How to Tell if Someone is Active on Their Phone

For the vast majority of us, taking our phones everywhere we go is incredibly common. Our smartphones are capable of doing so much, and we rely heavily on them to keep us connected to others. It doesn’t matter if we’re talking to others about personal matters or for business reasons, being able to respond from anywhere in the world is convenient and easy.
While you may enjoy the instant gratification of getting a response to your messages quickly, there may be times when the other person doesn’t answer as fast as you may like. There could be a number of reasons for this, but it may have you wondering if they are ignoring you because they are upset or because they are super busy.
When times like this arise, you may be asking how to tell if someone is active on their phone.
If you are curious about how to tell if someone’s phone is off without calling them or if it’s on and they just aren’t answering, there are several things you can do to figure this out. In this article, we go through the different options so that you can find the one that works best for you.
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How to Tell if Someone is Active on Their Phone
It doesn’t matter if you’re trying to get in touch with a family member, a friend or a business associate, if you feel like they are ignoring you on purpose, this can be incredibly stressful and frustrating.
On the other hand, you may be aware that they have important meetings or classes, so you don’t want to disturb them if they are busy. No matter the reason, when you find yourself wondering how to tell if someone is active on their phone, here are some things you can try to find the answer you seek:
1. Check Their Facebook Messenger Account
Should you find yourself wondering how to see if someone is on their phone, the first thing you can consider is going to your Facebook Messenger account and checking their status.
If they are currently online, you should see a green dot next to their profile picture. Even if they aren’t online at the moment, under their profile picture, you will see when they were last active. This will give you a timeframe for when they were online, especially if it was recently, and potentially help you determine if they are busy or you are being ignored.
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2. Check Their WhatsApp Status
Another option, in addition to checking their Messenger status when trying to figure out how to tell if someone is active on their phone, is to look at their WhatsApp Status. Like Messenger, a green dot will appear to let you know if they are currently on their phone.
3. Use a Phone App
Believe it or not, there is an app that can help you determine if someone is active on their phone. One of the most common apps that people use when it comes to asking how to tell if someone is active on their phone is Truecaller.
However, for the app to work in helping you find answers, the other person has to have it installed on their phone as well. They also have to have the Trucaller Availability feature turned on. Since this feature stays on by default and the person has to turn it off manually, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to tell if they are active on their phone.
Using Trucaller to determine their current activity requires you to go to their profile. If you see a red phone icon next to their phone number, this indicates that the person is on their phone and could be ready to answer messages.
If you see a red bell icon next to their name, this indicates that their phone is silent, which means they aren’t active on their phone at that moment.
How to Tell if Someone's Phone is off Without Calling Them
In addition to wondering how to tell if someone is active on their phone, you might also be curious to know if their phone is turned off, but you may not want to call them. To find the answer to this question, here are some things you can try:
1. Ask Them
If you want to know if a person has turned their phone off, the best way to get an answer is to ask them. Of course, this will have to be done in person because if their phone is turned off and you try to send a message, they won’t answer.
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2. Check Their Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp Status
Another option you can consider when trying to determine if someone has turned their phone off is to check their Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp status. As mentioned above, if they are online at the moment, you will see a green dot next to their profile picture.
3. Call Them But Hide Your Identity
If you suspect that the person’s phone is actually on but they are avoiding you, you might consider calling them but hiding your identity. Should this be the route you decide to take, here are some things you can consider:
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Call Them on No Caller ID
There are several different ways you can hide your number when calling another person. The first is to dial *67 before the number you want to call. This works on both landlines and cell phones. Your number will appear as “Blocked” or “Private” on the other person’s phone.
If you have an Android phone, you can hide your number by following these steps:
- Open the Phone App
- Go to Settings
- Select Call Settings
- Click Additional Settings, then Choose Caller ID
- Tap “Hide number”
If these steps don’t work on your Android, you may need to contact your service provider and ask them to hide your number for you.
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Use a Burner App
Another option you have when trying to hide your phone number from another person is to use a burner app. You’ll have access to unlisted numbers that you can use on a temporary or long-term basis.
Keep in mind that these options might cost. If you’re serious about wanting to hide your number, some burner apps you might consider using include the following:
Burner
Burner is one of the most straightforward burner apps you can use in the U.S. or Canada. It provides you with a VOIP phone number that has a local area code that you can use when making calls or sending texts or voicemails. You also get to control who can call you using that particular number, and when you’re done, the number disappears with the touch of a button.
There is a 7-day free trial with Burner, and you get 20 minutes of talk time and the ability to send 40 text messages. Once your trial period expires, if you still want to use this service, you can sign up for a premium subscription.
Hushed
If you’re looking for a burner app that gives you access to numbers from 40 different countries, then you’ll want to check out Hushed. This app uses your data allowance if you aren’t connected to Wi-Fi, and it can be set up to route calls through your cell phone service carrier.
Hushed can be used for free for up to 3 days if you want to access U.S. numbers. Then it costs $5 per month for one number that has unlimited calls and texts if used in North America. Depending on your wants and needs, this app also offers other payment options for you to choose from.
CoverMe
CoverMe hides your number and allows you to store sensitive documents in its private vault. Some of the other features this app offers include the ability to create self-destructing messages and encrypt phone calls and texts — as long as the person you are sending that information to also has the app downloaded on their phone.
If you just want to hide your number from others, you can, and this app has numbers from the U.S., Mexico, China, Canada, and the U.K. It is free to download, but if you want to add regular minutes to your plan, you’ll need to get a subscription.
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How to Check Phone Line is Active
In addition to wondering how to tell if someone is active on their phone, you might also be asking about how to check phone line is active. The easiest way to find this out is to use a number validation tool, including the following:
TextMagic
If you want to check if a phone number is active, you might consider using TextMagic. This tool is free and can help you determine if the person you’re trying to get ahold of has a number that is used frequently.
In addition, TextMagic can also help you verify email addresses and other information as well. By visiting their site, you’ll be able to find out about another person and stay in contact with the people you need to talk to.
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Phone Number Monitoring
Another online option you can consider is Phone Number Monitoring. If you decide to use this tool, you’ll need to be aware that it is a paid app. Payments are made on a month-to-month basis, so you don’t have to worry about long-term contracts, and their basic monthly plan starts at $9.99.
Not only can you use Phone Number Monitoring to check if a phone number is active, but you can also automatically schedule calls and check telephone lines. This tool can be used for business purposes or personal needs.
Staying In Touch With Others
Having a smartphone means that staying in touch with others is quick and convenient. It doesn’t matter if you want to talk to a friend, family member or business associate, your cell phone makes it possible to get in touch with them in a variety of different ways.
Of course, there may be times when you are uncertain whether someone is ignoring you or can’t respond to your messages because they are busy, so you may be curious about how to tell if someone is active on their phone. To get the answer to your question, consider doing one of the following:
- Check their Facebook Messenger Account
- Check Their WhatsApp Status
- Use a Phone App
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