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Calls Going to Voicemail During Another Call: What to Check

Calls going to voicemail during another call? Check Call Waiting first, then consider Dual SIM Wi-Fi Calling and carrier busy forwarding.
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If incoming calls go straight to voicemail while you’re already talking, check whether Call Waiting is enabled. On iPhone, Apple says calls go directly to voicemail when Call Waiting is off. Dual SIM use and carrier call-forwarding settings can also change what happens, so the right fix depends on which line is receiving the call.

Why a call may go to voicemail while you’re on another call

Call Waiting determines whether your phone can alert you to another incoming call during an active call. Apple states that when Call Waiting is turned off, incoming calls go directly to voicemail. The setting is also affected by cellular service: Apple’s instructions distinguish GSM from CDMA service, and direct CDMA customers to their carrier for setup.

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Carrier routing can be a separate factor. A carrier may forward calls under specific conditions, including when your line is busy. If the phone’s Call Waiting setting does not account for the behavior, ask your carrier to check both Call Waiting and conditional forwarding.

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Check Call Waiting on an iPhone with one line

  1. Open Settings > Apps > Phone > Call Waiting.
  2. Turn on Call Waiting if the option is available.
  3. If the setting is missing or will not turn on, contact your carrier. Apple notes that setup depends on the cellular service and advises customers using CDMA service to ask their carrier.

Check whether the call is coming to a different SIM line

On an iPhone with Dual SIM, first identify which line is in use and which line the incoming call is for. Apple says Call Waiting works for calls on the same line. A call to the other line while one line is in use has different requirements: Wi-Fi Calling must be enabled for that line, and the required data conditions must be met.

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Apple warns that if Wi-Fi Calling is not enabled for a line, calls to it—including emergency-service calls—go directly to voicemail, if voicemail is available from the carrier, while the other line is in use. Apple also says missed-call notifications will not arrive in that situation. See Apple’s Dual SIM guidance for the applicable setup details.

Ask the carrier to check busy forwarding

Call forwarding can route calls based on line status, separately from the phone’s Call Waiting control. For example, AT&T documents a “When busy” forwarding option, while Ting distinguishes busy forwarding from an ignored second call when Call Waiting is active. These are carrier-specific examples, not universal dialing codes or settings.

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  • Ask whether Call Waiting is provisioned and enabled for your line.
  • Ask whether calls are being forwarded when the line is busy, and whether that rule can be changed.
  • Give the carrier the line receiving the call, the line currently in use, and whether the issue happens consistently.

AT&T’s instructions are at AT&T call forwarding support; Ting describes its call-waiting and forwarding behavior at Ting’s call-forwarding guide. Follow your own carrier’s instructions rather than applying another carrier’s codes.

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What Android users should know

The available Samsung documentation does not establish a universal Android fix for this symptom. Samsung’s Direct voicemail support page applies to Galaxy phones running Android 16 with One UI 8.5 or higher, and Samsung notes that features vary by model, software version, and carrier. That page describes a voicemail feature; it does not show that Direct voicemail causes or resolves calls going to voicemail during another call. For an Android phone, check the device and carrier’s own Call Waiting and forwarding instructions.

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  • Compatibility with certain third-party devices and accessibility accessories, including some hearing aids, may vary depending on manufacturer support, Bluetooth protocols, software compatibility, and regional firmware limitations. For additional hearing aid compatibility information, please refer to Samsung’s official support documentation.
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