Ongoing issue with calls going straight to voicemail

For at least the last year and a half now, I have had an ongoing issue with phone calls going straight to voicemail but the phone never rings or shows a missed call. I have spent more hours than I can count trying to get help from tech support running all the diagnostic tests and it never goes anywhere, I had to create a voicemail message to let clients know to please leave a message or send a text so that I know they called.

I run two small businesses and this problem is causing real issues. I even traded in my S21 Ultra for an S23+ hoping that a new phone would be the answer but it wasn't, I still miss multiple calls a week. Do better Verizon!

Accepted answers

Scottksu

I had the exact same problem, and I finally got it resolved today. I called customer service (611) and spoke with a live representative. They told me there was a filter on my account that was sending certain calls directly to voicemail. I explained that I had the filter turned off on my end, but she said it also needed to be turned off on their side. The rep went ahead and turned it off, and also did a full reset of my line on their end.

I tested it with one of my customers whose calls always went straight to voicemail—and the test was successful. I was so happy! I’ve been dealing with this issue for months.

All comments

Verizon_Support

Partyplanner, let's figure out what's going on with those calls going straight to voicemail. Does this happen with all calls? Apart from your calls, how are your other services performing?

~Jesse

Partyplanner

It doesn't happen on every call but it happens multiple times a week, I had to change my voicemail message to include specific instructions so that clients don't think I am unresponsive. Other than this issue, the only other ongoing problem was with the visual voicemail but I had that removed from my account (twice now) and I just use the original voicemail to make sure I'm not missing those as well.

Verizon_Support

Thank you for those additional details, Partyplanner. We understand the importance of seeing what the options are to get this fixed. Is this occuring in multiple locations?

-Melissa

sisk77351

My husband's phone is doing the same thing. S22 and every call goes straight to voicemail. Which is awful for me because he works away. Nothing seems to fix the issue. He has tried every idea we could find online. It worked for about 5 days after he last updated but then went right back to it. His phone doesn't seem to automatically connect to his wifi at the apartment either. It only connects if he is directly on his phone. Once it goes to sleep mode it disconnects. I really believe the issue is somewhere in the software of sleep mode. Any suggestions on how to fix this?

ASJhome1

I have been experiencing an issue with making and receiving phone calls for 5-6weeks now. Called Verizon multiple times and have tried many things and each time was unsuccessfull! Went to Apple and they ran all diagnostics on my phone and found nothing wrong with it. They said it’s the carrier. I am running a business, dealing with phone calls all day long from clients and especially family members not going thru. Ready to move my loyalty to another provider. I am on autopay and never paid a bill late and have been with Verizon for over 10 years. When I’m on with a Verizon rep majority of the calls sound like they are outsourced to another country and hard to understand a rep. Very aggravating

HORRIBLE Experience

Verizon_Support

We're sorry to read about the issue with calls going to voicemail. We can help. Were any changes made to the device before this started happening? Is the device up to date on software? ~Peter

mlaws

Some people are reporting that their calls to me are going straight to voicemail. I have no record of any missed calls or voicemail on my phone, iPhone 13. This has been happening for quite some time. I also see this has been an issue on the discussion forums for years! There are no posted solutions for Verizon.

Verizon_Support

We understand the importance of being able to receive all of your calls. Be on the lookout for a private message so that we can assist.

-Joe

Emoses123

I also have the same issue.

SynthpopAddict

Is your signal strength weak and/or you're using a Verizon network extender in the area when you discovered you've missed calls and there are no notifications?

BizGuy202

I have been having the same issue for months now and took the same steps. It’s greatly impacting my business and day to day operations as more than not, my inbound calls are going straight to voicemail. Apple is blaming Verizon. Verizon says everything is fine on their end.

Verizon_Support

If calls are going directly to voicemail on a Verizon phone, it could be due to several reasons, including call forwarding, Do Not Disturb mode, or issues with your phone's settings or network connection.

Check the iPhone for Common Settings:
Silence Unknown Callers: Go to Settings > Phone > Silence Unknown Callers and make sure it's turned off.
Do Not Disturb: Access Control Center (swipe down from the top right corner), tap the Focus button, and ensure Do Not Disturb is disabled.
Call Forwarding: Go to Settings > Phone > Call Forwarding and make sure it's off.

Also make sure there is not call forwarding accidentally set up by dialing *73 to disable call forwarding.

Please let us know if you continue to have this issue with your inbound calls.

-Deb

MaryBeth7568

Verizon has been saying this for 2 years now and it does NOT solve the problem

During this time I have bought a new phone, I have reset network settings, silence unknown callers is OFF, call forwarding disabled, Do Not Disturb is turned OFF, I perform reset every week and called Verizon Support multiple times. The problem IS NOT RESOLVED. it interferes with my ability to respond to emergencies as a physician.

Verizon is not listening and yet they have the “best coverage map in the area I live in”. I don’t think the cost is worth the abysmal service.
-MaryBeth

MaryBeth7568

Verizon has been saying this for 2 years now and it does NOT solve the problem

Verizon is not listening and yet they have the “best coverage map in the area I live in”. I don’t think the cost is worth the abysmal service.

SynthpopAddict

Has anyone checked that VoLTE is enabled on their iPhone? (On Android, VoLTE is always on by default in Android 14 and later, but if you are running an older version of Android, go into your settings and make sure the toggle is on.)

For iPhone 14, 15, and 16, go to Settings > Cellular (or Mobile) Data > Cellular Data Options > Voice and Data > toggle on the VoLTE switch. Verizon still uses the 4G LTE part of the network for phone calls as far as I know, so if VoLTE isn't on, then your calls don't work. I discovered this purely by accident back when my phone was still running Android 13 and it used to have the switch to turn it off..."Hey, 5G all the time, yay!"..."Oh, phone can't be used as a phone anymore!"

Also, if your iPhone is set to ONLY use 5G, change the band setting to something where it can utilize 4G LTE. There is some new band setting which is on by default in Verizon phones at least, and I'm not sure how that one works. Would suggest using "5G Auto" if you have 5G in your area so the phone will pick from the best spectrum to use and go to LTE for calls. If you don't have 5G at all in your neck of the woods, set your iPhone to "LTE".

Verizon_Support

We tried reaching you via Private Message so we could troubleshoot your voicemail issue. To fully troubleshoot this problem, we’ll need to access your account, which we do in Private Message. Please contact us if you still need assistance.

-John

SyndicateOps

Has anyone actually found a way to resolve this? As with many of you I own a small business and this issue is now starting to effect customer relationships and I'm at my wits end. I've been a Verizon customer for well over a decade but now I'm being forced to look into switching carriers. The response which seems to be common of "Just restart your phone and the problem will be fixed" is incredibly tone deaf and not feasible for long term business operations. I'm incredibly disappointed in the quality of what Verizon's customer service has become.

SynthpopAddict

Someone who did get this problem fixed reported it was a problem on Verizon's side where someone in tech support had to tweak or reset something on the backend or something with a tower. If updating your carrier settings and checking for software updates along with the more common stuff like doing a network reset hasn't solved your issue, then it is something with the network.

SyndicateOps

I've heard similar stories. I wen through that aspect with the customer support team and it seemed to fix the issue for a short period of time before it returned. Sadly I don't know how many more times I can go through the same hour worth of going back and forth with the support team to hear the same fix and be told that it will never happen again before the next day having the same issue return. Just really hopeful that there is a more meaningful fix.

SynthpopAddict

Have you been contacting Business Support, or the regular CS? The fix I had heard which worked for the other person was the tech had to reset something about a weak signal being sent to or from the tower for voice calls - it was not anything with the user's phone. You might have a better chance of getting someone in the US if you call Business Support during business hours, since this is concerning a business. Whatever it is needs to be escalated in any case, as the first level representatives haven't been able to find a solid resolution.

Verizon_Support

SyndicateOps Thank you for reaching out. We know how important it is to be able to get those calls and not have them go to voicemail. I will be sending you a PM to discuss this further.

-Harry

Verizon_Support

SyndicateOps We sent you a PM so we can further work on this with you.

-Harry

Sanchezam

Does this happen on WiFi with WiFi calling enabled? If so, it may be a symptom of an ongoing problem Verizon has with WiFi calling. In that case, you can try disabling IPv6 on your router to see if that helps. it has helped others as a temporary workaround.

More info here: https://community.verizon.com/t5/Apple/Wifi-Calling-Issue-on-IPv6/td-p/1803522

Scottksu

I tested it with one of my customers whose calls always went straight to voicemail—and the test was successful. I was so happy! I’ve been dealing with this issue for months.