Here is Why iPhone Rejects Incoming Calls When You Enable Do Not Disturb

Recently I decided to give a try to Apple’s iPhone and purchased iPhone 12 Mini as it is very small, compact and lightweight smartphone. I started liking the iOS UI and its super smooth performance but I noticed a major bug or issue while using iPhone’s Do Not Disturb feature which I’m going to discuss in this article.

In my Android smartphone (Samsung Galaxy), I have set an automatic Do Not Disturb (DND) mode from midnight to 06:00 AM. I have set the DND mode to allow calls from my favorite contacts which include my family members and a few friends. Everyday when I wake up, I check if there is any missed call present so that I can call back the person. The beauty of Android’s DND feature is that it enables the silent mode automatically and if there is an incoming call during DND mode, the phone screen shows the call details and I can decide whether I need to pick the call or not.

Now let’s talk about iPhone DND issue!

Call Reject and Busy Tone Issue in iPhone Do Not Disturb Mode

I found that Do Not Disturb feature is a part of Focus option present on iPhone Settings page. I scheduled DND in my iPhone similar to my Android device and I thought it’ll work same way as my Android phone. But I was wrong.

Some of my friends started complaining that they were getting busy tone while trying to call me at night time and their calls were automatically rejected. They were thinking that I was talking to someone else and was not answering their calls. I was surprised as I didn’t reject any call.

To test the problem, I decided to call my number from another number and I faced the same issue. My call was rejected immediately and I also received a busy tone.

I tried to play with several settings given for DND feature in my iPhone. I even tried other Focus modes such as Driving, Fitness, Gaming, Sleep, Work, etc present in the phone but the issue was not resolved. Whenever I enabled Do Not Disturb mode in my iPhone, it automatically rejected incoming calls and the caller received a busy tone.

Then I decided to search on Internet and I found that many iPhone users have complained about the same issue. They all were facing call reject and busy tone problem during DND mode.

Finally I was able to understand the reason behind this issue which is as following:

The Reason Behind Call Rejection and Busy Tone Issue in iPhone’s DND Mode

The Do Not Disturb feature in iPhone works differently as compared to Android phones. It doesn’t silent the incoming calls. It has been programmed to automatically redirect the incoming calls to user’s Voicemail service number.

The issue appears when the user’s network provider doesn’t provide Voicemail functionality. For example, in India, the Voicemail functionality is not present.

When there is no voicemail functionality present, iPhone is unable to redirect the incoming call and the call is disconnected immediately and the caller gets busy tone.

That’s why in India and a few other countries, if voicemail functionality is not available in cellular network, iPhone user will face this DND bug or issue.

What should Apple Do to Fix Do Not Disturb Bug in iPhone?

In my opinion, Apple should provide options to customize this behavior of Do Not Disturb mode in iPhone. The user should be able to enable or disable automatic redirection of incoming calls to voicemail number during Do Not Disturb mode. If voicemail functionality is not present, the user should be able to select silent incoming calls like Android smartphones.

Also Apple should mention Voicemail information in Do Not Disturb description. The DND description clearly mentions that incoming calls and messages will be silenced but it doesn’t happen if Voicemail functionality is unavailable. Apple should correct the information given in the description of DND option.

What You can Do to Allow Important Calls While DND is Activated in Your iPhone?

If you want to receive incoming calls and messages from important contacts such as family members, etc, you can take help of “Allow notifications” option present on Do Not Disturb settings page.

Tap on People option and add desired contacts to Allow list. Also enable “Allow calls from” option and set it to Allowed People, Favorites or Contacts only as per your requirements.

You can also enable “Allow repeated calls” option to receive calls from people who tried to call you multiple times.

OR

Do not use “Do Not Disturb” mode and use the slider button present on the left side of your iPhone to manually put your phone in Silent mode.

What is your opinion about Do Not Disturb feature in iPhone? Have you also faced this issue in your iPhone? Feel free to share your suggestions in comments section.

Also Check:

iPhone Call Recording: Possible or Not? Explained in Details

How to Transfer WhatsApp Chat History and Media Between Android and iPhone