A family member (let's call her MiL) called me last night to report that all
she couldnt receive phone calls and texts (iPhone XR). I popped over found
that every one of her contacts (60 or more at a guess) were blocked. MiL says
that they didn't do this - but she did say that her nephew had suggested
(earlier that day) that perhaps a contact was blocked and exolained how to
unblock contacts.

She told me that she unblocked every contact - yet I could see a clocked list
of all contacts. So I unblocked them all, made a call to her phone from mine
and all was good.

Today she called and appears to be reporting the same symptoms...

I am sceptical that it isn't something she has done herself but I cannot see
how it is possible to inadvertenly block every contact.

Any thoughts on what might be the cause? Possible iOS glitch or user error?

Am popping over again in 30 minutes to assess the current state of play!

--
jeremy

jeremy wrote:
> A family member (let's call her MiL) called me last night to report that all
> she couldnt receive phone calls and texts (iPhone XR). I popped over found
> that every one of her contacts (60 or more at a guess) were blocked. MiL says
> that they didn't do this - but she did say that her nephew had suggested
> (earlier that day) that perhaps a contact was blocked and exolained how to
> unblock contacts.
>
> She told me that she unblocked every contact - yet I could see a clocked list
> of all contacts. So I unblocked them all, made a call to her phone from mine
> and all was good.
>
> Today she called and appears to be reporting the same symptoms...
>
> I am sceptical that it isn't something she has done herself but I cannot see
> how it is possible to inadvertenly block every contact.
>
> Any thoughts on what might be the cause? Possible iOS glitch or user error?
>
> Am popping over again in 30 minutes to assess the current state of play!

When you ring or text her, how are you told that your call to her has
been blocked?

What happens when you put her SIM card in a different phone?

--
Graham J

On 11 Mar 2022 at 11:37:13 GMT, "Graham J" <nobody@nowhere.co.uk> wrote:

> jeremy wrote:
>> A family member (let's call her MiL) called me last night to report that all
>> she couldnt receive phone calls and texts (iPhone XR). I popped over found
>> that every one of her contacts (60 or more at a guess) were blocked. MiL says
>> that they didn't do this - but she did say that her nephew had suggested
>> (earlier that day) that perhaps a contact was blocked and exolained how to
>> unblock contacts.
>>
>> She told me that she unblocked every contact - yet I could see a clocked list
>> of all contacts. So I unblocked them all, made a call to her phone from mine
>> and all was good.
>>
>> Today she called and appears to be reporting the same symptoms...
>>
>> I am sceptical that it isn't something she has done herself but I cannot see
>> how it is possible to inadvertenly block every contact.
>>
>> Any thoughts on what might be the cause? Possible iOS glitch or user error?
>>
>> Am popping over again in 30 minutes to assess the current state of play!
>
> When you ring or text her, how are you told that your call to her has
> been blocked?
>
> What happens when you put her SIM card in a different phone?

When I called her, my call went straight to VM (I think - but cannot now
remember...) - the text message I sent was not received (and didn't appear
after I unblocked my number from her phone - which as I understand it is "as
intended").

The contacts were definitely blocked on the phone.

I didn't try the sim card in another phone though.

The key question for me is how the contacts ended up on the blocked list. And
this is ALL contacts.

I do hope it's something simple that won't recur (as I am "responsible" for
identifying the most suitable phone for her...) :)

--
jeremy

jeremy wrote:

[snip]

> I didn't try the sim card in another phone though.

This would identify whether the problem is with the phone or the network.

--
Graham J

On 11/03/2022 12:52, Graham J wrote:
> jeremy wrote:
>
> [snip]
>
>> I didn't try the sim card in another phone though.
>
> This would identify whether the problem is with the phone or the network.

Given that he can manually unblock the contacts suggests that it's not
the network.

On 11/03/2022 12:15, jeremy wrote:
> On 11 Mar 2022 at 11:37:13 GMT, "Graham J" <nobody@nowhere.co.uk> wrote:
>
>> jeremy wrote:
>>> A family member (let's call her MiL) called me last night to report that all
>>> she couldnt receive phone calls and texts (iPhone XR). I popped over found
>>> that every one of her contacts (60 or more at a guess) were blocked. MiL says
>>> that they didn't do this - but she did say that her nephew had suggested
>>> (earlier that day) that perhaps a contact was blocked and exolained how to
>>> unblock contacts.
>>>
>>> She told me that she unblocked every contact - yet I could see a clocked list
>>> of all contacts. So I unblocked them all, made a call to her phone from mine
>>> and all was good.
>>>
>>> Today she called and appears to be reporting the same symptoms...
>>>
>>> I am sceptical that it isn't something she has done herself but I cannot see
>>> how it is possible to inadvertenly block every contact.
>>>
>>> Any thoughts on what might be the cause? Possible iOS glitch or user error?
>>>
>>> Am popping over again in 30 minutes to assess the current state of play!
>>
>> When you ring or text her, how are you told that your call to her has
>> been blocked?
>>
>> What happens when you put her SIM card in a different phone?
>
> When I called her, my call went straight to VM (I think - but cannot now
> remember...) - the text message I sent was not received (and didn't appear
> after I unblocked my number from her phone - which as I understand it is "as
> intended").
>
> The contacts were definitely blocked on the phone.
>
> I didn't try the sim card in another phone though.
>
> The key question for me is how the contacts ended up on the blocked list. And
> this is ALL contacts.

Since there's no "block all" option on iPhone (AFAIK) she must have gone
through blocking them one at a time when she thought she was unblocking.

>
> I do hope it's something simple that won't recur (as I am "responsible" for
> identifying the most suitable phone for her...) :)
>
>

--
Bruce Horrocks
Surrey, England

On 11 Mar 2022 at 20:26:11 GMT, "Bruce Horrocks" <07.013@scorecrow.com> wrote:

>
> Since there's no "block all" option on iPhone (AFAIK) she must have gone
> through blocking them one at a time when she thought she was unblocking.

*ding*

I am not sure how she made that mistake (or specifically why she started to do
so). But upon further investigation today, we did identify that that was
exactly what she had done (thinking she was ensuring that they *weren't*
blocked).

Mystery solved (and faith in iOS etc untarnished)

--
jeremy

jeremy wrote:
> On 11 Mar 2022 at 20:26:11 GMT, "Bruce Horrocks" <07.013@scorecrow.com> wrote:
>
>>
>> Since there's no "block all" option on iPhone (AFAIK) she must have gone
>> through blocking them one at a time when she thought she was unblocking.
>
> *ding*
>
> I am not sure how she made that mistake (or specifically why she started to do
> so). But upon further investigation today, we did identify that that was
> exactly what she had done (thinking she was ensuring that they *weren't*
> blocked).
>
> Mystery solved (and faith in iOS etc untarnished)

But it does make you wonder about the design of the user interface ...

--
Graham J

On 12/03/2022 08:23, Graham J wrote:
> jeremy wrote:
>> On 11 Mar 2022 at 20:26:11 GMT, "Bruce Horrocks"
>> <07.013@scorecrow.com> wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> Since there's no "block all" option on iPhone (AFAIK) she must have gone
>>> through blocking them one at a time when she thought she was unblocking.
>>
>> *ding*
>>
>> I am not sure how she made that mistake (or specifically why she
>> started to do
>> so). But upon further investigation today, we did identify that that was
>> exactly what she had done (thinking she was ensuring that they *weren't*
>> blocked).
>>
>> Mystery solved (and faith in iOS etc untarnished)
>
> But it does make you wonder about the design of the user interface ...

Really?

The button she had to press was in red (other buttons are a different
colour) and says "Block this Caller".

It pops up with a "You will not receive phone calls [etc] from people on
the block list" and another red button "Block Contact".

Clearly the person is a serial ignorer of obvious cues and messages (we
all know one!) so I'm not sure what more can be done.

--
Chris

Chris Ridd <chrisridd@mac.com> wrote:
> On 12/03/2022 08:23, Graham J wrote:
>> jeremy wrote:
>>> On 11 Mar 2022 at 20:26:11 GMT, "Bruce Horrocks"
>>> <07.013@scorecrow.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>>
>>>> Since there's no "block all" option on iPhone (AFAIK) she must have gone
>>>> through blocking them one at a time when she thought she was unblocking.
>>>
>>> *ding*
>>>
>>> I am not sure how she made that mistake (or specifically why she
>>> started to do
>>> so). But upon further investigation today, we did identify that that was
>>> exactly what she had done (thinking she was ensuring that they *weren't*
>>> blocked).
>>>
>>> Mystery solved (and faith in iOS etc untarnished)
>>
>> But it does make you wonder about the design of the user interface ...
>
> Really?
>
> The button she had to press was in red (other buttons are a different
> colour) and says "Block this Caller".
>
> It pops up with a "You will not receive phone calls [etc] from people on
> the block list" and another red button "Block Contact".
>
> Clearly the person is a serial ignorer of obvious cues and messages (we
> all know one!) so I'm not sure what more can be done.

* I don’t suppose Siri has an option to block/unblock phone numbers?

* You cannot be serious!

--
Cheers, Alan

Chris Ridd wrote:

[snip]

>
> Clearly the person is a serial ignorer of obvious cues and messages (we
> all know one!) so I'm not sure what more can be done.
>

Ckearly the person is constitutionally incompatible with using a phone.
Can she read and write letters? She might prefer to receive a letter
rather than a phone call ...

--
Graham J

On 12/03/2022 10:11, Chris Ridd wrote:
> On 12/03/2022 08:23, Graham J wrote:
>> jeremy wrote:
>>> On 11 Mar 2022 at 20:26:11 GMT, "Bruce Horrocks"
>>> <07.013@scorecrow.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>>
>>>> Since there's no "block all" option on iPhone (AFAIK) she must have
>>>> gone
>>>> through blocking them one at a time when she thought she was
>>>> unblocking.
>>>
>>> *ding*
>>>
>>> I am not sure how she made that mistake (or specifically why she
>>> started to do
>>> so). But upon further investigation today, we did identify that that was
>>> exactly what she had done (thinking she was ensuring that they *weren't*
>>> blocked).
>>>
>>> Mystery solved (and faith in iOS etc untarnished)
>>
>> But it does make you wonder about the design of the user interface ...
>
> Really?
>
> The button she had to press was in red (other buttons are a different
> colour) and says "Block this Caller".
>
> It pops up with a "You will not receive phone calls [etc] from people on
> the block list" and another red button "Block Contact".
>
> Clearly the person is a serial ignorer of obvious cues and messages (we
> all know one!) so I'm not sure what more can be done.

It's easy to say this from an external point of view but what you
describe is classic bad user interface design because it uses mixed
terminology.

The first button says "Block this caller". The next confirmation says
"Block this Contact". Why the change from caller to contact?

The much smaller explanatory text (which could easily be unreadable to
someone who just about gets by with squinting at the normal sized text
on their phone) says "You will not receive phone calls, messages or
FaceTime from people on the block list". Again there is a change in
terminology, this time introducing the term "block list" and assuming
that the phone user knows what a block list is. A block list is a
programmer's construct: there is no need to mention it in the UI at all.

So in one small user interface element we have three slightly different
terms covering the same thing.

A better UI would explicitly name the contact and name the action that
will or won't happen. So the first button can still read "Block this
contact?" but the confirmation should say "Do you really want to prevent
calls, messages and FaceTime being received from John Smith?" {yes/no}

Regards,
--
Bruce Horrocks
Surrey, England

On 12 Mar 2022 at 21:56:31 GMT, "Bruce Horrocks" <07.013@scorecrow.com> wrote:

> On 12/03/2022 10:11, Chris Ridd wrote:
>> On 12/03/2022 08:23, Graham J wrote:
>>> jeremy wrote:
>>>> On 11 Mar 2022 at 20:26:11 GMT, "Bruce Horrocks"
>>>> <07.013@scorecrow.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Since there's no "block all" option on iPhone (AFAIK) she must have
>>>>> gone
>>>>> through blocking them one at a time when she thought she was
>>>>> unblocking.
>>>>
>>>> *ding*
>>>>
>>>> I am not sure how she made that mistake (or specifically why she
>>>> started to do
>>>> so). But upon further investigation today, we did identify that that was
>>>> exactly what she had done (thinking she was ensuring that they *weren't*
>>>> blocked).
>>>>
>>>> Mystery solved (and faith in iOS etc untarnished)
>>>
>>> But it does make you wonder about the design of the user interface ...
>>
>> Really?
>>
>> The button she had to press was in red (other buttons are a different
>> colour) and says "Block this Caller".
>>
>> It pops up with a "You will not receive phone calls [etc] from people on
>> the block list" and another red button "Block Contact".
>>
>> Clearly the person is a serial ignorer of obvious cues and messages (we
>> all know one!) so I'm not sure what more can be done.
>
>
> A better UI would explicitly name the contact and name the action that
> will or won't happen. So the first button can still read "Block this
> contact?" but the confirmation should say "Do you really want to prevent
> calls, messages and FaceTime being received from John Smith?" {yes/no}
>
>
People in general don't actually read everything presented on a screen. Phone
or computer. They see it and assume it's what they expect and fail to
comprehend it.
It's very common.
You could argue the message should be clearer, but would it make any
difference given they're not actually reading it anyway?

--
If you listen to hip hop and rap using noise cancelling headphones it will be silent.

On 12/03/2022 21:56, Bruce Horrocks wrote:
> On 12/03/2022 10:11, Chris Ridd wrote:
>> On 12/03/2022 08:23, Graham J wrote:
>>> jeremy wrote:
>>>> On 11 Mar 2022 at 20:26:11 GMT, "Bruce Horrocks"
>>>> <07.013@scorecrow.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Since there's no "block all" option on iPhone (AFAIK) she must have
>>>>> gone
>>>>> through blocking them one at a time when she thought she was
>>>>> unblocking.
>>>>
>>>> *ding*
>>>>
>>>> I am not sure how she made that mistake (or specifically why she
>>>> started to do
>>>> so). But upon further investigation today, we did identify that that
>>>> was
>>>> exactly what she had done (thinking she was ensuring that they
>>>> *weren't*
>>>> blocked).
>>>>
>>>> Mystery solved (and faith in iOS etc untarnished)
>>>
>>> But it does make you wonder about the design of the user interface ...
>>
>> Really?
>>
>> The button she had to press was in red (other buttons are a different
>> colour) and says "Block this Caller".
>>
>> It pops up with a "You will not receive phone calls [etc] from people
>> on the block list" and another red button "Block Contact".
>>
>> Clearly the person is a serial ignorer of obvious cues and messages
>> (we all know one!) so I'm not sure what more can be done.
>
>
> It's easy to say this from an external point of view but what you
> describe is classic bad user interface design because it uses mixed
> terminology.
>
> The first button says "Block this caller". The next confirmation says
> "Block this Contact". Why the change from caller to contact?

Perhaps it literally blocks everything from this contact entry, not just
the phone number?

> A better UI would explicitly name the contact and name the action that
> will or won't happen. So the first button can still read "Block this
> contact?" but the confirmation should say "Do you really want to prevent
> calls, messages and FaceTime being received from John Smith?" {yes/no}

Yes, there are small improvements in the wording that can be made. But
the overall design seems to have adequate protection against the user
doing the wrong thing.

--
Chris