Calls not in contact book go straight to voicemail

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Level 1

7 points

Calls not in contact book go straight to voicemail

iPhone 11Pro - tried to follow Apple Support suggestions, but not all of the Apple things to try are available to me. Under "Call blocking & Identification" the only option on my phone is "business call identifcation" which has been turned on, but I just switched it to off in case that would help.

This is very random - some calls from callers not in my contacts list do come through and make my phone rings, but others go straight to voicemail.

Right now, I'm calling a bunch of vendors for a construction project, and being unable to receive and answer calls is very annoying, especially since some of them won't leave a voicemail.

Any tips would be appreciated - Again, the Apple Support instructions are not helpful or available to me.

I am also going to try searching Google/YouTube.

iPhone 11 Pro

Posted on Mar 5, 2025 6:18 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

lobsterghost1

Community+ 2025

Level 10

184,315 points

Mar 5, 2025 6:30 AM in response to merry249

You likely have Silence Unknown Callers turned on.

If you are on iOS 18: Settings > All the way at the bottom is Apps > Tap Apps, then Phone and turn off Silence Unknown Callers.

If you are not on iOS 18: Settings > Phone > Turn off Silence Unknown Callers.

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Answer 2

muguy

Level 10

91,184 points

Mar 5, 2025 6:36 AM in response to merry249

See Detect and block spam phone calls - Apple Support to turn off silence unknown callers

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Answer 3

Mar 5, 2025 6:56 AM in response to merry249

Just a possibility; T Mobile has something called spam blocker, but it doesn't catch everything. I think ATT has something similar. Might want to check your settings on your carrier account.

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Answer 4

Mar 5, 2025 6:51 AM in response to merry249

It's odd that Silence Unknown Callers is not turned on, but your phone appears to be doing just that.

Have you performed a Forced Restart recently? Try this --> Force restart iPhone - Apple Support (CA)

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Answer 5

Mar 5, 2025 6:31 AM in response to merry249

Hmmm. There is a setting in the Phone app to send callers not in your contact list straight to voice mail, but that doesn't explain why some are getting through.

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Answer 6

merry249 Author

Level 1

7 points

Mar 5, 2025 6:43 AM in response to lobsterghost1

Thank you, but "silence unknown callers" is NOT turned on on my phone, and, as noted in my post, the Apple Support instructions do not address my issue - neither do the YouTube videos I've found so far.

Thank you for your time.

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