iPhone not receiving calls? 10 fixes when calls go to voicemail

When friends say your phone “goes straight to voicemail”, the iPhone is usually doing exactly what a setting tells it to: silencing unknown numbers, forwarding calls, or holding everything during a Focus. Less often the problem is signal, your carrier or the SIM. Figure out who cannot reach you first, then work through the fixes in order, testing with a call after each one. Most people find the cause within the first four or five steps, without needing to call the carrier or visit a store.

Who can’t get through?

• Nobody: forwarding, Airplane Mode, a Focus, no service, or a carrier issue.
• Only unknown numbers: call screening or Silence Unknown Callers is doing its job.
• One specific person: they are blocked, or you have an old number saved for them.
• Only at certain times: a scheduled Focus, Downtime in Screen Time, or Sleep.
• Only at home or in one building: weak signal indoors; Wi-Fi Calling usually fixes it.

Why calls do not reach your iPhone

Call screening on iOS 26

On iOS 26, Screen Unknown Callers can answer unknown numbers for you and ask why they are calling before the phone rings, or silence them entirely. Callers who do not respond end up in voicemail, which looks like your phone never rang. If you expect calls from new numbers, such as for a job search, set it to Never in Settings › Apps › Phone › Screen Unknown Callers, or save the number first. See how to turn off call screening on iPhone.

Forwarding set on the carrier side

Call forwarding can also be set on your carrier account, where the iPhone setting does not show it. Conditional forwarding, which sends calls elsewhere when you are busy or unreachable, is a common leftover from an old phone or a voicemail app. On AT&T, T-Mobile and their prepaid brands, dial ##002# and press call to cancel all forwarding. On Verizon, dial *73 to turn off forwarding. Then check again in your carrier’s app, and restart the iPhone.

Let important people through a Focus

If you use Do Not Disturb or Sleep every night, you can still make sure family gets through. In Settings › Focus, choose the Focus, tap People and add the contacts who may call. Turn on Allow Repeated Calls so anyone calling twice within three minutes rings through. For one or two people who must always reach you, open their contact, tap Edit › Ringtone and turn on Emergency Bypass, which lets their calls ring even when the phone is silenced or in a Focus.

Check your missed calls

Open Phone › Recents and look at Missed. If the calls people describe appear there, they reached your iPhone and something silenced them, such as a Focus, a silenced unknown caller or a muted ringer. If they do not appear at all, the calls never reached the phone, which points to forwarding, blocking, signal or the carrier. That single check tells you exactly which half of this guide to focus on. For calls that arrive but make no sound, see why an iPhone is not ringing.

Screen Time and Communication Limits

On a child’s iPhone, or if you set up Screen Time on your own, Communication Limits can allow calls only from contacts, and Downtime can limit calls to selected people at certain hours. Check Settings › Screen Time › Communication Limits and Downtime. Emergency numbers always work, whatever these limits are set to.

Calls answered by another device

• Your Mac or iPad may ring and answer calls through Calls on Other Devices, in Settings › Apps › Phone. Turn it off for any device you do not want ringing.
• An Apple Watch can answer or decline a call with a tap or a hand over the screen.
• Your car’s Bluetooth may auto-answer or take calls when the phone is nearby, even with the car off; turn Bluetooth off to test.
• Some apps, such as Google Voice, can route calls to their own voicemail.

Voicemail picks up too fast

If the phone rings once and then goes to voicemail, the ring time set by your carrier may be short, or signal is weak and the network gives up quickly. Most US carriers let you lengthen the ring time. See how to change the number of rings before voicemail.

Signal, 5G and voice over LTE

Calls on US networks now travel over LTE or 5G, since the old 3G networks were shut down. In Settings › Cellular › Cellular Data Options › Voice & Data, try switching between 5G Auto and LTE to see if calls improve, and make sure Voice & Data or VoLTE options are on if your carrier shows them. In buildings with poor reception, turn on Wi-Fi Calling so calls come in over your home Wi-Fi. If the status bar shows SOS or No Service, see why a phone says SOS only.

Calls fail only when you use data or Wi-Fi Calling

If incoming calls fail only at home on Wi-Fi Calling, turn Wi-Fi Calling off for a day to compare, then back on. Make sure your emergency address is set in Settings › Apps › Phone › Wi-Fi Calling, since carriers require it before Wi-Fi Calling works fully. A router that blocks certain internet ports can also stop Wi-Fi calls; restarting the router or updating its firmware often helps. See how Wi-Fi Calling works on iPhone. On the other hand, if calls fail only while you are using mobile data heavily, such as streaming or hotspot, it may be a network limitation in your area; your carrier can check the coverage where you live.

Keep a simple note of where and when calls fail. Carriers can investigate a specific location and time far more easily than a general complaint.

SIM, eSIM and hardware

If nothing above helps, the SIM or eSIM may be the problem. On iPhones with a SIM tray, take the SIM out, check it for damage, and put it back. With eSIM, your carrier can delete and reissue it from their app or a store. A hardware fault that blocks only incoming calls is rare, but after a drop or water damage, have the phone checked by Apple or an authorized repair shop.

After switching carriers or phones

Right after a number transfer, incoming calls can fail for a short time while the port completes, even when outgoing calls work. Restart the iPhone once the new line shows in Settings › Cellular. If calls from some people still fail after a day, ask the new carrier to confirm the port finished and that your line is fully provisioned for calling.