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Why Does My iPhone Go Straight To Voicemail? Here’s The Fix!

    David Payette
  • 2 years ago
    • Categories: Calling

Your friends are trying to call you, but they can’t get through. Their iPhones ring when you call them, so why doesn’t yours? In this article, I’ll explain why your iPhone goes straight to voicemail when someone calls and how to fix the problem for good.

Why Does My iPhone Go Straight To Voicemail When Someone Calls?

Your iPhone typically goes straight to voicemail because your iPhone has no service, Do Not Disturb is turned on, or a Carrier Settings update is available. We’ll help you identify and fix the real problem below.

No Service / Airplane Mode

When your iPhone is too far away to connect to cell towers, or when it’s cut off from the outside world with Airplane Mode, all calls go straight to voicemail because your iPhone isn’t connected to the cellular network.

Open Settings and look at the switch next to Airplane Mode. If Airplane Mode is on, turn it off. If Airplane Mode is off, tap the switch to turn it on. Wait a few seconds, then tap the switch again to turn off Airplane Mode.

Do Not Disturb

When your iPhone is locked (the screen is off), Do Not Disturb silences all incoming calls, text message notifications, and alerts on your iPhone. Unlike silent mode, Do Not Disturb sends incoming calls straight to voicemail.

To turn off Do Not Disturb, open Control Center by swiping down from the upper right-hand corner of the screen (iPhones with Face ID) or up from the very bottom of the screen (iPhones without Face ID). Look for the Moon icon. If it’s white and purple, Do Not Disturb is on. Tap the icon to turn if off.

How Did Do Not Disturb Get Turned On In The First Place?

Open Settings and tap Focus -> Do Not Disturb. If your iPhone is running iOS 14 or older, open Settings and tap Do Not Disturb. Is Scheduled turned on? If so, your iPhone will automatically turn Do Not Disturb on and off when you go to sleep.

Do Not Disturb While Driving & Other Focuses

Do Not Disturb While Driving was introduced with iOS 11. With iOS 15, Apple introduced Focus, which houses Do Not Disturb, Do Not Disturb While Driving, and more. When Do Not Disturb While Driving or another Focus is on, your iPhone may go straight to voicemail.

If your iPhone is running iOS 15, swipe down from the upper right-hand corner of the screen (iPhones with Face ID) or up from the very bottom of the screen (iPhones without Face ID) to open Control Center.  Look for the Focus button in Control Center. If a Focus is on, tap on the icon to turn it off.

If your iPhone is running iOS 14 or older, open Settings and tap Do Not Disturb. Tap Activate under Do Not Disturb While Driving to see when the feature turns on. When set to Automatically, Do Not Disturb While Driving will turn on any time your iPhone thinks you’re driving. You can turn off Do Not Disturb While Driving by unlocking your iPhone and tapping I’m Not Driving.

Customizing Call Settings For Focus

iOS 15 allows you to customize Focus settings so calls don’t go directly to voicemail when a Focus is turned on. Open Settings and tap Focus -> Phone Calls. Here, you have a few options.

First, if you’d like calls from the same person within three minutes to not be silenced, leave the switch at the top of the screen on. Then, select if you’d like to receive calls from Everyone, No One, or your Favorites when a Focus is on.

Announce Calls

Some readers have reported a new solution that appeared in a recent version of iOS: Change Announce Calls to Always. Go to Settings -> Phone -> Announce Calls, tap Always, and give it a try.

Turn The Ringer Volume All The Way Up

It’s possible your iPhone ringer is silent, making you think that calls are going straight to voicemail since you can’t hear them when they come in. Try turning your ringer volume all the way up to see if that’s the issue you’re experiencing.

Open Settings and tap Sounds & Haptics. Drag the slider under Ringers and Alerts all the way to the right. You’ll be able to hear how loudly your iPhone will ring when you finishing adjusting the slider.

Have someone call your iPhone after trying this to see if the problem is resolved. If the call goes straight to voicemail, move onto the next step.

Check For A Carrier Settings Update

If your calls go straight to voicemail, you may need to update the carrier settings on your iPhone. Carrier settings are what allows your iPhone to connect to your carrier’s wireless network.

If your iPhone’s carrier settings are out of date, it may have trouble connecting to your carrier’s network, which could cause incoming phone calls to go straight to your voicemail.

To check for a Carrier Settings Update, open the Settings app and tap General -> About. If a carrier settings update is available, an alert will appear on your iPhone’s display that says “Carrier Settings Update“. If this alert appears on your iPhone, tap Update.

Turn Off Silence Unknown Callers

Silence Unknown Callers will send phone calls from from unknown numbers directly to voicemail. The call will show up in the Recents tab in Phone even though it goes straight to voicemail.

Open Settings and tap Phone. Turn off the switch next to Silence Unknown Callers to turn this setting off.

Turn Off Call Forwarding

Call Forwarding forwards your calls to a different phone number if you don’t or can’t answer them. There’s also call forwarding unconditional, which will forward your calls without allowing your iPhone to ring or give you the opportunity to answer it. It’s possible your iPhone is going straight to voicemail because of Call Forwarding.

Open Settings and tap Phone -> Call Forwarding. Turn off the switch next to Call Forwarding.

Note: You may not see this setting on your iPhone if your carrier does not support call forwarding.

Update Your iPhone

Updating your iPhone can sometimes fix software bugs, especially if a modem update is included with the iOS update. Open Settings and tap General -> Software Update. Tap Download and Install or Install Now if an iOS update is available.

Uninstall Spam Blocking Apps

Spam blocking apps like RoboKiller can be extremely useful. However, they’ll sometimes block calls you actually want to receive. Try uninstalling any spam blocking apps on your iPhone to see if that fixes the problem.

Press and hold on the app icon until the quick action menu opens. Then, tap Remove App -> Delete App -> Delete.

If this fixed the problem for you, check out our video about other ways to block spam calls on your iPhone.

Contact Your Carrier

There is a chance that you may need to contact your cell carrier about an issue with service for missed or dropped calls. If it becomes a regular occurrence that isn’t fixed by any of the troubleshooting steps in this article, you may need to contact your provider to see if there is any known issues or if there is a tower update that needs to be done on their end.

Is It Time To Switch Wireless Carriers?

If you’re fed up with the constant problems with your wireless carrier, you may want to consider switching. You’ll often save a lot of money when you do! Check UpPhone’s tool to compare cell phone plans from every wireless carrier in the United States.

You’re Back On The Grid

Your iPhone is ringing again and your calls aren’t going straight to voicemail. Do Not Disturb is a feature that comes in handy when you’re asleep, but it can cause some serious headaches if you don’t know how to use it. Save your friends and family similar headaches by sharing this article on social media so they can also learn why their iPhone goes straight to voicemail!

View Comments (293)

  • My iPhone 14 started going directly to voicemail and does not ring at all. I upgraded to IOS 17.1 but it did not help. Suggestions?

  • There is no "call forwarding" feature found on my iphone se. So couldn't turn it off. So the mystery as to why unknown callers are being silenced and sent to voicemail even when "silence unknown callers" is turned off remains unsolved. Will call service provider.

  • Hi
    I can’t keep up with you on 46 ways to
    turn off I phone settings on you tube
    Do you have a written copy so I can take
    my time. ?

  • I set my I phone down and have called it but after calling it a few times now it just goes to voice mail. and so I cannot find it. How do I get it to ring so I can find it

  • Starting this morning every inbound call and outbound call never ringed and went straight to voicemail. No updates needed and we have followed everything we can find on internet,

  • Thank you, even though none of your solutions worked. What worked for me was turning off the phone and turn it back on, you might want to add it to your list.

  • What fixed my phone was actually not my phone but my Apple Watch being on do not disturb. Turned that off and good to go.

  • My iPhone 11pro calls go straight to voicemail after upgrading to ios16, have tried all tips/suggestions below to no avail anything new to suggest? thanks

  • Hi have tried all the tips/suggestions listed below and my iPhone 11 pro on ios16.4 is still sending calls directly to voicemail any new ideas??

  • I tried all of the suggestions to fix my calls going directly to voicemail. None of the suggestions helped. Must be another reason other than what you suggest.
    I am using Lycamobile for last 1 year on Iphone 13 pro and suddenly for last 1 month no incoming call.
    akk options tried but no use

  • I recently changed carriers and for some reason, my calls are not going through or going straight to voicemail and there is no indication that there is a voicemail. Can you help me?

  • I tried all of the suggestions to fix my calls going directly to voicemail. None of the suggestions helped. Must be another reason other than what you suggest.

    • Update. I found the solution. I had to turn my phone off. After 20 seconds I turned it back on the problem was resolved.

  • I have literally been going back and fourth with my carrier for 9 months, even upgraded my iPhone and SIM card. In the end it was because my iPhone atomically goes in to Personal Focus when at home and only allows calls from “favourites”, with no one attached to the list - so turning that off finally worked! Thank you!

  • I had this issue. Tried all these steps and nothing worked. Finally deleted some call-blocking apps meant to stop spam. For some reason the person who was trying to call me was being blocked. All worked well after that

  • I am subscribed to palette forward on YouTube, I love your channel! my problem is calls going to voicemail and it started after I updated my iPhone 12 to iOS 16.0. I hope you can help me I have tried everything

  • I’m not sure what fixed it but i followed your instructions to correct calls that were being sent directly to voicemail and it worked. I’ve had issues with the iphone 11 a few times. Your site was helpful and I was able to sidestep a visit to the Apple store Thank you for your web site!,

  • I fixed my i phone after being abroad on another server by going to settings and resetting Network Server

  • Is there a way to delete past blocked numbers as I have several hundred now and would like to clear them and start a new list

  • I have an iphone and i currently cannot receive calls. It just goes straight to voice-mail. Ive checked for airplane mode, call forwarding, do not disturb, and none are the problem. I just got this iphone. Please help.

  • My iPhone 8 randomly fails calling out or receiving calls (straight to voicemail). Only fix is to turn it off and back on. Tried all the common fixes. Even new SIM card.

  • You are just the best! I was able to turn off Focus that had my calls going to voice mail. Thanks to your explicit instructions.

  • Another reason may be because you have chosen a very short ring tone (about 1 second's worth) for your incoming calls. If you do not answer your call before the ring tone times out your call will go straight to voicemail. Try changing your ring tone to one that doesn't time out so quickly.

  • Tried all you suggestions - now waiting for an unknown caller to phone me!

    Thanks for the advice. I'll let you know how it goes.

  • Thank you for the post. My Dad also had this same issue and we found his problem was also "Silence Unknown Callers” was on.

  • Thanks soo much - Excellent information! Important calls I was waiting for went straight to VM. My wife's calls were fine. My problem was "Silence Unknown Callers" were on!

  • Just left my AT&T store. After a complete review and sim card change they found that my AT&T “Call Protect” app had “unknown callers” set on Block.

  • This helped me out. First time with Ipad and not familiar with much. This article helped me out, and I appreciate how simple it was. I was getting frustrated on all callls going directly into voice.

  • This is a wonderful article, but I found my fix in someone’s reply. You should add it to your article: CHECK your Apple Watch! Somehow mine had gotten into theater mode, which silences your calls! of course I figured this out after trying everything in this article.

  • I’ve done every single thing on my Iphone 11pro..going straight to voicemail as of today..🤷‍♀️

    • I suggest contacting your wireless carrier. You'll usually get the fastest help when you reach out to their Support account on Twitter.

      • I don’t use twitter..but I’ll reach out to Verizon. Thx!
        This 11pro is the worst iPhone I’ve ever had. Nothing but trouble: dropped calls, fading voices, volume issues, & 41/2 hrs in their store recently hasn’t helped..

  • My phone is going straight to voicemail after one ring and does not even let me pick up I have tried all the fixes

    • I suggest reaching out to your wireless carrier if none of the steps in this article fixed the problem.

  • I have a iPhone XR and it is updated to the lastest version and when I get a call, it rings once and goes straight to my vocie mail. Also my Mac mini that is updated to Monterey version 12.2.1 just started showing me that FaceTime quit unexpectedly and now I can't open fact time folder or the app on my Mac mini.

  • I have tried each of these steps and have spent several hours with AT&T technicians, to no avail. They take me through most of these same steps and always conclude by saying they will change some settings and call me back the next day with a higher level technician and I never hear from them, even when I give my wife's phone as an alternative number. The lack of a phone ring and immediate rollover to voice mail seems to only happen with calls from people who are not in my contacts,but this is not a setting I have set up to do this. Any other ideas other than re-setting phone back to factory settings. Thanks.

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Tags: callscontrol centerDo Not DisturbiPhonestraightvoicemail
David Payette: I'm a former Apple employee and the founder of Payette Forward, and I'm here to help you with your iPhone.