but the recipient didn’t reply.
5. Calling from Other Phones Gives The Same Results
As previously established, if someone blocked your number, it’ll appear as if your phone is turned off.
However, you can check if that’s the case by calling the same phone from another number to check, but it should be a fairly unrecognizable phone so that it’s not blocked as well.
Of course, this might come across as rude in some situations, so you should only leave it as a last resort.
6. No Social Media Activity
Besides other messaging apps, social media activity is also typically done on smartphones, so an unusual lack of social media activity could be an additional clue of a dead phone.
Note: most social media apps can be used from various devices, but some platforms, such as X (formerly Twitter), display the exact device used for posting.
7. Search the Number on Popular Caller ID Apps
Some Caller ID apps can cross-reference their users to check if a phone is connected to the internet or not, such as Truecaller. You can use this information as an additional clue while checking.
However, for this method to work, your recipient must also have the same app installed on the device and be granted permission to display this information.
Final Thoughts
While iMessage doesn’t directly show the phone status of the recipient, it does provide some indirect clues that you can use to figure out whether their phone is dead.
That being said, no single method can definitely tell whether a phone is dead or not, so you should avoid jumping to conclusions and always give your recipient the benefit of the doubt.
