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Does your iPhone go straight to voicemail when someone tries to call you? Perhaps a friend is trying to reach you, and they can hear the phone ringing on their end, but yours never does. This article explains why your iPhone might be forwarding all calls straight to voicemail without ringing and what you can do to fix the issue.
There are several reasons why your iPhone might automatically transfer all calls to voicemail. Perhaps you have no service in your area, or you have the Do Not Disturb feature activated. In some cases, a Carrier Settings update will prevent calls from coming through. The following list contains all the most likely reasons your iPhone might go directly to voicemail.
Most people experiencing this problem will probably find the solution within the first few options outlined here. Some of the more obscure issues could also be present, so be sure to cover all your bases if the first few issues aren't the problem.
You might have forgotten that your iPhone is in Airplane Mode, which stops all calls and outside communications from coming through. The same issue arises when your iPhone is too far from a cell tower to make a stable connection.
This feature isn't as widely used as Airplane Mode, but it also stops calls from coming through when activated. Do Not Disturb will only prevent calls from ringing if the iPhone is locked. This works much like silent mode, but calls are sent to voicemail automatically.
The easiest way to see if Do Not Disturb is turned on is to look near the battery indicator in the upper corner of the iPhone screen. The icon for Do Not Disturb is a crescent moon, and if it's present in the icon bar, Do Not Disturb is on.
You can turn of the Do Not Disturb feature using the Control Center. Simply swipe your finger upward starting at the bottom of the screen. The Control Center menu will pop up, then you simply have to tap the crescent moon Do Not Disturb icon to activate or deactivate the feature.
You can use the Settings app to turn the Do Not Disturb feature on and off as well. Simply open the Settings app, select Do Not Disturb, then tap the toggle associated with the function.
It's possible your iPhone might have Do Not Disturb scheduled to automatically activate at certain times. You can check for schedules by opening the Do Not Disturb menu within the Settings app.
iOS 11 saw the introduction of a new aspect of the Do Not Disturb feature. Do Not Disturb While Driving has the ability to detect when you're traveling in a vehicle, so it may prevent calls from coming through.
If you want to turn this feature off, you'll have to add the function to the Control Center. Go to Settings, select Control Center, scroll down to the Do Not Disturb While Driving function, then tap the plus sign next to it. Then simply open the Control Center panel and tap the associated icon.
This feature was recently added to iOS. Open the Settings app, select Phone, then select Announce Calls. A menu will appear with several options, so select Always to let all calls through at all times.
It's possible your iPhone might require a Carrier Settings update if calls are going straight to voicemail. These settings allow your phone to connect to the network of your provider, so without them, calls might not make it through.
In some cases, these settings could be obsolete, which would require an update to allow the iPhone to reconnect to the wireless network. You can check for an update to these settings by opening the Settings app, selecting General, then About. At this point, you'll see an alert if there is an update available. Simply tap Update to start the process.
Related: Compare iPhone Cell Phone Plans
If none of these issues are causing your iPhone calls to go directly to voicemail, you might need to contact your service provider to find out what's causing the issue. There might be a problem on their end that they aren't aware of. In any case, they will be able to point you in the direction of a solution to your problem if it isn't on their end.
Virgin Mobile: 1-888-322-1122
T-Mobile: 1-877-746-0909
AT&T: 1-800-331-0500
Sprint: 1-888-211-4727
Verizon: 1-800-922-0204
Now that you've gotten your iPhone to ring when you receive a call, you've probably learned a bit about some underlying functions of the device. Do Not Disturb is quite helpful for keeping your phone fully silent during the night, but it must be used properly to prevent missed calls and other incoming communications. Share this article to help your friends who might have the same issue.
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