Call Barring is a telephony feature that is used for blocking all calls or SMS of a certain type e.g. all incoming or outgoing calls. This service is provided by the network operator and therefore can be accessed by any subscriber regardless of their phone type.
Barring however cannot be used to block calls or SMS from specific numbers. For that you may need to install a call blocking or filtering app if your phone doesn’t include an in-built solution as it’s the case for some Android phones.
Safaricom provides the options to bar the following call and SMS types:
- Incoming or Outgoing Calls
- Incoming or Outgoing Calls When Roaming
- Incoming or Outgoing SMS
- International Calls
To activate or deactivate any of these one uses specific codes that are dialled just like normal USSD codes. Let’s take a look at them.
Call and SMS Barring Activation Codes
| Barring | USSD CODE | Function |
|---|---|---|
| Bar All Bar All Outgoing Calls | *33*0000# | Blocks all outgoing calls. |
| Bar All Incoming Calls | *35*0000# | Blocks all incoming calls. |
| Bar Incoming Calls When Roaming | *351*0000# | Blocks all incoming calls when roaming (outside the country). |
| Bar All Incoming Calls Except Home Calls (when Roaming) | *332*0000# | Blocks all incoming calls when roaming except those coming from your country. |
| Bar All International Calls | *331*0000# | Blocks all international calls. |
| Bar All Outgoing SMS | *33*0000*16# | Blocks all outgoing SMS text messages. |
| Bar All Incoming SMS | *35*0000*16# | Blocks all incoming SMS text messages. |
Call and SMS Barring Deactivation Codes
| Barring | USSD CODE | Function |
|---|---|---|
| Deactivate Bar All Bar All Outgoing calls | #33*0000# | Deactivates the blocking of all outgoing calls. |
| Deactivate Bar All Incoming Calls | #35*0000# | Deactivates the blocking of all incoming calls. |
| Deactivate Bar Incoming Calls When Roaming | #351*0000# | Deactivates the blocking of all incoming calls when roaming. |
| Deactivate Bar All Incoming Calls Except Home Calls (when Roaming) | #332*0000# | Deactivates the blocking of all incoming except home calls when roaming. |
| Deactivate Bar All International Calls | #331*0000# | Deactivates the blocking of all international calls. |
| Deactivate Bar All Outgoing SMS | #33*0000*16# | Deactivates the blocking of all outgoing SMS text messages. |
| Deactivate Bar All Incoming SMS | #35*0000*16# | Deactivates the blocking of all incoming SMS text messages. |
| Deactivate All Barring | #330*0000# | Deactivates all types of barring that may have been activated. |
Other Short Codes:
I have tried to deactivate outgoing barring sms but it’s not working
You’ll need to contact customer care to help you with that. They will be disable from their end.