Access, service, and grow your account from here.
US
Australia En
Canada En
Canada Fr
France Fr
Germany De
Italy It
Singapore En
Spain Es
Portugal Pt
United Kingdom En
United States En
Search
Contact us
Recommended
Save time by chatting, available online 24/7.
Submit a case
The most direct way to match you to the right expert on your issue. Responses within 48 hours.
Contact us
FOR SALES
1 (888) 898-4591
FOR SUPPORT
1 (888) 898-4591
Search resources
Submit a case
Contact us
FOR SALES
FOR SUPPORT
Welcome to MyRingCentral
Hi, ${extension.contact.firstName}!
Account overview
Account
Support resources
Support
Analytics
Welcome to MyRingCentral
Hi, ${extension.contact.firstName}!
Home > RingEX > Phone > Troubleshooting > Problems with calls going straight to voicemail

Problems with calls going straight to voicemail

Last updated on February 10, 2023

You may notice you’ve been missing calls if:

  • Your phones aren’t ringing.
  • You receive voicemails but don’t receive calls.
  • People tell you they’ve called but only reached your voicemail.

Troubleshooting checklist for calls going straigt to voicemail

Make sure Do not disturb is turned off

If your presence is set to Do not disturb, incoming calls will be silenced and sent to the destination you’ve set in your call handling settings on the app or Admin Portal. 
 
To check your presence and turn off Do not disturb:
  1. Go to the Admin Portal and sign in.
  2. Look for your profile picture in the top right. Notice the dot at the bottom right of your profile picture. A red dot with a white line through the center indicates that Do not disturb is on.
  3. To change your presence to Available: 
    1. Click your profile picture. 
    2. Click Do not disturb.
    3. Select Available.
Change presence to Available
Note: Setting Do Not Disturb on your physical phone won’t sync your presence with your desktop and mobile apps.
 
If you have a physical device/phone, check to see that DND is turned off.  
 
Depending on your service plan, your presence may display automatically as Do not disturb when you’re in a meeting or on a call. Learn more about setting your presence. 

Check your work hours

If your work hours or time zone are incorrect, your calls may go straight to voicemail. 
 
To check your work hours and time zone:
  1. Go to the Admin Portal and sign in. If you’re an admin, click Admin Portal > My Extension in the top right.
  2. Select Settings in the top menu.
  3. Go to Call Handling.
  4. In the Work hours tab, click work hours to view your schedule and time zone. If either is incorrect, click Edit schedule.
Click Edit Schedule
  1. Adjust your schedule as needed and select the correct time zone. Then click Save.
Click Save

Make sure your phones, numbers, and desktop & mobile apps are turned on in your call handling settings

If all of your phones, numbers, and apps are turned off in your call handling settings, your calls may go straight to voicemail. To make sure your phones, numbers, and apps are turned on:
  1. Go to the Admin Portal and sign in. If you’re an admin, click Admin Portal > My Extension in the top right.
  2. Select Settings in the top menu.
  3. Select Call Handling.
  4. In the Work hours tab, look for your phones, numbers, and apps under Incoming calls.
Work hours tab
  1. Make sure each phone, number, and app under Active is turned on. Turn the toggle on next to one that isn’t, if needed.
    • Selecting Always Ring from the Ring for dropdown will ring your apps while your other phones and numbers are ringing in sequence (If Ring in order is selected). 
    • Select the number of rings you prefer. Five seconds is one ring.
    • If you select Ring in order under Incoming calls, you can choose the number of rings/how long to ring for each phone, number and app before one moves onto another.
Toggle under Active

Check your incoming call announcement settings and ring duration

If you’ve chosen to play an announcement for incoming calls, the ring duration of your phones, numbers, and apps must be long enough for:
  • The announcement to play 
  • The user to provide any required input, such as pressing a number in response to a prompt 
If your ring sequence length is less than 20 seconds (30 seconds for desktop and mobile apps), the call may go straight to voicemail.
 
First, check whether you’ve selected to play an announcement for incoming calls: 
  1. Go to the Admin Portal and sign in. If you’re an admin, click Admin Portal > My Extension in the top right.
  2. Select Settings in the top menu.
  3. Go to Call Handling > Settings.
  4. Click Edit under Incoming call information.
Incoming call information
  1. Click the Play Announcement tab.
  2. Choose options for Direct calls and Call queue calls from the dropdown under each. You can select:
    1. For personal and mobile phones only: An announcement will play only when a call rings on your non-RingCentral phones
    2. Always: You will always receive an announcement.
    3. Never (Direct calls only): You will never receive an announcement.
  3. Click Save.
If your announcement settings are turned on, check the ring duration for your phones, numbers, and apps:
  1. Go to the Admin Portal and sign in. 
  2. Click Admin Portal > My Extension in the top right.
  3. Select Settings in the top menu.
  4. Select Call Handling.
Select Call Handling
  1. Under Ring for in the Work hours tab, set the ring duration to at least 4 Rings / 20 Secs (30 sec for desktop and mobile apps) for your phones, numbers, and apps.

    Note: Selecting Always Ring (for desktop and mobile apps only) sets a ring duration of 6 rings, or 30 seconds.
Ring for in the Work hours tab
Note: If your calls are still going straight to voicemail, you can choose not to play an announcement. Learn more about managing your announcement settings

Make sure custom call forwarding rules don’t conflict with your regular call handling settings

If your custom answering rules conflict with your regular call handling settings, your calls may go straight to voicemail. You can check your company's rules, or you can change them as needed.
  1. Go to the Admin Portal and sign in. If you’re an admin, click Admin Portal > My Extension in the top right.
  2. Select Settings in the top menu.
  3. Go to Call Handling > Custom rules.
Go to Custom Rules
  1. Any set custom rules will appear as a list. Each toggle under Active shows whether a rule is on or off.
Toggle under Active
  1. Click Edit to view a custom rule. Check for:
    • Rules that send calls to voicemail during times that conflict with your regular call handling settings.
    • Rules that are missing call forwarding numbers.
  2. Edit, delete, or turn off custom rules as needed. You can read Managing your custom rules for more information.

Make sure your phones, numbers, and apps are valid and working

If a phone, number, or app is invalid or not working properly, your calls may go straight to voicemail. To learn whether the issue is caused by a specific forwarding number or device, you’ll need to test each one:
  1. Go to the Admin Portal and sign in. If you’re an admin, click Admin Portal > My Extension in the top right.
  2. Select Settings in the top menu.
  3. Go to Call Handling.
  4. In the Work hours tab, look for your phones, numbers, and apps under Incoming calls.
Select Call Handling
  1. Turn off all phones, numbers, and apps except for one. To turn a phone, number, and app on or off, click its toggle under Active.
Toggle under Active
  1. Call that active number or device to test if it rings. 
  2. If that number or device rings, continue to test each device or number. 
  3. If a number or device doesn’t ring:
    1. Use its toggle to turn off that number or device. Then, use the toggles to turn your other phones, numbers, and apps back on.
    2. Test whether your calls still go straight to voicemail. If they don’t, you’ve confirmed that the issue is with that specific phone, number, or app.  
    3. Troubleshoot by contacting the phone number carrier, the device manufacturer, or RingCentral Support.
Note: If the issue is with a third-party number or device, the number might be invalid or the device might not be working. If you’ve checked that the number or device is functioning but you’re still not receiving calls, contact RingCentral Support.

Assure only one device is logged into extension

If users utilize the same extension for taking calls, then one will not be able to get calls if the other remains logged in. This usually occurs when users work in shifts, and multiple shifts involve using the same extension. Should a previous shift worker not log out of the extension on their softphone, then the next worker will not be able to use the extension and calls will route to voicemail. 
 
Have the previous user log out of the extension on their softphone. Then calls should route to the current worker’s softphone via the same extension.

Check mobile or desktop app login credentials

To see if your extension works correctly, try logging in to the RingCentral app on your desktop or mobile phone. Then see if you can receive calls by having someone (friend, family, coworker) dial your number. If you cannot receive a call on either of these apps, reach out to RingCentral Support for further assistance.

Check your internet connection

If calls continue going straight to voicemail, check your internet connection. Try turning off your Wi-Fi connection and then back on again. You can also unplug and then replug in your Ethernet router or modem.

Check app version

There is also a chance your RingCentral app may be an older version. 
System Status
Legal
Cookie preferences
Cookie notice
Do not sell or share my personal data
Privacy Notice
Contact us
© 2022 RingCentral, Inc. All rights reserved.
Thanks!
We've sent you a link, please check your phone!
Please allow a full minute between phone number submissions.
There was an issue with SMS sending. Please try again. If the issue persists, please contact support.