Blocking a number stops it reaching your team on any of your dialnote numbers. Blocked calls never ring, and blocked texts stay on file without landing in your inbox. It works both ways, so nobody on your team can call or text a blocked number until someone unblocks it.
This guide covers how to block a number from a conversation, how to add one before it ever reaches you, where blocked threads go, how to unblock, and what to do about callers who withhold their number.
What happens when you block a number#
A block applies to your whole organization, across every phone number you own, for both calls and texts.
| Where | What happens |
|---|---|
| Incoming calls | Refused before they connect. No ring on any device, no voicemail, no AI agent, no call queue. The call never gets answered, so it doesn't use your call minutes. |
| Incoming texts | Saved to the conversation for your records, then silenced. No push notification, no unread badge, no live update, no CRM or webhook sync, and no AI or auto-reply goes out. |
| Outgoing calls and texts | Refused for everyone. Anyone who tries gets told the number is on your blocklist and pointed at Settings to undo it. |
| The blocked number | Gets no signal at all. Their call rings out the way an unanswered line does, and nothing tells them they've been blocked. |
Blocked texts are kept on purpose. If a number is harassing you, that thread is your record of it, so dialnote hides the messages from your working inbox instead of deleting them.
Blocked texts still cost you
Your carrier delivers an inbound text whether or not you read it, so a blocked message is still deducted from your wallet. Blocked calls cost nothing, since dialnote never answers them.
Who can block#
Anyone who can see a conversation can block the number in it, and anyone can unblock. There's no admin-only gate, because the moment you need this is rarely the moment to go hunting for an admin.
Every entry records who created it, when, and an optional reason, so a quiet customer three weeks later is always explainable.
What blocking doesn't stop#
Opt-out keywords still work. If a blocked number texts STOP, dialnote records the opt-out anyway, since that's the recipient's decision and not yours to override. See SMS Opt-Outs and Do-Not-Call for how those differ.
Block a number from a conversation#
This is the fastest route, and the one you'll use for a number that's already bothering you.
- Open the conversation in your inbox.
- Click the block icon in the conversation header, next to the call button.
- Read the confirmation. It lists all three effects: their calls stop reaching you, their messages are kept but leave your inbox, and nobody on your team can contact them.
- Click Block number.
The thread leaves your conversation list straight away and moves under the Blocked filter.
You don't need the number saved as a contact. Most blocked numbers aren't in anyone's address book, so blocking works on the raw number and never creates a contact record for a robocaller.
Block a number before it reaches you#
If you already know the number, put it on the list first.
- Go to Settings → Blocklist.
- Click Block a number.
- Enter the number with its country code, for example
+1 415 555 1234. - Add a reason if you want one, such as "Repeated robocalls". It's optional and holds up to 500 characters.
- Click Block number.
If something's wrong, the message tells you which thing it is: the number is already on the list, it needs a country code, or it's one of your own dialnote numbers. Blocking your own line would break internal calling, so dialnote refuses it.
Fill in the reason
A reason costs you five seconds now and saves an argument later. The blocklist shows it next to the number, so whoever finds the entry months from now doesn't have to guess why a customer went silent.
Find blocked conversations#
A Blocked tab appears in your inbox filter tabs as soon as something is blocked. It stays hidden while your blocklist is empty, so most teams never see a fourth tab they don't need.
Blocked threads drop out of the All, Unread, and Read filters, which keeps them from cluttering your daily triage while leaving them one click away.
Open a blocked thread and a banner sits at the top of it: the number is blocked, how many attempts have been refused since, and a Manage link straight to your blocklist. That count is what tells you a block is working rather than broken.
Unblock a number#
- Go to Settings → Blocklist.
- Find the number. Each row shows who blocked it, the date, any reason, and how many attempts have been refused since.
- Click Unblock and confirm.
It takes effect immediately. They can call and message you again, your team can reach them, and any conversation that blocking moved out of your inbox comes back.
Callers who hide their number#
A blocklist keys on a phone number, so it can't do anything about a caller with no number to key on. Withheld caller ID reaches dialnote as "Anonymous", "Restricted", "Private", or blank. In those conversations the block button stays visible but disabled, with "Can't block a withheld number" as its tooltip.
Hiding caller ID is the first thing a blocked caller tries, so there's a separate setting for it:
- Go to Settings → Phone Numbers and pick the line being called.
- Open the Identity & Access section.
- Turn on Reject calls with no caller ID.
Calls with no caller ID to that number are then refused the same way blocked calls are, without ringing anyone.
Leave this off until you need it
Plenty of legitimate callers withhold their number, including switchboards, medical practices, and people calling from abroad. The setting is per number and off by default for exactly that reason. Turn it on for the line that's being targeted, then turn it back off once the calls stop.
Only a number's owner can change this setting, and it's configured per line rather than for the whole organization.
Blocking from the mobile app#
The mobile app covers the two things you need away from your desk:
- Block from a conversation: tap the block icon in the conversation header, then confirm on the sheet that appears. The wording matches the web confirmation exactly.
- Settings → Blocklist: see every blocked number with who blocked it, when, and the refused-attempt count, and unblock any of them.
Adding a number proactively and the reject-anonymous-callers setting are web only for now.
Blocking compared with opt-outs#
These two get mixed up often, and they solve different problems.
| Blocking | Opt-out (STOP) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who decides | You do | The contact does |
| Direction | Both ways: their calls and texts stop, and yours to them stop too | One way: you can't text them, they can still text and call you |
| Covers calls | Yes | No, texts only |
| How to undo | Unblock from Settings → Blocklist | Only the contact can, by texting START |
If someone asks you never to contact them again, blocking their number is the surest way to hold your whole team to it, since the outgoing gate applies to everyone. Full detail on keyword handling lives in SMS Opt-Outs and Do-Not-Call.
What's next#
- SMS Opt-Outs and Do-Not-Call: how STOP, START, and HELP are handled
- Conversations: filters, search, and how threads are organized
- Phone Numbers: per-number settings including caller ID
- Compliance: recording consent, A2P registration, and messaging rules
- Troubleshooting: fix calls and messages that aren't going through