iPhone goes straight to voicemail – try these 9 ways

Your iPhone goes straight to voicemail is a common error that every iPhone user may face. There is no ringing when someone calls you, but you have no problems calling them back. This is so irritating because you can take others’ calls immediately. Stay tuned, and follow these 9 methods Wapolabs recommend to fix the bugs at a glance. 

iPhone goes straight to voicemail without ringing

Usually, when you get a message or a call from somebody else, your phone is supposed to vibrate or ring. The signal helps you to pick up your phone and answer incoming calls. But sometimes the process is interrupted and your iPhone goes straight to Voicemail. 

This is due to several features or settings that you accidentally activate. Most of the time, enabling “Do Not Disturb” or the Airplane Mode is the reason for this error. It could be due to other reasons as your phone has no service, other focus modes or software conflict.

9 solutions for the problem   

To solve this problem, you should try the 9 ways below to solve iPhone goes straight to voicemail before sending your phone to any technical service center or support center.

iPhone goes straight to voicemail
iPhone goes straight to voicemail

Turn off “Do Not Disturb”

First solution for iPhone goes straight to voicemail, you should check whether the “Do Not Disturb” mode is turned on. This is a mode for users to focus on their work by muting all rings from phone calls, notifications from apps, and also alarms. You can still receive calls but there is no signal sent to you. Your iPhone does not ring, vibrate or light up and all calls will be sent straightly to voicemail. 

To fix the problem caused by this reason, you could follow these steps: 

  1. Go to Control Center, if the crescent moon icon is in color purple surrounded by the white circle, your iPhone is in “Do Not Disturb” mode. 
  2. You can turn it off by: 
    1. Toggle off the moon icon or, 
    2. Tap and hold the “Do Not Disturb” button, then change your phone to another mode.

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You can also go to Settings > Focus to check whether you have enabled the feature without knowing.

Turn off “Do Not Disturb”
Turn off “Do Not Disturb”

Check if your phone is in airplane mode

You may have forgotten to turn off Airplane Mode after a long trip and that’s why your iPhone goes straight to voicemail when receive phone call. Here is how to fix your problems with this way: 

  1. Go to Settings > Airplane Mode. If it is enabled, just turn it off by moving the toggle button to the left – Off position. 
  2. Go to Control Center > Turn off the Airplane Mode by tapping the Airplane icon. 
  3. If you still can not pick up anyone’s phone, repeat switching on and off the Airplane Mode a few times. 

After that, your iPhone now may not go straight to voicemail and can work properly again.

Turn off airplane mode
Turn off airplane mode

Delete all Focus options

Apart from “Do Not Disturb” mode, Focus options like “Do Not Disturb While Driving” and other customized options can prevent your iPhone from receiving calls. The DND mode while driving sometimes is automatically switched on by the system even when you are not really driving. 

This feature has been introduced since the iOS 11 version. You can turn it off by following this way: 

  1. For iOS 15 and above: 
    1. Open Control Center > Look for Focus button.
    2. If the Focus mode is switched on, turn it off by tapping on the toggle. 
  2. For iOS 14 version: 
    1. Go to Settings > Choose Do Not Disturb
    2. Tap Activate option under Do Not Disturb While Driving
    3. If the feature turns on, turn off the Automatically option. 
    4. You can also turn off “Do Not Disturb While Driving” mode by opening your iPhone and choosing “I’m Not Driving

Check cell phone signal

You cannot make or receive phone calls when your phone has no signal. This is also one of the main reasons resulting in your iPhone goes straight to voicemail without ringing. Maybe your phone is too far from a mobile phone mast, or it is lagging because you are in a closed room. 

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First, make sure that your iPhone is connected to the cellular network. It should have enough signal so you can receive your calls. You can check this by looking at the signal icon in the top of your screen. Combine this method with switching on and off Airplane mode for several times. Try to move somewhere that your signal mast icon is full. 

You should also try to restart your iPhone. This process helps refresh your iPhone and delete all temporary files or apps running in the background that may cause troubles connecting to cellular networks.

Check your phone signal
Check your phone signal

Turn on announce calls

When someone calls your iPhone, it goes straight to voicemail in some cases because you may accidentally disable the “Always Announce Calls” feature. Some users have experienced the problem and found out the solution by change the option to “Always”. 

Here’s how you do it: 

  1. Go to Settings> Choose Phone
  2. Look for Announce Calls > Tap Always.
  3. Now you can try to take a call again and check whether your iPhone still goes directly to voicemail. Repeat these steps if your phone is not completely fixed.

    Turn on announce calls
    Turn on announce calls

Check unknown silence callers

“Silence Unknown Callers” is a feature on the iPhone that prevents anyone who is not your contact from calling by sending them directly to Voicemail. This protects you from spam, harassment, advertising calls, or scams.

 If you aren’t getting calls from new people apart from those on your contact list, it may be because “Silence Unknown Callers” is turned on in your phone. To disable this, follow the guide below: 

  1. Go to Settings > Choose Phone. 
  2. Tap on “Silence Unknown Callers” option. 
  3. If this mode is turned on, you can disable this by toggling it off by moving the button to the left. 

These calls appear on the iPhone’s “Recents” tab, leading users to believe that calls made on their phone go directly to voicemail. When the problem is fixed, you can receive calls from unknown contact and they will not go straight to voicemail anymore.

Silence Unknown Callers
Silence Unknown Callers

Update iPhone iOS software

You can not receive calls because they go straight to Voicemail when your iPhone is having problems connecting to the Carriers Network. Outdated Carrier Network settings can be caused by not updating the latest iPhone iOS software version. 

Try to fix this with these steps: 

  1. Go to Settings > Choose General > The choose the option Software Update.
  2. You can see the notifications about latest update. Tap Download and Install or Install Now if there is any iOS update version. Make sure your phone is fully charged or has enough space for the update. 

Updating your iPhone iOS version frequently can fix lots of software bugs and make sure your phone works smoother. By doing so, you can pick up the call as usual.

Update iOS
Update iOS

Uninstall spam call blocking app

Spam blocking apps can be really useful if you are tired of receiving too many calls from unknown numbers. However, the app sometimes may not identify the calls that you actually need to receive. Depending on settings, it can automatically block those contacts and cause confusion for you. 

You should try to uninstall those blocking apps on your iPhone when needed. This simple method maybe can help you fix the problem.  

  1. Press and hold on the app in the homescreen. Wait until the quick action menu opens. 
  2. Tap the “” icon. A notification will pop out, then choose Remove App. 
  3. Now, tap the Delete App option -> Choose Delete.

The problem is now fixed, but if you still want to block unwanted calls, you should try other ways. Here ways to block,how to see blocked numbers on iPhone and how to see blocked messages on iPhone.

Restore factory settings

If those methods above do not work for you, you can restore your iPhone to factory settings. Remember to try this solution only when you have a backup version of your data. You do not want to lose it all just to check whether you can fix phone call settings. 

Follow the steps below guided by Apple Service Center: 

  1. Download iTunes on your PC or laptop. 
  2. Connect your iPhone to your computer.
  3. You can enter your passcode or choose the “Trust This Computer” option if needed. If you do not remember your passcode, choose “Get Help” and follow the steps to get it back. 
  4. Select your wanted device. It will appear on your PC screen. 
  5. Choose “Restore + the iPhone you need to fix. Sign out “Find My” before you click Restore.
  6. Choose “Restore” again to confirm.

Now your iPhone will erase to factory settings and automatically install the latest iOS, iPadOS, or iPod software. After that, it restarts and you can set up your phone again.

Restore factory settings with iTunes
Restore factory settings with iTunes

Conclusion        

Your iPhone goes straight to voicemail” is a common error but now you can fix it quickly and easily with the 9 methods above recommended by Wapolabs. Remember to send your phone to the nearest Apple Service Center or authorized and affiliated Technical Support Center to get it fixed when those solutions don’t work.

Tell us if they work for you or you have found out other useful ways to solve the problem!

 

Wapolabs USA

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