If you intentionally set your iPhone to go straight to voicemail, then you should have no problem when that happens. If it’s doing it when you don’t want it to, though, then it can be frustrating.
There are a few possible things that you can try which should hopefully rectify this situation. Keep reading as we explain what to do if your iPhone goes straight to voicemail.
Your iPhone Might Go to Voicemail Because You Have No Service
The most common reason why your iPhone calls are going straight to voicemail is if you don’t have any service. That happens when your phone is too far away from any cell phone towers.
You might also be cut off from the outside world because you put the device on Airplane Mode. If it’s this second possibility, then maybe you did it on purpose, or perhaps it was an accident.
If you pull up the menu from the bottom of your iPhone’s screen, then you’ll see the little airplane logo as one of the possibilities. If that logo is white, then it’s in Airplane Mode.
You can disable this mode by tapping it. Then, you should be able to receive calls again.
Your iPhone Might Be Set to Silence Unknown Callers
Thanks to Keith Quackenbush for submitting this solution in the comments!
Your iPhone may send callers straight to voicemail if the calls come from unknown numbers.
You can fix this by going to Settings > Phone > Uncheck “Silence Unknown Callers.”
Your iPhone Might Be in Do Not Disturb Mode
The other mode that makes your calls go straight to voicemail is Do Not Disturb. Again, it’s always possible that you’ve engaged this feature without realizing it.
When your cell phone is locked, and the screen is off, Do Not Disturb effectively silences all incoming calls. It will also stop you from getting text message notifications and all other alerts.
Do Not Disturb is not the same as Silent Mode. In Silent Mode, the phone will still vibrate when you get a call. When you get a call in Do Not Disturb, it goes straight to voicemail.
The way you can tell for sure that Do Not Disturb is on is by looking at the upper left-hand corner of the iPhone’s screen when it’s active. Directly to the left of the battery icon, you will see a crescent moon. That indicates Do Not Disturb mode has been activated.
The fastest way to turn it off is to use the Control Center. Open it by using your finger to swipe up from the bottom of the iPhone display.
Where you see the crescent moon icon, tap it. That will take the phone off of Do Not Disturb, and you should be back to receiving calls instead of having them go to voicemail.
You can also go to Settings, then tap the switch to the right of where it says Do Not Disturb. That will accomplish the same thing as using the Control Center.
How Did Do Not Disturb Get Turned On?
You might wonder how Do Not Disturb mode became activated if you don’t remember doing it. Maybe it keeps turning itself on seemingly by itself.
This is most likely happening because of a factory setting. It could also be that you got the iPhone from someone else, and that’s one of the settings they put in place that you haven’t disabled.
To make sure this is no longer an issue, go to Settings, then tap where it says Do Not Disturb. You should see an option that says Scheduled.
Look to see if there’s a time of the day or night when this setting is scheduled to come on automatically. If that’s the case, then you can disable the setting by tapping on the slider next to it. See if that solves the problem.
It Could Be the Do Not Disturb While Driving Feature
There is another iPhone feature that could potentially be causing this problem. It’s called Do Not Disturb While Driving. It comes on automatically if the phone detects that you’re riding in a car.
This feature does not need to be active if you don’t want it, though. You can turn it off, but first, you’ll need to add it to the Control Center.
- Go to Settings, then Control Center.
- Go to Customize Controls.
- Tap the green plus sign you’ll see next to Do Not Disturb While Driving. This gives you access to the feature from the Control Center from that point forward.
Now, you can swipe up from the bottom of the screen to pull up the Control Center, and you should see an icon that looks like a car. Tap it to disable the feature, and you should be able to get calls now when you’re in the car instead of them going to voicemail.
Of course, you shouldn’t take calls when you’re driving anyway, since they can distract you and cause an accident.
Maybe the Announce Calls Setting is Making Your Calls Go to Voicemail
A few iPhone users also report that with some versions of iOS, calls might go straight to voicemail because of a glitch in the Announce Calls setting.
- Go to Settings, then Phone.
- Go to Announce Calls, and tap where it says Always. That might prove to be the solution.
Maybe It’s a Carrier Settings Issue
If you’ve tried everything that we’ve mentioned and your calls are still going directly to voicemail, then the problem might have something to do with your carrier settings being out of date.
The carrier settings are vital. They allow your iPhone to safely connect to the carrier’s wireless network.
If they’re out of date, then your phone may have trouble connecting to that network. Your calls going straight to voicemail could be an indirect result of that.
- Open the Settings app, then hit General.
- Hit About, and then look for a notification indicating that an update is available. If there is one, it should say Carrier Settings Update. Tap Update and it should start automatically. It might take a couple of minutes, but once it’s done, the problem might be solved. Have someone call your phone so you can be sure.
You Might Need to Contact Your Carrier
If none of this has worked, then the next step might be to contact your carrier. Missed or dropped calls or calls going to voicemail may not have anything to do with your phone’s settings. Instead, the carrier and a service irregularity might be to blame.
If this is a persistent issue that they can’t seem to fix, then you might want to consider going with another carrier. If you live in a large city, then there should be multiple ones available. There is no reason to settle for subpar service.
Seek the Advice of the Geniuses
If all else has failed, then your final option is to head to an Apple Store with a Genius Bar to speak to one of the staff members. There might be a hardware issue that’s causing your troubles.
If the phone is still under warranty, then you should be able to get the problem fixed free of charge. You get a standard one-year warranty when you buy an Apple device brand-new, and it covers all hardware issues.
You might have also bought an extended warranty or an AppleCare+ plan. Either of those will probably cover this issue as well.
If the phone is no longer under warranty or an AppleCare+ plan, and the issue is expensive to fix, then you can decide whether it’s worth it to get the repairs done or get a new phone.
There are also sometimes third-party options that can do the repair work for cheaper. If you go this route, though, make sure to research the person or entity doing the repairs first. Some companies or individuals who do smartphone repairs have dubious reputations.
