The worst part about technology is that we still haven’t progressed past the need for talking on the phone. Can’t something be as easily said over text, email, instant message, direct message, or even carrier pigeon? Because unless you're in middle school prank calling your crush at a sleepover, there is nothing worse than getting a phone call. Like, what is this, colonial America?

Much like society, our subconscious hasn’t been able to keep up with the phone-calls-are-so-2000-and-late thing. If you’re here, and you’re anything like us, you’ve probably just dreamt about a phone call. Did you make it? Did you miss it? Did you have a really hard time answering it? In this article, we’re going to cover the basics of what it means when there’s a phone call in your dream. 

Interpreting the Dreams

It doesn’t take a dream interpreter to know that dreaming of a phone call means you’re trying to communicate something. But it’s more than that. It’s a need to get a point across, to connect to a certain feeling, a certain person, a certain situation. It’s needing to fix something but not being able to or having a wealth of knowledge at your fingertips and not having the ability to access it. It’s feeling frustrated or finally getting through to someone. It’s more than a phone. It’s a premonition. Now, let’s get into what it means when you dream about calls.

Dreaming that you received a call from someone close to you 

Picture this. You’re at the mall, except the mall is inside a banana peel and your best friend is there except she’s seven feet tall and has hooves for feet. Because, ya know, dream stuff. But then your phone starts ringing. And it’s your seven-foot-tall friend who isn’t next to you anymore. What does it mean? Why is she calling? Phone dreams are usually signals [1] to be honest with yourself and your intuition. When you wake up, remember what your friend told you. Stick to your guns (not your real guns, or even your dream guns, but if you have dreamt about guns, we have information on that too) if it makes you feel empowered or uncomfortable. Because that’s probably your subconscious warning you or preparing you for something you can’t see in your waking life. 

Dreaming that you missed a call from someone 

 In dreams, cell phones represent power [2]. Whatever is happening with a cell phone in your dream relates to how strong that connectedness is at the time of your dream. So when you miss a call in your dream, you’re feeling disconnected from the person calling. 

Dreaming that you have a voicemail from someone 

Getting voicemails are, like, so vintage. To call and then to go that extra unnecessary mile of leaving a voicemail almost makes you feel like you have to call them back. A simple text in response to the call isn’t enough. In dreams, when you miss a call and receive a voicemail, it’s pretty similar. This is tied to the notion of passing or avoiding responsibility for something you need to do. Call that person back. Finish that article you said you’d write. Get the WiFi installed in your apartment like you said you’d do. Don’t let life pass you by.

Dreaming that you have a text from someone

If a text message appears in your dream, this is a message that something needs to be attended to as soon as possible in your waking life. Such dreams are positive, expressing a desire to move forward swiftly, but they can also be a sign that you should be cautious when embarking on a new project or plan, and not jump at the first opportunity.

Dreaming you can’t get through on your call

When you’re put on hold or ignored, it’s more likely that you have been ignoring your own needs for rest, outside help or relaxation. The message this dream is trying to convey to you is that it’s time to pay closer attention to something you may have been putting off. 

What the color of your phone may signify

There was a time in ancient civilization (the 1950s) where rotary dial telephones came in every color you could think of. But when cell phones came into the picture, they stuck with black or silver. And then Apple revitalized the colored cell phone. Long over are the days where your phone was simply chrome or black. Now you can get a phone in every color of the rainbow to really represent you. But that begs the question of what the color of the phone in your dream represents. As in every dream, colors and conditions represent many things. So depending on what type of phone you or the other person is holding, the meaning can also reveal stronger energy and a deeper message. Silver phones represent a high-stakes matter at-hand. It can also represent timing, schedules, and appointments. It can mean that a person has so much on their plate or mismanaging work/study schedules. 

Black phones bring an air of secrecy to the dream. This means that messages are direct, but they are also discreet. It also means that whatever the caller and the dreamer share must stay between them. 

Red phones means emergency, or passion and sometimes aggression. 

Blue is the color of communication. Through our voice, we communicate with others, but it is through the color blue that we communicate with the environment. 

Buying Guide

• Therapy might not be the answer to all of life’s problems — but it might just be the answer to most of the dream-related ones. With BetterHelp, you get therapy in an app. You’ll be matched with one of the 22,000 licensed, board-accredited counselors for live therapy sessions at times that work for you. They may not be dream experts, but they’re trained to help with solving issues brought up by your dreams.

• If you’re having trouble getting out of your head, especially when it comes to analyzing last night’s dreams, check out Headspace. It’s a meditation app that teaches you life-changing mindfulness skills in as few as three minutes every day. With Headspace, you can develop skills necessary to combat anxiety and stress. 

• The best way to keep track of your dreams is by using a dream journal. Magic of I sells a pocket-sized leather dream journal to help make the personal symbols in your nightly adventures conscious.

• The time you take to acquaint yourself with sleep before bed is super important. Hatch has created a Smart Sleep Assistant that acts as a sound machine, sunrise alarm, smart light and meditation app all in one. Get in control of your night’s sleep with this product.

• Fall asleep faster and easier with the Verishop Calming Sleep Patch. These patches fight insomnia, support stress relief and improve the overall quality of sleep. Don’t let another subconscious shooting stop you from sleeping well.