Phone rings 3 times then goes to voicemail

"How do I change my voicemail settings on an iPhone" is a question we often get asked on Macworld. Especially how do I stop my iPhone from going to voicemail after just three rings.

There seems to be no settings for voicemail on the iPhone itself, and this is because your voicemail isn't controlled by the iPhone itself, but by your network provider. You have to adjust these settings by dialling your network and using a phone option.

First of all there are two things you can check if you're having problems receiving calls.

Ensure that Settings > Do Not Disturb is currently set to "Off." If it set to "On" then people have to call you twice within three minutes for the call to come through.Go to Settings > General > Reset and ? Reset Network Settings. This will ensure that you have the right settings for your network.

Whether you can change the length of time that the phone rings before going to Voicemail depends on the network provider. Some, like Vodafone, enable you to change this using their automated system. Others require you to call up, or the amount is fixed.

See: Hands on with iOS 6: Settings

Change the voicemail ring time on Vodafone

Vodafone, for example enables you to length of time a phone rings before going to voicemail. According to the Vodafone instructions:

Enter **61*121*11*[Number of seconds]#

Then enter the number of seconds you'd like your phone to ring for (it has to be between 5 and 30 in a multiple of 5), followed by #.

For example, if you want to set if for 25 seconds, you'd enter **61*121*11*25#, then press call.

Vodafone will send you a text letting you know if this has worked.

Turning voicemail on/off with Three

To adjust voicemail settings (including turning voicemail on or off) you need to call three on 333.

To turn off VoiceMail on the Three network dial "333" and tap the "Keypad" in the Phone app. Press the the following buttons

212311

You should get a text from Three stating that you have succesfully turned off voicemail. To turn it on again go through the steps but change the last entry to "2".

Turn Voicemail on/off with O2

O2 has a direct line to turning voicemail on and off. Just dial the following numbers direct from your phone.,

Turn voicemail off: 1210 Turn voicemail on: 1750

See also:

Visual Voicemail on iPhone 5 now available for 4G EE customers

O2 Users hit by Internet, MMS and Visual Voicemail loss

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Tags iPadsmartphonestabletsiPhonehardware systemsconsumer electronicsmacworld

My phones are only ringing three times before going to voicemail - can this be extended to seven or eight rings?

  • If you are using the System Voicemail box then you need to extend the System Voicemail box delay timer.
  • If you are using Extension or Group Mailboxes then you need to change the Divert on No Answer Timer

For full details see page 96 of the BT Versatility Owner’s Manual, below:

Phone rings 3 times then goes to voicemail
   BT Versatility Owners Manual (PDF, 665KB)

You will need Adobe Reader to view PDF documents.

Updated 22/07/2020

Can I decide how many rings before the caller goes to voicemail? If this a phone setting? Also, am I able to disable call waiting for my phone?

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4 Replies 4

yes, this can be changed thru the service parameters for all phones or per line at the line config page. a ring means about 4 seconds so just do the math.

if you do not want call waiting change the busy trigger to 1 on the line.

HTH

java

if this helps, please rate

HTH

java

if this helps, please rate

Phone rings 3 times then goes to voicemail

Hi Michael,

If you are using Callmanager (later than CCM 4.1) you can change the number of rings before FNA to voicemail using this setting

(under>Device>Phone>Directory Number Configuration)

No Answer Ring Duration (seconds)

If you want to change this "system wide" let me know as this can be adjusted as well.

To disable Call Waiting for the phone change the Busy Trigger to 1

(under>Device>Phone>Directory Number Configuration)

Hope this helps!

Rob

So this cannot be set using the IP phone? It sounds like it has to be set using some software called CallManager. If so, I'll have to talk to our IT guy.

ohhh your question was how to set it on the ip phone???? no way to do that, has to be done on callmanager

HTH

java

if this helps, please rate

HTH

java

if this helps, please rate

Phone rings 3 times then goes to voicemail

Phone rings 3 times then goes to voicemail

Customers Also Viewed These Support Documents

Why does my call end after 3 rings?

The call is probably being ended by the provider's side. You can run a capture from the Activity Log page and make a call and let it ring until the timeout. Then you can look at the capture and see whether the provider is ending the call (most likely the case).

How many times does a phone ring if you are blocked?

If you're blocked, you would only hear a single ring before being diverted to voicemail. An unusual ring pattern doesn't necessarily mean your number is blocked. It may just mean the person is talking to someone else at the same time you're calling, has the phone off or sent the call directly to voicemail.

What does it mean when it goes to voicemail after a few rings?

The phone might ring twice before going to the Voicemail if the Wi-Fi calling or another Wi-Fi-based application is interfering with the phone's call modules as many modern applications like Hangouts try to take up the call (if configured). In such a case, disabling the Wi-Fi calling or Wi-Fi may solve the problem.

Why does my iPhone go to voicemail after three rings?

Ensure that Settings > Do Not Disturb is currently set to "Off." If it set to "On" then people have to call you twice within three minutes for the call to come through.