Several iPhone users have reported that their incoming phone calls are going straight to voicemail. Users have further stated that the iPhone is not ringing when they get a call.
There can be many different reasons your calls are going straight to voicemail. The worst-case scenario is that your iPhone is having a hardware damage. However, there’s a good chance that you are having this problem because you’ve changed some settings and silenced your phone without knowing.
If you are having this problem, you may miss important calls. This is because your phone is not ringing and you are not getting any calls and you are only getting voicemail messages. This also means that people have been trying to call you will only get your voicemail.
Typically, when someone calls you, your phone rings and If the call is unanswered by you, they will be sent to your voicemail. In this article, we will give several troubleshooting steps for you to try so that you can identify the cause and get your phone calls coming through again.
1. Restart
Yep. The First troubleshooting step you need to try is to restart your iPhone. It’s an easy thing to try before checking though the list of settings that could be causing your calls to go straight to voicemail.
iPhone with Face ID
- Press and hold both the side button and either volume button until the slider shows up on the screen.
- Drag the slider from left to right to power off your device.
- Press and hold the power button until you see the Apple logo.
iPhone with Home Button
- Press and hold the side button.
- Drag the slider from left to right to power off your device.
- Press and hold the power button until you see the Apple logo.
2. Check that Airplane mode is off
If Airplane mode is enabled on an iPhone, your calls are sent straight to voicemail. Airplane mode disables the wireless signals on your iPhone. You can easily check this by opening the Settings app. You can touch the Airplane mode slider to change your settings, on or off. Make sure that it’s toggled off.
3. Check the ringer volume level is not all the way down
It is possible that the ringer volume is too low. It may seem that your phone is not ringing. You may need to adjust your ring volume. Here’s how:
- Go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics.
- Check the ringer slider under the Ringtone and Alerts section, and ensure that the slider is far enough to the right to where you can hear the ring.
If the ringer slider is dimmed, it is possible that your speaker is damaged and you may want to contact Apple Support for service.
4. Check that the Ring/Silent switch is off
Your iPhone has a Ring/Silent switch which is on the left side of your iPhone. The Ring/Silent switch can mute all alerts and notifications. However, your iPhone may still vibrate when you get a call. Ensure that the Silent switch on the side of your iPhone is not enabled. Here’s how:
- Look on the left side of your iPhone. Check to see if the small switch is set to silent. When the switch is set to silent (orange position, the switch is pushed away from the screen).
- Toggle to turn off silent mode.
To check if your iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max is silenced, short press the Action Button. A "Silent" icon will appear in the Dynamic Island to signal the change.
If the device is on silent mode, long press the Action Button to unmute your device.
5. Check your Focus settings
If your iPhone is in Focus mode like Do Not Disturb, you will not see any notifications including incoming calls and all calls will go straight to voicemail (please note that you can set up exceptions for certain numbers). If you see a crescent moon icon in the status bar, this means that this mode is on. You can check this by opening Control Center. You can also check this by going to Settings > Focus.
6. Check the Silence Unknown Callers setting
iPhone has a anti-spam call feature called Silence Unknown Callers. If this feature is enabled, calls from people whom you have never been in contact with will be silenced and will be sent your voicemail. If you get calls from people in your contacts, recent calls, or mentioned in a text or email, these calls will not directly be sent to your voicemail, these calls will ring first. To change this setting, go to Settings > Apps > Phone > Silence Unknown Callers and turn this off.
Furthermore, if you are using a third-party app to detect spam calls, check the app’s settings so that you are not blocking calls.
7. Check for Blocked numbers
If only some numbers are sent to voicemail, make sure you haven’t blocked them. You can block numbers. When a blocked contact calls you, they will directly be sent to your voicemail.
- Go to Settings > Apps > Phone > Blocked Contacts to look for numbers that shouldn’t be there.
- To remove a number from the list, touch the number and swipe right to left. Tap Unblock.
8. Update your iPhone
Install the latest iOS update. Many times it contain bug fixes.
- Go to Settings > General > Software Update. This will check for updates.
- If there is an update available, tap Update Now and then follow the onscreen instructions.
9. Other notes:
If your phone calls still goes to voicemail without ringing, the cause of this problem might be due to hardware damage or network problems.
- Your iPhone’s speaker may need to be repaired. Contact Apple for service.
- Contact your carrier. It is possible that they may be experiencing system-wide issues.