Android Phone Going Straight To Voicemail? Try This - Screen Rant

People like Android phones for their overall flexibility and versatile functionality, so it can be pretty infuriating when simple tasks such as receiving calls do not work for some reason. Incoming calls going straight to voicemail is a pretty common problem for many mobile users, as evidenced by the number of requests for help in Google's Android Help community forum. Trying to diagnose the issue will take a thorough investigation of the phone's many settings.

Having an Android phone on 'Do Not Disturb' (DND) mode to avoid distracting notifications is probably the most common reason why calls would inexplicably go straight to voicemail. To modify DND preferences, launch the phone's Settings app. Tap 'Sound & vibration' and hit 'Do Not Disturb.' Where it asks what interruptions to allow through DND, tap 'People' and make sure 'Calls' are allowed for at least 'Contacts only.' Additionally, users can disable DND altogether by switching the 'Do Not Disturb' toggle off in the Settings app or swiping down on the phone screen and turning off the DND button (circle with a dash in the middle) through the Control Center.

Related: Android Text Messages: What Do The Single & Double Check Marks Mean?

Disable Airplane Mode & Call Forwarding

Another pesky setting that can make calls go straight to voicemail on Android is Airplane mode. When Airplane mode is enabled, all wireless communication with the device – both cellular and Wi-Fi – are shut off. To check if Airplane mode is enabled, swipe down from the top of the phone's screen and make sure the airplane icon isn't blue. If it is, tap it to turn Airplane mode off.

The next thing to check is whether the phone has call forwarding enabled to reduce spam calls. If the mobile carrier supports this feature, disable it by launching the phone's dial pad. Next, tap on 'Menu' (three-dot or three horizontal lines icon), then choose 'Settings.' Hit 'Call forwarding settings' under the primary SIM card and ensure 'Always forward' is disabled. Feel free to disable the other options to ensure no calls are forwarded elsewhere.

Check For Blocked Numbers

Calls from blocked phone numbers may go straight to voicemail, so check if any important contacts got accidentally added to the block list by firing up the Phone app and tapping 'More' (three-dot icon). Hit 'Settings' then select 'Blocked numbers.' Tap the X next to the number to unblock, then hit 'Unblock.' While here, it's also worth checking if the setting to block unknown numbers is enabled. This blocks any calls from private or unidentified numbers (phone numbers not saved in contacts will still be able to get through). To disable this, turn off 'Unknown' in the 'Blocked numbers' menu.

Another thing to ensure is that the phone doesn't have call barring enabled. In the Phone app's 'Settings' menu, tap 'Calling accounts' and choose the active mobile provider. Expand the menu under the active SIM (if dual SIM is being used), hit 'Call barring,' and make sure all options are deactivated.

If none of these work, there are some last-ditch effort fixes users can go through, like shutting down and restarting the Android phone, switching Bluetooth connectivity off and on again, or taking out and reinserting the SIM card. Users can also reach out through Google Help to ask experienced Android users for assistance. Finally, when all else fails, contact the Android phone's cellular provider and find out if they can fix the issue on their end or replace the SIM card if it is defective.

Android Voicemail Tips & Tricks

Once voicemail is up and running normally, there are some tips and tricks which can make it easier for Android users to view and manage their voice messages. By enabling a feature called Visual Voicemail, Android users can view all their voicemails as a list in Google's Phone app. Visual Voicemail is available only on some carriers, which include AT&T, Google Fi, and T-Mobile, among others. To turn on Visual Voicemail, open the Phone app, tap on 'More' (three dots), then 'Settings'. Tap on 'Voicemail', and turn on 'Visual Voicemail'. Users can now open the Phone app and tap on the 'Voicemail' icon to view a list of the voicemails they've received.

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On select carriers and devices, users can also view a transcription of their voicemail. These include Tracfone, Verizon's Visible, and T-Mobile (only for Pixel devices). Transcription is only available in English and Spanish, and requires an Android phone to be running Android 8.0 or higher. To turn on transcription, open the Phone app, tap on 'More' (three-dot button), and then tap 'Settings'. Select 'Voicemail' and turn on 'Voicemail transcription'. Users can also tap on the 'Share' button to share the transcribed version with a contact. In case the transcription option isn't visible in settings, make sure Visual Voicemail is enabled on the Android phone.

Source: Google Support 1, 2