Why does my Android go straight to voicemail? 6 ways to restore your phone’s incoming call settings

• Incoming calls on your Android may go straight to voicemail for several reasons, including issues with your phone’s SIM card or its Bluetooth and Do Not Disturb settings. 
• There are five quick and easy ways you can troubleshoot when your calls are going straight to voicemail. 
• If none of these fixes work, you should reach out to your cellular service provider for assistance. 
• Visit Business Insider’s Tech Reference library for more stories.

Incoming calls on your Android phone inexplicably going straight to voicemail without ringing is a mundane — yet frustrating — issue. But there is an explanation and, more importantly, a way to fix it. 

While there could be several possible causes, almost all of them involve your phone’s settings, making it generally easy to troubleshoot. Among the handful of things that might automatically send your calls to voicemail is your phone’s Do Not Disturb mode, blocked numbers, call forwarding, Bluetooth connections, and your phone’s SIM card. 

Whether you accidentally activated any of these phone features or forgot you turned them on, don’t fret. Restoring your Android’s default settings to receive calls again can be a quick process.  

How to troubleshoot your Android when incoming calls go straight to voicemail

Here are five things to troubleshoot when your calls go straight to voicemail — and the one thing you should do when nothing else works. 

Turn off your Android’s Do Not Disturb mode

If your phone is set to “Do Not Disturb,” most or all of your phone calls will go directly to voicemail. So it’s worth checking to see if the phone has been accidentally put in that mode. 

1. Pull down your phone's Control Center by swiping down from the top of the screen. 

2. Check that the Do Not Disturb icon is not enabled. 

For more information, read our article "How to turn on and customize Do Not Disturb settings on your Android phone."

Remove a number from your blocked numbers list on Android

Are you using your phone's call blocking feature? It can come in handy to stop telemarketers and other unwanted calls, but you might be accidentally blocking phone numbers that you want to ring through. You can turn this off in your Android Phone app. 

1. Start the Phone app. 

2. Tap the three dots at the top of the screen. 

3. In the drop-down menu, choose "Settings." 

4. Select "Block numbers." 

5. Remove any phone numbers from the list you don't want to send to voicemail immediately. 

For more details, read our article "How to block a number on any Android phone to stop receiving unwanted calls."

Disable any call forwarding features

Not all Android phones support call forwarding, and it depends on your cellular provider, but you may be forwarding your calls directly to your voicemail or another number. Disabling any of your Android device's call forwarding features may resolve the issue. 

1. Start the Phone app.

2. Tap the three dots in the top left of the screen. 

3. Select "Settings" or "Call Settings."

4. Choose "Calls."

5. Tap "Call forwarding." 

6. Turn off any of the four listed options: "Always forward," "Forward when busy," "Forward when unanswered," and "Forward when unreached."

Turn your Bluetooth connection off 

Sometimes, your phone's Bluetooth connection can get confused and think it's connected to a device when, in fact, it's not. You might have experienced this when you turn off Bluetooth earbuds, and audio does not switch to the phone's speaker. Instead, all you hear is silence. Luckily, the remedy is simple. 

1. Pull down the Control Center by swiping down from the top of the screen. 

2. Tap the Bluetooth icon to turn it off completely. 

3. Wait a moment and then tap it again to turn it back on. 

Replace your Android phone's SIM card

Sometimes, a faulty or damaged SIM card can cause weird problems, and it's more likely to be the culprit if you remove and replace the SIM card often. In other words, the more you handle it, the more likely it's a problem. 

You can attempt to remove, reseat, and insert the SIM card to address the issue. But to be 100 percent sure it's the reason your calls are going straight to voicemail, you should contact your cellular provider and replace the card with a new version. You can request a new SIM card without changing your phone number or making any changes to your service. 

Check your coverage and talk to your cellular provider

If none of those simple fixes solved your problem, it's more likely that the problem is not with your Android handset but with your cellular service. 

Try looking at a coverage map from your provider to see if you have reliable service or test your service with another phone. If your coverage is very weak, incoming calls can go straight to voicemail. You can also try calling your cellular provider's customer service for additional troubleshooting support. 

Related coverage from Tech Reference:

• 'Why won't my Bluetooth device connect?': How to fix common Bluetooth connection issues

• How to block a number on any Android phone to stop receiving unwanted calls

• How to turn on and customize Do Not Disturb settings on your Android phone

• How to turn off Safe Mode on your Android phone or tablet in 2 ways

• 5 easy ways to free up storage space on an Android phone or tablet