You can end up missing important calls, if calls are going straight to the voicemail on your iPhone and they are not ringing or making your phone vibrate, when the ringer is switched off.
In general, the most common reason for calls going straight to voicemail is due to Do Not Disturb, Driving Mode or Airplane Mode being enabled on your iPhone.
In addition to this, the problem could also be due to a glitch or certain settings on your iPhone that are preventing the calls from ringing on your device and diverting them to the voicemail.
Prevent Calls From Going Directly to Voicemail on iPhone
The default setting on iPhone is to ring or vibrate, whenever anyone calls your device. If this is not happening, the problem could be due to your iPhone being in Focus Mode (Driving or Do Not Disturb) and other reasons.
1. Disable Airplane Mode
The problem could be due to your device being accidentally placed in Airplane Mode.
1. Open the Settings App on your iPhone.
2. On the Settings screen, make sure Airplane Mode is set to OFF position.
Once Airplane mode is disabled, you should find calls ringing on your device and not being directed to Voicemail.
2. Turn OFF Silence Unknown Callers
The Silence Unknown Callers feature on iPhone sends calls from people who are not in your Contacts List directly to the voicemail.
Such missed Calls show up in “Recents” tab on iPhone, which may lead you into believing that calls on your iPhone are going directly to the voicemail.
1. Go to Settings > Phone > Silence Unknown Callers.
2. On the next screen, disable Silence Unknown Callers by moving the slider to OFF position.
3. Disable Do Not Disturb Mode
The problem of calls going directly to the voicemail on iPhone could be due to your device being in Do Not Disturb Mode.
1. Go to Settings > Focus > Do Not Disturb.
2. On the Do Not Disturb screen, scroll down and tap on your current DND Schedule.
3. On the next screen, you can either disable the current DND schedule or select Delete Schedule option (if you are not using it).
4. Disable Driving Mode
In certain cases, iPhone can automatically switch to Driving Mode, even if you are not driving.
1. Go to Settings > Focus > Driving > scroll down and tap on While Driving.
2. On the next screen, select the Manually option.
This will prevent your device from automatically switching to Driving Mode and driving calls to voicemail.
5. Check Announce Calls Setting
Some users have reported fixing the problem by enabling “Always Announce Calls” option on their iPhone and disabling it later on.
1. Go to Settings > Phone > Announce Calls.
2. On the next screen, select the Always option.
Once the problem is fixed, try to disable this option and see if your iPhone is still sending calls directly to voicemail.
6. Install Updates
1. Go to Settings > General > About.
2. On the next screen, tap on Update Carrier settings (if an Update is available).
7. Contact Your Carrier
If the none of the above methods work, make a call to your service provider and report them the problem of calls going directly to the voicemail on your iPhone.
They should be able to help, if the issue is being caused due to a misconfiguration or a technical problem at their end.