What does a message like "the number you have dialed is barred" mean?

The person you are calling has an incoming bar on their line, so the network refused your call and played the message to you. Nothing is wrong with your phone or line. Reach them another way; only they or their carrier can lift it.

What does "number barred" mean?

The mobile network refused the call because a call barring rule is active. If you hear it when calling someone, their line bars incoming calls. If your own calls fail, your outgoing calls are barred, by a setting on the phone or by your carrier.

What does "incoming calls barred" mean on the other side?

The line you called refuses incoming calls, and the message is played to the caller. If people say they hear it when calling you, the incoming bar is on your line: check with *#35# and turn it off with #35*PW# or ask your carrier.

Why are my outgoing calls barred?

Either call barring was switched on from the phone (check with *#33#), or your carrier restricted the line for an account reason such as an unpaid bill. Carrier restrictions often still allow emergency calls and incoming calls.

What does "collections outgoing calls bar" mean?

Your carrier has barred outgoing calls because the account has an overdue balance in collections. Pay or contact the carrier's collections or support team. Vodacom, for example, reconnects the line automatically once the payment is allocated.

How do I remove call barring?

If you set it, dial #330*PW# with your barring password to remove every bar. If you did not set it, or the code is refused, contact your carrier through its app or chat; only the carrier can remove bars it placed.

Can I still call emergency numbers when my calls are barred?

The standard says an outgoing bar does not affect emergency calls, and carriers such as Telstra keep emergency calls available on restricted lines.

Number Barred Meaning: "The Number You Have Dialed Is Barred", Incoming or Outgoing Calls Barred, and How to Remove It (2026)

NoDial Editorial ／ 2026-09-29（updated 2026-10-06）

You heard something like "the number you have dialed is barred" when calling someone, or your own phone says your outgoing calls are barred. "Number barred" and "call barred" mean the same thing: the mobile network refused the call on purpose, because a call barring rule is active on one of the two lines. This guide takes each message people hear or see, says whose line the bar is on, why a number gets barred, and how to remove the bar, whether you set it yourself or your carrier did.

NoDial: Block Outgoing CallsBlocks calls to numbers you choose

NoCall: Blacklist Call BlockerBlock unwanted calls before they ring.

Current as of October 2026. Carriers word their messages differently and change their policies. Check your carrier's help pages for the exact rules on your account.

1. The short answer

"Number barred" means the network refused the call because a bar is active. If you hear it when calling someone else, their line is barring incoming calls; there is nothing wrong with yours. If your own calls will not go through, your outgoing calls are barred: either call barring was switched on from the phone, or your carrier restricted the line, most often over an unpaid bill.

To check, dial *#33# (outgoing) or *#35# (incoming). If a bar you set is on, #330*PW# removes all of them, where PW is your 4-digit barring password. If you did not set it, contact your carrier through its app or chat.

KEY POINT

First work out whose line is barred. Someone else's incoming bar is theirs to lift. Your own bar is either yours (use the code) or your carrier's (only they can lift it).

2. "The number you have dialed is barred": what each message means

If you heard a message like "the number you have dialed is barred" when calling someone, it was played to you because the person you called has an incoming bar on their line. Carriers word this message differently. Vodafone Australia's version says "you have incoming call restrictions"; others say the number "has barred incoming calls". Whatever the wording, it is played to you, the caller, and it is about their line, not yours. The table below takes each kind of message people hear or see and says whose line is barred.

The message you hear or see	Whose line is barred	What it means	What to do
A message when you call someone, worded like "the number you have dialed is barred", "has barred incoming calls" or "has incoming call restrictions"	The other person's	Their line refuses incoming calls (an incoming bar)	Nothing on your phone. Reach them another way.
"Your outgoing calls are barred", "call barring is active", or your calls simply do not connect	Yours	An outgoing bar is active on your line	Check with *#33#, then section 7 or 8
People tell you they cannot reach you and hear that your number is barred	Yours	An incoming bar is active on your line	Check with *#35#, then section 7 or 8
Your phone can only call emergency numbers	Yours	Usually your carrier restricted the line	Section 8
A notice from your carrier (in its app, by text message or as a reply) saying your line or account is barred	Yours	The bar was placed on your account by the carrier	Section 8
The message mentions payment or collections ("collections outgoing calls bar")	Yours	Your carrier barred outgoing calls over an unpaid balance	Section 5 and 8

Vodafone Australia describes the two recorded messages this way. With an incoming bar, "the caller will hear a message stating that you have incoming call restrictions." With an outgoing bar, "Calls you make won't connect and you'll hear a recorded message letting you know call barring is active." The exact wording differs between carriers, but the meaning is the same.

3. "Incoming calls barred" meaning (the bar is on the other side)

"Incoming calls barred" means the line you are calling refuses incoming calls. Because the message is played to the caller, hearing it tells you the bar is on the other side: the person you dialed has an incoming bar, and you cannot change it from your phone.

Call barring is defined in the 3GPP standard TS 22.088, which GSM and LTE carriers follow. For an incoming bar, an incoming call the bar does not allow is refused, and "the calling mobile subscriber will receive an indication that the call is not permitted and has been barred." The caller is told, not the person being called. An incoming bar leaves the owner's ability "to originate calls" unaffected, so they can still call out, including calling you back.

If it is the other way round, and people tell you that your number is barred when they call you, the incoming bar is on your line. Check it with *#35# (section 6) and remove it with #35*PW# (section 7) or ask your carrier (section 8).

4. "Outgoing calls barred" meaning (the bar is on your line)

"Outgoing calls barred" means your own line is not allowed to make the call. The same standard says a barred outgoing call "will be refused by the network. In this case the served mobile subscriber will receive an indication that the call is not permitted and has been barred." This time the person whose line is barred is the one who is told: you.

An outgoing bar leaves your "ability ... to receive calls and to set-up emergency calls" unaffected. So with outgoing calls barred you can still receive calls and still call emergency numbers. Whether you can remove the bar yourself depends on who placed it, which is the next section.

5. Why a number gets barred: call barring, unpaid bill, collections

Someone switched on call barring

Call barring can be turned on from the phone's settings or with a dial code such as *33*, protected by a 4-digit password. It stays on until someone turns it off. If you share or were handed the phone, it may have been set before. What each type blocks: What Is Call Barring?

Your carrier barred the line over an unpaid bill

This is the usual reason when you did not set anything yourself.

Vodafone Australia: "Your service may be barred for account related reasons, such as an unpaid bill or high unbilled charges."
O2 (UK): "If you don't pay your O2 bill, a bar will automatically be applied to your account. At first, this stops any out-of-bundle spend – although you can still use your usual allowance." Further limits follow if the bill stays unpaid.
Telstra (Australia): if an AutoPay payment is still missing after 10 business days, "your services will be restricted and calls can only be made to emergency numbers." Its collection policy adds that while a service is restricted, "You will still be able to receive incoming calls" but "You will not be able to make outgoing calls, except for calls to emergency services".

"Collections outgoing calls bar": what collections means here

A "collections outgoing calls bar" is an outgoing bar that the carrier placed because the account is in collections, that is, a balance is overdue and has been passed to the carrier's collections process. Vodacom (South Africa) shows an account status that can indicate the profile "is in collections", and says services are unlocked "once payment has fully cleared and been allocated correctly." Telstra's collection policy describes the same restriction: incoming calls still work, outgoing calls only reach emergency services. Codes will not remove this bar; paying the overdue amount does (section 8).

Other bars a carrier can add

Lost or stolen phone: O2 says "Only our team can apply a bar to your account (and device) to stop any fraudulent use."
Premium rate and adult services: EE switches bars on premium rate numbers, "such as those beginning with 090", when you call them. O2 says bars on adult services and premium rate numbers are added by its support team, and to remove them "you may need to call us again".
Spend caps: Three (UK) blocks usage that goes over a cap you set.
Barring controlled by the carrier: the standard lets barring be controlled "by the service provider". In that case "the supplementary service cannot be deactivated by the subscriber" and only the carrier can remove it.

6. How to check what is barred on your line

Type the code in the Phone app and press call. The network replies with whether that bar is active.

Check	Code
All outgoing calls	*#33#
Outgoing international calls	*#331#
All incoming calls	*#35#
Incoming calls while roaming	*#351#

If these say barring is off but you still cannot call, the restriction is likely on your carrier account, not a call barring setting. Go to section 8.

7. How to remove call barring you set yourself

With a code: dial #330*PW# to turn off every kind of barring at once, or #33*PW# for outgoing and #35*PW# for incoming only. PW is your 4-digit call barring password. Vodafone Australia gives the same instruction: "If you placed the bar yourself using GSM codes, you can remove all bars by dialling: # 330 * [YOUR BARRING PIN] #".

From the menu: Vi (India) describes it as "Open the Phone app → Settings → Supplementary Services. Select Call Barring. Turn off the toggles … Enter your call barring code to confirm." On phones using Google's Phone app, the menu is under Settings > Calling accounts > your SIM > Call barring, if your carrier shows it.

If you do not know the password: the password is set by your carrier, there is no universal default, and there is no code that shows it. Published defaults and how to get it reset are in Call Barring Codes and Password. Avoid guessing: the standard allows the network to lock password requests after more than three wrong tries in a row.

8. How to remove a bar your carrier placed

Codes will not remove these. The carrier removes them once the reason is sorted out. This is the route for a bar your carrier told you about, a collections bar, and any bar you did not set.

Find out why. Vodafone Australia: "If you didn't place the bar yourself, there may be an issue with your account that needs to be sorted out before it can be removed."
Use the app, chat or another phone. A restricted line may only reach emergency numbers, so contact the carrier through its app or website. Vodafone Australia points to "Live Chat 24/7 in the My Vodafone app"; Telstra says to "pay the overdue amount in full via the My Telstra app."
Pay any overdue amount. O2: "Once we receive payment to clear these restrictions it can take up to 24 hours for your services to be fully restored." Vodacom: "The line reconnects automatically once payment is allocated and requirements are met."
Bars added by support (premium rate, lost or stolen) are removed by contacting the carrier again. O2 notes that for these, "you may need to call us again."

9. When the phone refuses to change barring

Sometimes the phone shows an error or says the request was rejected when you try to turn barring on or off. The standard describes these cases: when barring is controlled by the service provider, "an attempt to activate the barring services will be denied", and a request that is not fully specified is rejected. The common causes are:

The carrier controls barring on your line, or does not offer it to subscribers. Only the carrier can change it.
Call forwarding is on. The standard refuses to bar outgoing or incoming calls while related calls are being forwarded, and the reverse conflict too. Clearing forwarding first can resolve it.
Fixed Dialing Numbers is on. It can block the barring request itself, not only ordinary calls.
The password is wrong or locked. See Call Barring Codes and Password.
The code was mistyped. Every * and # matters.
Mobile data is off for that SIM, or the wrong SIM is selected on a dual-SIM phone — some carriers require mobile data to be on to process the change at all.

What each on-screen error message actually means, message by message: Call Barring Not Working: Network Error & Invalid MMI Code.

The opposite situation: if you want to stop calls to one particular number yourself, call barring cannot do that, because it works by category. An app such as NoDial blocks outgoing calls to the numbers you choose, on your phone, with no barring password. See How to Block Outgoing Calls to a Specific Number.

10. FAQ

What does a message like "the number you have dialed is barred" mean?: The person you are calling has an incoming bar on their line, so the network refused your call and played the message to you. Nothing is wrong with your phone or line. Reach them another way; only they or their carrier can lift it.
What does "number barred" mean?: The mobile network refused the call because a call barring rule is active. If you hear it when calling someone, their line bars incoming calls. If your own calls fail, your outgoing calls are barred, by a setting on the phone or by your carrier.
What does "incoming calls barred" mean on the other side?: The line you called refuses incoming calls, and the message is played to the caller. If people say they hear it when calling you, the incoming bar is on your line: check with *#35# and turn it off with #35*PW# or ask your carrier.
Why are my outgoing calls barred?: Either call barring was switched on from the phone (check with *#33#), or your carrier restricted the line for an account reason such as an unpaid bill. Carrier restrictions often still allow emergency calls and incoming calls.
What does "collections outgoing calls bar" mean?: Your carrier has barred outgoing calls because the account has an overdue balance in collections. Pay or contact the carrier's collections or support team. Vodacom, for example, reconnects the line automatically once the payment is allocated.
How do I remove call barring?: If you set it, dial #330*PW# with your barring password to remove every bar. If you did not set it, or the code is refused, contact your carrier through its app or chat; only the carrier can remove bars it placed.
Can I still call emergency numbers when my calls are barred?: The standard says an outgoing bar does not affect emergency calls, and carriers such as Telstra keep emergency calls available on restricted lines.

11. Summary

SUMMARY

"Number barred" means the network refused the call because a bar is active. A message like "the number you have dialed is barred" when you call someone means their incoming calls are barred. If your own outgoing calls are barred, check *#33#: a bar you set comes off with #330*PW#; a bar your carrier set (unpaid bill, collections) comes off only through the carrier.

Incoming calls barred: the caller is told; the owner can still make calls.
Outgoing calls barred: the owner is told; they can still receive calls and call emergency numbers.
Carrier bars usually come from unpaid bills and collections, lost or stolen reports, or premium and spend limits.
Check with *#33# and *#35#. Remove your own bars with #330*PW#.
If you do not know the barring password, ask your carrier. Guessing can lock it.

NoDial: block calls to the numbers you choseThe opposite of a bar you didn't want: stop calls to one number, on your phone.