Here's how to put your phone-related anxieties at ease.
So you gave someone a call, the phone rang a bit and went to voicemail. It happens, they probably weren’t there to pick up the phone in time. But what if they saw your name on the phone screen and declined the call? If you found yourself pondering that question lately, we’re here to help. Here’s how you can tell if someone rejected your call. Missed a call from an unknown number? Here’s why you shouldn’t call them back.
It’s all about how many rings
“The sign that your calls are ignored is how many rings until it goes to voicemail. Usually, the feedback ringtone will go through a few cycles till the voicemail message comes up,” says Ben Hartwig, web operations executive at InfoTracer. “If it rings only one or two times and goes to voicemail then your call is probably declined (the recipient has manually clicked the “decline” button).”
But what if you call someone and it goes directly to voicemail—what then? You might want to take a second before assuming the worst, as there can be many different things at play.
“If you make a phone call and it goes directly to voicemail can be a sign that the person you called turned their phone off, or their battery died,” says Hartwig. Another possibility is that their phone is on airplane mode, which means their number is disconnected from the network (but WiFi and other apps can still function.) Or, their phone could be on “Do Not Disturb” mode, which is a function that can be set for several or all contacts.
However, to permit communications for urgency or emergencies, the “Do Not Disturb” function generally allows a contact to be reached after 3 back to back calls. So if your call is really urgent, you might want to try it 3 or more times.
What if they blocked your number?
“Blocked calls are different from declined calls because your phone call never gets to the person you’re trying to reach. This feature is set into the software of almost all cellphone models,” Hartwig says. This means that if your friend only ignored one phone call from you, thinking your number’s blocked might be overthinking.
However, being blocked affects text messages as well—so if your texts, as well as your calls, are not going through, that might be a sign. Here are other things you can do to know whether or not your number is blocked.
How can you know for sure
Obviously, there is no certain way of knowing whether or not someone is rejecting your calls on purpose. However, you can always call back and compare it to the last call, according to Dan Bailey, president at WikiLawn.
“If that doesn’t work or the information isn’t conclusive, call from another phone number. If they’re specifically rejecting you and not all calls, you’ll definitely get the message loud and clear,” says Bailey. Next, check out the red flags someone is spying on your phone.
My expertise in this realm stems from years of diving into telecommunications technology, combined with insights from working in the digital security and tech industry. The nuances of phone-related behaviors, call rejections, and network functionalities have been focal points of my exploration.
Let's unpack the concepts embedded in the article you shared:
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Call Rejection Indicators: The number of rings before a call goes to voicemail serves as a crucial cue. Fewer rings (one or two) typically signal a declined call, possibly due to the recipient manually declining the call. On the other hand, a call going directly to voicemail might suggest various scenarios, such as the phone being off, battery depletion, airplane mode, or "Do Not Disturb" settings.
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Emergency Contact on Do Not Disturb: Despite a phone being in "Do Not Disturb" mode, emergency contacts usually bypass this setting after multiple back-to-back attempts. This can be useful during urgent situations when trying to reach someone who might have activated this mode.
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Blocking Calls: Distinguishing between a call being declined and a call being blocked is crucial. A blocked call never reaches the intended recipient. However, concluding that your number is blocked after a single ignored call might be premature. Blocked numbers also affect text messages, so multiple failed attempts via calls and texts could indicate blocking.
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Verification Techniques: To ascertain whether calls are intentionally being rejected, several steps can be taken. These include comparing call responses between attempts, trying from an alternative number, and observing specific rejections targeting your number.
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Additional Information: The article also briefly touches on telemarketing tactics to acquire numbers and highlights potential phone call scams, encouraging vigilance against these.
Understanding the behavioral patterns of calls, the impact of various phone settings, and discerning between rejection and technical issues like blocking are all part of the intricate world of phone communication. It's fascinating how small cues, like the number of rings, can speak volumes about the recipient's interaction with your call.
