Why do my calls go straight to voicemail without ringing?

The most common cause is call forwarding left switched on — every call routes away and the phone never rings. Dial *73 to cancel it. Other causes are Do Not Disturb, a 'silence unknown callers' setting, a blocked number, no signal or Airplane Mode, or a full voicemail box.

How do I stop calls from going straight to voicemail?

Work down the list: dial *73 to clear any call forwarding, turn off Do Not Disturb / Focus, turn off 'Silence Unknown Callers', check the number isn't blocked, confirm Airplane Mode is off and you have signal, then restart the phone. One of those fixes it in the large majority of cases.

Why does only one person go straight to voicemail?

If a single number always goes to voicemail while others ring normally, that number is almost certainly on your block list. Check Settings → Phone → Blocked Contacts (iPhone) or the Phone app's Blocked numbers list (Android) and remove it.

Does Do Not Disturb send calls to voicemail?

Yes. Do Not Disturb and Focus modes silence incoming calls and send them to voicemail without ringing. Check the moon icon in Control Center (iPhone) or Settings → Sound → Do Not Disturb (Android), and remember a scheduled Focus can turn it on automatically.

How do I know if call forwarding is causing it?

On a GSM phone, dial *#21# — it shows whether unconditional forwarding is registered and to what number. On any phone, dial *73 to cancel forwarding, then have someone call you; if it rings now, forwarding was the cause.

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Why is my phone going straight to voicemail?

When calls skip the ring and drop straight into voicemail, it's almost always one of seven settings — and the most common one is call forwarding you forgot was on. Work down this list in order.

If your phone goes straight to voicemail without ringing, the phone is doing exactly what some setting told it to — it's rarely a broken phone. The seven causes below are ordered from most to least common. Start at the top: call forwarding left switched on is the single biggest reason, and it's a ten-second fix.

1. Call forwarding is still switched on

This is the number-one cause. If you (or an app, or a carrier setting) turned on unconditional call forwarding, every call routes to the forwarding destination and your phone never rings — it looks identical to going straight to voicemail.

The fix is one code: dial *73 to cancel forwarding, then wait for the confirmation tone. On an iPhone you can also check Settings → Phone → Call Forwarding and switch it off; on Android, open the Phone app → menu → Call forwarding and turn off Always forward. See how to turn off call forwarding for the per-device steps.

2. Do Not Disturb (or a Focus mode) is on

Do Not Disturb silences incoming calls and sends them to voicemail without ringing. On iPhone it's in Settings → Focus → Do Not Disturb (and check the moon icon in Control Center); on Android it's in Settings → Sound → Do Not Disturb. A scheduled Focus or a 'bedtime' schedule can switch it on automatically, so check the schedule, not just the current state. If DND is the culprit, allowing calls from your contacts or favorites is usually enough to let real callers through.

3. Unknown or silenced callers are being screened

Both iPhone and Android have a setting that silences calls from numbers not in your contacts. On iPhone it's Settings → Phone → Silence Unknown Callers; on Android (Phone app → Settings → Blocked numbers / Caller ID & spam) an equivalent filter can route unknown or suspected-spam calls straight to voicemail. Great for cutting spam, but it also silences new customers, delivery drivers, and anyone calling from a number you haven't saved. Turn it off if you're missing legitimate calls.

4. The number is blocked

If only one specific person goes straight to voicemail, you've probably blocked that number. Blocked calls never ring — they go straight to voicemail (or are rejected outright). Check your block list: iPhone at Settings → Phone → Blocked Contacts, Android in the Phone app under Settings → Blocked numbers. Remove the number to let it ring through again.

5. No signal, Airplane Mode, or the phone is off

If the phone can't reach the network — Airplane Mode on, no coverage, or powered off — calls go straight to voicemail because there's nothing to ring. Swipe into Control Center (or the notification shade) and confirm Airplane Mode is off, check you have bars, and toggle Airplane Mode on and off once to force the phone to re-register with the network. A quick restart fixes a surprising share of 'straight to voicemail' cases for this reason.

6. The voicemail box is full or misconfigured

Less common, but if callers report reaching a full or dead mailbox, the issue is on the voicemail side rather than the ring. Call your own number from another phone to hear what callers hear, delete old messages to free space, and if the greeting is missing or the box was never set up, walk through how to set up voicemail.

7. A carrier-side or SIM issue

If you've ruled out everything above, the problem may be on the carrier's side — a provisioning glitch, a SIM that's lost registration, or conditional forwarding set at the network level. Re-seat the SIM, restart the phone, and if it persists call your carrier and ask them to check for call forwarding or 'do not disturb' flags on the account itself. Dialing *#21# (GSM phones) shows whether any forwarding is registered at the network level.

FAQ

Why do my calls go straight to voicemail without ringing?: The most common cause is call forwarding left switched on — every call routes away and the phone never rings. Dial *73 to cancel it. Other causes are Do Not Disturb, a 'silence unknown callers' setting, a blocked number, no signal or Airplane Mode, or a full voicemail box.
How do I stop calls from going straight to voicemail?: Work down the list: dial *73 to clear any call forwarding, turn off Do Not Disturb / Focus, turn off 'Silence Unknown Callers', check the number isn't blocked, confirm Airplane Mode is off and you have signal, then restart the phone. One of those fixes it in the large majority of cases.
Why does only one person go straight to voicemail?: If a single number always goes to voicemail while others ring normally, that number is almost certainly on your block list. Check Settings → Phone → Blocked Contacts (iPhone) or the Phone app's Blocked numbers list (Android) and remove it.
Does Do Not Disturb send calls to voicemail?: Yes. Do Not Disturb and Focus modes silence incoming calls and send them to voicemail without ringing. Check the moon icon in Control Center (iPhone) or Settings → Sound → Do Not Disturb (Android), and remember a scheduled Focus can turn it on automatically.
How do I know if call forwarding is causing it?: On a GSM phone, dial *#21# — it shows whether unconditional forwarding is registered and to what number. On any phone, dial *73 to cancel forwarding, then have someone call you; if it rings now, forwarding was the cause.

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