Why does my phone go straight to voicemail?

Tech Insights in Your InboxSubscribe to our free newsletter and never miss out on what's happening in the tech world. Learn Tech Today, Lead Tomorrow.

When it comes to your phone, you want to be able to answer calls and respond quickly. After all, the number one reason for owning a phone is communication! If you find that you’re not receiving calls or texting often because your phone goes straight to voicemail, you may be wondering why.

It may seem like an odd problem, but if this happens more than once or twice with any frequency, you’re probably beginning to wonder what’s happening. We rely on our phones so much these days that we shouldn’t have to put up with any issues like this.

However, if the problem persists – whether it’s going straight to the voicemail or someone calling and hanging up before you answer – there could be an issue with your phone or network carrier. Keep reading for some troubleshooting tips that might help resolve the issue.

Summary

There could be a few reasons why your phone goes straight to voicemail.

  1. Your phone is turned off.
  2. You have Do Not Disturb mode or Airplane mode enabled.
  3. You have an active call-forwarding setting
  4. You have reached your monthly minutes limit.
  5. Your phone is out of the service area
  6. The person you're trying to call may have blocked your number, or you may have blocked their number.

Network Carrier Issues


One of the first things you’ll want to check is if there are any issues with your network carrier. If your phone is going straight to voicemail, it’s possible that the network is experiencing issues or some kind of outage preventing your phone from receiving calls.

If you’re using a cellular network for your service, you may have a signal strength issue, which could cause your phone not to receive calls. You may have poor service in your area or be too far from any cell towers. If you’re using Wi-Fi for your service, there could be issues with your network, including a poor Wi-Fi connection or issues with your router.

Check your Network Settings


Another thing to check is your network settings. This includes your emergency call settings and call forwarding settings. If your call forwarding is enabled, your phone can go straight to voicemail because it’s being forwarded to another number.

Likewise, you may have accidentally selected “emergency calls only” as your setting. This may be causing your phone to go straight to voicemail because it cannot make calls. If you’ve recently changed your network settings, they may be set incorrectly. You may want to double-check your settings to make sure they are correct.

Check your Storage Settings


If you’ve recently downloaded a bunch of new apps or have a ton of photos on your phone, it’s possible that your storage is full and your phone is going straight to voicemail because it doesn’t have enough room on the device to store voicemails.

If you find that this is the case, you may want to clear out some space on your phone. You can do this by clearing out old photos, deleting apps you don’t use anymore, and uninstalling apps that you don’t use but are taking up space on your phone.

Software Update Issues


If you recently downloaded an app that required a software update and didn’t install it, your phone may go straight to voicemail because it’s waiting for the update to be completed. If this is the case, you may want to check your phone’s settings to see if you can turn off the automatic app updates so the update is completed.

If you recently updated your phone’s software and it went wrong, it may be that your phone is going straight to voicemail because it is waiting for a fix to be released. If this is the case, you may have to wait for a software update to be released by your network carrier or manufacturer.

Phone Rebooting on Its Own


If your phone is going straight to voicemail and rebooting on its own, there could be several things causing this. One of the most common issues with phones nowadays is a glitch with the operating system.

You may want to update your phone's software if you know that a software update is available. If your phone is overheating, there may be a glitch in the operating system causing it to reboot. In this case, you may want your phone to cool down so it can stop rebooting.

Equipment Issues


If the issue with your phone going straight to voicemail is persistent, there may be an issue with your phone’s external equipment. For example, if you use a hands-free device in your car, it may be broken and not connect properly to your phone. If your phone makes strange noises, you may have a faulty speaker. If you are having issues with charging your phone or your phone is freezing up, it could be an issue with your battery.

Conclusion


Phones are a crucial part of our daily lives, so checking to see if everything is working correctly is important. If your phone goes straight to voicemail, you can check a few different things to ensure there isn’t an issue with your phone.

Once you’ve identified the issue, you can work to fix it so you can start answering calls again! If you've read this article and are wondering whether your phone is broken, don't worry. These are just a few possible reasons your phone might go straight to voicemail.

Be sure to follow us

Join our newsletter

Subscribe to our newsletter and never miss out on what's happening in the tech world. It's that simple.
subsc
Be sure to follow us

Join our newsletter

Subscribe to our newsletter and never miss out on what's happening in the tech world. It's that simple.
subsc

Protect your online privacy with our trusted partner:

Surfshark VPN ($1.99/mo + 4 FREE months)

30-day money-back guarantee