Why Is My iPhone Going Straight to Voicemail?

Is your iPhone going straight to voicemail? It can be frustrating when people can't get ahold of you. There are many reasons your iPhone may be going straight to voicemail. Luckily, most of them are easy to fix. This wikiHow article teaches you why your iPhone may be going straight to voicemail and how to fix it.

Common Reasons Calls Go to Voicemail on iPhone

Calls will go straight to voicemail if you have no service or have Airplane Mode turned on.
Calls may go straight to voicemail if you have Do Not Disturb mode turned on, or your calls are silenced.
You may also need to update your iPhone or carrier settings.

Section 1 of 8:

No Service

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Calls may go straight to voicemail if you have no service. Not all areas have cellular coverage. If you are in an area where you are not getting cellular service, your calls may go straight to voicemail. Check the upper-left corner to see if you are getting cellular service.^{[1]
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Research source} If you are, you should see an icon with some step-shaped bars. If you don't see any bars or just a couple of bars, your calls may be going straight to voicemail.
- If you are in an area that doesn't have cellular service, the only fix is to move to an area that does have cellular service. If you are consistently not getting cellular service, you can try restarting your iPhone or ensuring your iPhone is fully charged.
- It's also possible your cellular settings aren't set up right. Contact your cellular provider for help setting up your cellular settings.
- If you have access to Wi-Fi and your carrier supports it, you may also be able to receive and make calls using Wi-Fi calling.

Section 2 of 8:

Airplane Mode Is On

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Calls will go straight to voicemail if Airplane Mode is turned on. Airplane Mode is designed to disable cellular, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth signals during a flight because they can interfere with commercial airline instruments. When Airplane Mode is engaged, you will not be able to receive calls and your calls will go straight to voicemail. Use the following steps to check and turn off Airplane Mode:^{[2]
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- Swipe down from the upper-right corner to display the Control Center.
- Check if the icon that resembles an airplane is orange (if it is grey, Airplane Mode is off).
- Tap the orange airplane icon to turn off Airplane Mode.

Section 3 of 8:

Do Not Disturb Is Enabled

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Calls will go straight to voicemail if your Focus mode is set to Do Not Disturb. Focus allows you to disable calls and notifications from certain apps during certain times so that you can focus more. If your Focus status is set to Do Not Disturb, calls will go straight to voicemail. Use the following steps to check your Focus status and turn it off:^{[3]
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- Swipe down from the top right side of the screen to open the Control Center.
- Look for the Do Not Disturb icon, which looks like a moon. If it’s purple and you see text that says Do Not Disturb On, tap the icon to turn it off.
- If you don’t have Do Not Disturb or another Focus mode turned on, you’ll see a grey icon that says Focus.
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You might have Do Not Disturb while driving enabled. Recent updates of iOS have added a new feature that will put your phone in Do Not Disturb mode while you are driving. If you’ve set up this feature, you can disable it using the following steps:^{[4]
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- To quickly deactivate this feature while driving, swipe down from the top right side of your screen to open the Control Center. Tap and hold Focus, then tap Driving to turn it off.
- To stop this feature from turning on automatically when you start driving, go to Settings > Focus > Driving. Scroll down and tap While Driving, then select Manually. Now this focus mode will only turn on if you activate it from the Control Center.

Section 4 of 8:

Announce Calls

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Make sure your iPhone is set to always announce calls. If your iPhone is not set to always announce calls, some of your calls may go straight to voicemail. Use the following steps to make sure your iPhone always announces your calls:^{[5]
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- Open the Settings app.
- Scroll down and tap Apps. Select the Phone app.
  - If you’re using iOS 17 or earlier, you’ll find Phone in the main Settings menu.
- Tap Announce Calls.
- Tap Always.

Section 5 of 8:

Silence Unknown Calls Turned On

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Make sure your iPhone is not set to silence unknown calls. Your iPhone has the ability to silence unknown callers. You can also download apps that block spam calls. While this spares you the irritation of receiving spam calls, sometimes this can block calls you want to take. Be sure to delete any apps that block spam calls and use the following steps to turn off the Silence Unknown Calls feature:^{[6]
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- Open the Settings app.
- Scroll down and tap Apps, then tap the Phone app.
  - In iOS 17 or earlier, you’ll find Phone in the main Settings menu.
- Tap Silence Unknown Callers.
- Tap the toggle switch next to "Silence Unknown Callers."

Section 6 of 8:

Ringer Not Turned Up

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Turn up your ringer volume so you can hear your calls. If you can’t hear your calls, your phone will ring (silently) a few times before sending your calls to voicemail. Use the following steps to make sure your phone ringer volume is turned up so you don’t miss your calls:^{[7]
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- Make sure the switch on the upper left side of your iPhone above the volume buttons is flipped to the right (toward the screen) so your phone isn’t in silent mode.
  - If it is in silent mode, the switch will be flipped left (toward the back of the phone), and you’ll see an orange stripe next to it.
- Next, open the Settings app.
- Tap Sounds or Sounds & Haptics.
- Drag the volume slider bar all the way up.
- Tap the toggle switch next to "Change with Buttons" to enable or disable the ability to change the volume of the ringer or notifications with the volume buttons.

Section 7 of 8:

Call Forwarding Turned On

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Turn off call forwarding to receive your calls. If you have call forwarding enabled, your calls will either be sent directly to voicemail or another phone number.^{[8]
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Research source} Use the following steps to disable call forwarding:
- Open the Settings app.
- Scroll down to Apps and tap the Phone app icon.
  - In iOS 17 or earlier, Phone is in the main Settings menu.
- Tap the toggle switch next to "Call Forwarding" to turn it off.

Section 8 of 8:

Update Your iPhone

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Update your phone and carrier settings. If your iPhone or carrier settings are out-of-date, you may not be receiving your calls. Use the following steps to update your iPhone:^{[9]
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- Open the Settings app.
- Tap General.
- Tap Software Update.
- Tap Download & Install if an update is available.
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Update your carrier settings. Use the following steps to update your carrier settings:^{[10]
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- Open the Settings app.
- Tap General.
- Tap About.
- If a carrier update is available, you’ll see a message about it in the About menu. Follow the on-screen instructions to update your carrier settings.