There are times when you’re trying to reach someone and each time you try to call them, the call doesn’t ring and it may seem like your calls are no longer working.
If you’ve tested this out, you may have also noticed that calls to other people seem to go through, but when it’s to this one person, it doesn’t go through.
Obviously, when your outgoing calls aren’t even working, then you can conclude that there might be a problem. When your outgoing calls aren’t ringing, there are so many things it could be put down to.
What Does it Mean When You Call Someone and it Doesn’t Ring at All?
This usually means you or either them has no service. Another common reason is a glitch that stops your call from ringing. If you call them again, it should work.
Why Are My Outgoing Calls Not Ringing?
Are you try making calls, and all outgoing calls do not ring? We know there are several reasons for this. Although many people will always think there is not enough airtime to make the call, many other reasons may lead to this situation.
When you do not know or cannot point to the real problem, the situation becomes extremely frustrating.
Here are some of the reasons why your outgoing calls are not ringing.
1. No Service
When your outgoing calls don’t ring, chances are the person you’re trying to reach has no service. If a phone has no service, it can’t connect to its carrier therefore you’re not going to be able to reach them which is why your calls to them won’t ring.
If this is occurring when making calls to them using your mobile phone, then it likely means that the ringback tone doesn’t start until the network finds the phone you are calling.
If the person has no service, then you’re not going to hear the ringback tone until they find service. To test this, you could experiment with that by calling a phone in the same room and see when that phone starts ringing vs. when you hear the ringback tone.
If this is occurring when using a telephone or a landline, it usually indicates that your service has been interrupted or disconnected. Usually, a poorly serviced area or an unpaid phone bill for your landline is the main culprit.
2. Busy Line
If the line is busy, since the voice links between the exchanges are only used during a call, there will be fewer links than people trying to use.
Since your call has no valid voice path due to too many people are using the links, it will typically tell your exchange (on the signaling path) to wait. After a set amount of time, the request will time out which is why you’ll hear no ringing when making your outgoing call.
3. Blocked Service
If you have a new operator which has no track record from you, then you may not be able to dial certain overseas countries and i.e. satellite remotes due to the perceived risk involved for unpaid bills. This could make your calls to outgoing people not ringing.
4. Airplane Mode
If you’re on airplane mode, then any outgoing calls you make to people aren’t going to ring. Your phone needs service in order to make calls to others and if it can’t find this service, then the request your phone makes to the exchange is going to time out and your outgoing call will end automatically.
5. Their Phone is Dead
This is a straightforward reason. When making a call, the success of the call depends not only on your side but also on the receiving side.
If the person on the other side’s phone is dead, your call will not ring. In some cases, you may get a notification to inform you, and in other cases, you will not get any notification.
In many cases, it will give you a message that the person you are trying is unavailable at the moment.
6. They Haven’t Paid Their Phone Bill, or You Haven’t Paid Yours
When you make a call, and it does not ring, the problem can be with you or the recipient not paying the phone bill. When you do not pay your phone bill, your account builds arrears, and finally, the mobile provider will disconnect your phone. Upon disconnection, you will not be able to receive or make calls.
You may have paid your phone bills and are able to make and receive calls. However, the person you call may not have cleared their phone bills. This means their phone is disconnected, and they cannot receive calls.
In this case, when you try making a call, the phone does not ring at all.
7. They’ve Taken Out Their Sim/It’s Installed Incorrectly, or There’s An Issue With Your SIM
A SIM is responsible for making communication work through calls and text messages. If your SIM card is not installed correctly, then it will not function appropriately. This means it will not make or receive calls.
This applies to the receiving end. The recipient may have removed their SIM or installed it incorrectly. For this type of case, there is no way of knowing exactly what the problem might be. If the SIM is wrongly installed or removed, the number will be detected as switched off.
Another case is if the SIM has a problem. Finally, there are cases where a SIM may be well installed in a phone and still have a problem. This may be a network problem or any other technical problem that will not allow the SIM owner to receive calls. For such cases, only the SIM provider can fix the problem.
8. They’re on DND
DND also means (Do Not Disturb). It is a mode available on smartphones. One can activate DND when they do not want to be disturbed or receive calls on specific occasions.
For example, if someone is in a meeting or event, watching a movie, or sleeping, among other things, they can activate the DND mode to avoid any disturbance from calls or messages.
When calling a person on DND, two things may happen. One of them is that the phone will not ring at all. Another case is if the user has activated a mailbox option, you will be redirected there.
9. Your Phone is on AirPlane Mode
Airplane mode is another reason you may try to call someone, and the phone is not ringing. Airplane mode deactivates all wireless network functions of your phone. By doing so, you cannot make calls, send messages or even use the internet. If your phone is on airplane mode, then it will not ring.
Is it possible for your phone to be on airplane mode without your knowledge?
If you are not keen on your phone’s behavior and operation, it is possible to turn the airplane mode without knowing. Unfortunately, this means you will not be able to make calls.
Many smartphones will have an airplane mode activation button on the quick access menu provided when you drop down the notification bar on the top of the screen. This is a quick access button to activate or deactivate airplane mode. A person can tap this button without knowing.
10. You Have No Service
This is a common reason for making a call and not ringing. Network service is not guaranteed all the time, and everywhere you go. In some cases, you can be in a location with poor network coverage hence no service. For such, then your call will not ring.
Outgoing Call Doesn’t Ring For One Person?
In some cases, you will try calling a person, and the call does not ring; however, it rings when you try other contacts. This means that the problem is not with your phone but that specific receiver. For the receiver, that can be caused by any of the above-discussed causes.
Outgoing Calls Not Ringing? Here’s What to Do
When your outgoing calls do not ring, you have an option of changing that if you identify the problem. Here are things to do to fix the situation.
1. Ask Them to Take Their Phone off Airplane Mode
If you want to call a person and their call does not ring, one reason may be that their phone is on airplane mode. The solution is to ask them to take their phone off airplane mode.
To do this, you have to find an alternative method of communicating with them. One of the ways to do this is by contacting them through social media, which can be Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or any other preferred method.
However, for social media, they must be close to their computer to access such services since airplane mode does not allow the use of the internet.
You can also use a person near them to pass the message in case they are not reachable on social media.
2. Turn Off Airplane Mode on Android
1. Make sure the phone is on the home screen.
2. Using two fingers, scroll the screen down to access a short drop-down menu.
3. You will see an airplane mode “airplane” icon.
4. Tap the icon to deactivate the airplane mode.
Turn off Airplane mode on iPhone
1. Get to the home screen.
2. Scroll either up from the screen bottom or down from the top.
3. You will get a short menu with an airplane mode “airplane” icon.
4. If the airplane mode is on, the icon will be in yellow.
5. Tap the icon to turn off the mode.
6. The icon will turn hue.
3. Ask Them to Pay Their Phone Bill
If the call recipient has not paid their phone bill, the call will not ring. To find out this, rule out all other reasons.
You have to find a way of communicating with them to rule out all other reasons. In these cases, it is easy for the phone user to know whether they have not paid their phone bill since many mobile providers send notifications when a person has not cleared their phone bill.
Until they have paid their bill, you will not be able to make calls to that specific phone.
4. Ask Them to Check Their SIM
In many cases, the problem with the SIM can be challenging to know. First, however, ask them to check their SIM if they have paid their bills, have service, are not on airplane mode, or are on DND.
They can start by checking that the SIM is installed correctly. If the SIM is removed or not installed properly, it will not be visible on the phone. It will also not be able to make simple dial actions.
They can remove the SIM and re-install it properly. However, in case this does not work, one has to contact their SIM provider to fix the problem.
5. Ask Them If They’re on DND
If someone is on DND, they do not want to be disturbed. One way to fix this situation is by contacting them on a different platform and inquiring if they are on DND. For example, you can use social media or contact someone close to them.
The outcome is that they do not want to be disturbed, and they may choose to remain like that until they are done with what they are doing.
However, they may be on DND and not know. This is where a person forgets that they are on DND.
To turn off DND on android phones:
1. Go to your phone “Settings.”
2. Scroll and click on “Sound & Vibration.”
3. On the “Sound & Vibration” screen, you will see “Do Not Disturb.”
4. lick the “Turn off” option to turn it off.
NB: In some phones, you will find a toggle to move on or off.
If you are using a Samsung phone:
1. Go to your phone “Settings.”
2. Scroll and click on “Notifications.”
3. Scroll to the bottom of the “Notification” screen to find the “Do not disturb” option.
4. Tap on “Do not Disturb” to open its menu.
5. You will then find a toggle to turn off DND.
Turn off DND on iPhones:
1. Visit the home screen and open Settings.
2. Tap “Do Not Disturb”
3. You will get a switch to turn off DND
6. Go Into a Better Area with Service, So Should You
It is a situation where you are in an area with poor network service. Try moving from one point to another to get the place with the strong network coverage. It is advisable to move to high grounds or away from buildings for strong service.
This is because the mobile phone network is wireless and is usually affected by obstacles in the way of passage.
7. Wait A Few Days/Hours Before Call Them Again
Once you cannot reach the person you were calling in any other way, such as social media or a person near them, and cannot make them make the changes advised above, this is the last option.
You will have to wait for a few hours or days and call them again once they have addressed the problem.
Conclusion
The above-discussed factors revolve around why you are making calls and not ringing. Consider all the factors whenever you are faced with this problem. Remember, there could be any of them. Always check your phone before exploring other factors that may arise from the person you’re calling.