Unlock Blocking Mode - No root required

**DaRkL3AD3R** · 12-02-2012, 12:26 PM

All credit goes to bsweetness. Thanks for the find man!

I was playing around with one of my favorite apps Any Cut. Regrettably, Any Cut (which isn't available in the Play Store any more) doesn't work correctly on Jelly Bean, but it works enough to be able to take a look at many of the shortcuts it's able to find. And low and behold, Blocking Mode was in the list. Since Any Cut is problematic on Jelly Bean (it kind of works, but not completely), I found another app on the Play Store that operates in much the same way that Any Cut does - QuickShortcutMaker. And guess what? Blocking Mode is there and working!

No root required!

Here's how to get to it:

1) Download QuickShortcutMaker from the Play Store. (Note: the app closed on me a few times while trying to use it, but it eventually worked)

2) After QuickShortcutMaker installs, open it up.

3) Type Blocking Mode in the text field. The app is pretty slow when it comes to populating the available shortcuts, so it might take a little bit. Once it finishes, tap on the first result at the top (It will say "Settings" with Blocking mode underneath it.

4) Rename the shortcut to whatever you want. It's named "Settings" by default, and I changed mine to "Blocking Mode."

5) Tap "OK."

6) You'll now have a shortcut on your homescreen that will take you right into Blocking Mode (the icon will be a cog just like the Settings icon). Open it up and and block away! (Note: the shortcut on your homescreen will be the only way to access Blocking Mode, so if you delete it, you'll have to create a new one in order to get back into the settings for it)

Known issues:

The only problem I've encountered so far is that the app will force close when trying to add contacts to the custom allowed contact list. But it seems to work fine when selecting "Favorites" as opposed to creating a new custom list. So if adding contacts to a custom list is force closing for you, add the contacts that you want to come through to your general favorites list when Blocking Mode is enabled, and then use the Favorites option in the Blocking Mode settings.

**Unicorn56** · 12-02-2012, 12:42 PM

Tried it and it works. Nice find! Thanks

**LuvHorses** · 12-02-2012, 12:48 PM

Quick shortcut maker isnt in playstore???

sent from my Verizon Note2...

**collett** · 12-02-2012, 12:55 PM

Originally Posted by LuvHorses

Quick shortcut maker isnt in playstore???

sent from my Verizon Note2...

Search for it as one word. That's how I found it.

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**LuvHorses** · 12-02-2012, 01:32 PM

Thanks!! Its working!

sent from my Verizon Note2...

**TheDroidLurker** · 12-02-2012, 01:33 PM

Brilliant! Nice to know it is still in there. I wonder if a different launcher might be able to access it through the built in shortcut creating functions.

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**TBolt** · 12-02-2012, 02:17 PM

Originally Posted by TheDroidLurker

Brilliant! Nice to know it is still in there. I wonder if a different launcher might be able to access it through the built in shortcut creating functions.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2

I don't have my Note 2 yet, but I know that Nova Launcher made some features visible - including a shortcut to the camcorder - that were originally hidden on my Rezound.

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**Terry4505** · 12-03-2012, 06:18 AM

Any known way to get the notification out of the notification bar?

I like the idea of this (the LED is bright at night) but I don't want to be notified all day that it is working

**Filip Witkowski** · 12-03-2012, 09:07 AM

I believe this method work. Great article. However quickshortcutmaker keep feezing on my phone and after a few second it turns off itself.

**Filip Witkowski** · 12-03-2012, 09:27 AM

Search function in quickshortcutmaker it's the reason of app keep freezing. When finally the app did not close, I just scrolled down to find blocking mode. The shortcut works. Dam Verizon, why are you doing this to us.

**NHBass39** · 12-07-2012, 02:57 AM

Originally Posted by Filip Witkowski

Search function in quickshortcutmaker it's the reason of app keep freezing. When finally the app did not close, I just scrolled down to find blocking mode. The shortcut works. Dam Verizon, why are you doing this to us.

So is it working now OK?

**Tari** · 12-07-2012, 03:00 AM

Hate to break the news, but this is the update from the original xda thread:

Well, bad news folks. It seems that while we can indeed get to Blocking Mode, it doesn't appear to be fully functional. When I first found it and tested it out, it successfully blocked the calls I made from my computer via Gmail and Skype. But after some further tests this afternoon, it didn't actually block any calls made by some friends via their cell phones. So, while it's there, it doesn't seem like it's fully functional. At the very least, maybe this gives us some hope for someone out there to find a way to get it working consistently or that Verizon will enable it in a future update.

I don't think anyone's found a way to get blocking mode fully functional yet.

**NHBass39** · 12-07-2012, 03:03 AM

Originally Posted by Tari

Hate to break the news, but this is the update from the original xda thread:

I don't think anyone's found a way to get blocking mode fully functional yet.

Thanks. Guess its a waiting game now.

**Raptor007** · 12-07-2012, 10:12 AM

Yup, most likely a mod will be made and posted at some point but not sure if that will require a custom version of the stock ROM and pulling bits from say Sprint's version to get it.

**NHBass39** · 12-07-2012, 12:00 PM

Originally Posted by Raptor007

Yup, most likely a mod will be made and posted at some point but not sure if that will require a custom version of the stock ROM and pulling bits from say Sprint's version to get it.

Hope it's stock rom. I'm rooting soon.

**Markster1** · 12-08-2012, 06:34 PM

There is a call restriction setting accessed from the keypad under settings. Doesn't this do the same thing?

Never mind, I just found out what blocking mode does.

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**stronggeek** · 12-08-2012, 09:32 PM

Now I personally haven't checked this out and I realize it's always nice to have this type of
option be part of the phones "built-in" settings, but you'd think there'd be an app that comes
close to doing what this blocking feature does.

**corki2** · 12-08-2012, 10:02 PM

Originally Posted by stronggeek

Now I personally haven't checked this out and I realize it's always nice to have this type of
option be part of the phones "built-in" settings, but you'd think there'd be an app that comes
close to doing what this blocking feature does.

I use Extreme Call Blocker. It works great. It lets you add a contact to your black list and block all numbers associated with that contact. Over the last couple years when I've gotten a call from a solicitor, I add them to my contacts under the name "Don't Answer Sales Call" . There must be 150 numbers associated with that contact. Extreme Call Blocker blocks them all with just a couple clicks. Some blocking apps only let you add one number at a time which is of no use to me. The stock blocker on the Note 2 only let's you add up to 100 numbers, so even if it was working properly, it wouldn't work for me anyway.

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**stronggeek** · 12-10-2012, 03:10 PM

Originally Posted by corki2

I use Extreme Call Blocker. It works great. It lets you add a contact to your black list and block all numbers associated with that contact. Over the last couple years when I've gotten a call from a solicitor, I add them to my contacts under the name "Don't Answer Sales Call" . There must be 150 numbers associated with that contact. Extreme Call Blocker blocks them all with just a couple clicks. Some blocking apps only let you add one number at a time which is of no use to me. The stock blocker on the Note 2 only let's you add up to 100 numbers, so even if it was working properly, it wouldn't work for me anyway.

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OIC. Right on.
I'd just want to be able to allow a few contacts ring through while silencing/blocking all others.
I'd want to be able to do this on schedule (like at 9pm to 6am) AND on a single click.
It looks like this app would achieve this.

Guess I'll wait a little longer to see if anyone gets this working for us otherwise I may give this a shot.
Thanks!

**NHBass39** · 12-10-2012, 04:29 PM

Originally Posted by stronggeek

OIC. Right on.
I'd just want to be able to allow a few contacts ring through while silencing/blocking all others.
I'd want to be able to do this on schedule (like at 9pm to 6am) AND on a single click.
It looks like this app would achieve this.

Guess I'll wait a little longer to see if anyone gets this working for us otherwise I may give this a shot.
Thanks!

It doesn't block emails I see. I need something to quiet my phone while I'm sleeping during the day, yet let certain people contact me if needed.

**corki2** · 12-10-2012, 05:31 PM

Originally Posted by NHBass39

It doesn't block emails I see. I need something to quiet my phone while I'm sleeping during the day, yet let certain people contact me if needed.

I use Audio Profiles to quiet my email and other notifications but allow my phone to ring when I'm sleeping. I have widget on my desktop that allows me to switch between them.

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