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Have you ever wished you could turn off iPhone phone calling while retaining the ability to access data, access the Internet, and even send iMessages? You can do it with the funky workaround we’re discussing here, and it’s a great solution if you’re looking for peace and quiet, but in a situation where you still need to use your iPhone’s data connection and internet connection. Another benefit? You can still make outgoing calls, you just don’t receive calls back to the iPhone itself.
Disable calls on iPhone while keeping the Internet, data, messages working
There’s no way to turn off just the phone part of iPhone, so we’ll use an alternative method to get the job done instead. This uses call forwarding to automatically send all incoming calls to either a non-existent number (which provides complete isolation, the phone appears to be turned off or no longer receives calls), or automatically sends all calls to the answering machine (this is better because people can still leave you voicemail and you can still check them to see if it matters).
Maintaining cell phone data usage is why this trick is different from simply switching AirPlane mode, which turns off Internet functionality and basically turns the iPhone into an iPod touch that can’t reach the outside world at all. Also, Do Not Disturb is different because while data usage remains the same, Do Not Disturb is basically just muting the phone and not really blocking incoming calls from entering the phone, they are only muted when the feature is on.
1a: Find the answering machine number
Each mobile phone number has a completely separate unique phone number specifically for the answering machine, which we are going to look up here:
- Open the Phone app on iPhone and dial * # 67 #, then press Call
- Ignore all “Successful Inquiry for Successful Call Forwarding” and pay attention to the number that follows “Forwarding to” – this is the answering machine number
- Write down the voicemail number somewhere so you can easily retrieve it or take a screenshot (Power + Home button at the same time)
This is how this two-step process shows, the resulting respondent number is blurred for obvious reasons:
Or you can go to an alternative route and find a number that is incorrect or out of order.
1b: Alternatively, look up a non-existent phone number
Would you rather iPhone sound like it’s turned off or no longer accept calls? It’s easy, you just need to find a phone number that doesn’t actually exist. Typically, any random area code followed by 555-5555 will work, but you must first call the number yourself to make sure it is not the correct number.
If you feel funny, you can even send your phone number to a strange service, an 800 number, to someone who calls you endlessly and annoys you, or to someone else … you get the idea, but we won’t cover it here.
2: Divert incoming calls to an answering machine or a non-existent phone number
We’ve discussed how to use iPhone’s call forwarding feature in the past, and if you’re familiar, go ahead and move on, otherwise you’ll need to:
- Open Settings and then go to Phone
- Select “Call Forwarding” and turn it on
- Tap “Forward” and enter the number in the previous step, whether it’s a voicemail number from * # 67 # or the connection was lost
- Exit Settings
Note on call forwarding for Verizon users: Verizon users often do not have iOS ‘built-in “Call Forwarding” option, as described above. Instead, dial * 72 and then the phone number you want to forward to. You can then call * 73 later to turn off call forwarding and return to normal.
You can always check that the trick is working as intended by calling your number from someone else’s phone or calling yourself from Skype or Google Voice. If you selected the voicemail option, iPhone appears to be turned off or out of service, and instead goes directly to voicemail without having to send each call there yourself. If you selected a non-existent number option, iPhone appears as if the phone number is no longer in use, as if it had been canceled.
You know this works because you see a small call forwarding icon in the iOS menu bar, it looks like an old-fashioned phone with an arrow pointing away.
Result: iPhone with data, Internet, iMessage, Skype, etc., but no incoming calls
The information still works beautifully. Every Internet-based app on iPhone works as intended. iMessage still works for sending and receiving messages. Skype works. The personal hotspot even works. The only difference is that iPhone will no longer receive calls as long as call forwarding is active. Why doesn’t iPhone initially have a feature that would allow me to temporarily disable my phone? Who knows, but we’re glad we have a workaround, even if it’s in the same weird way as creating blocked lists to end calls from certain annoying numbers.
When you have finished the silence and want to receive calls again, you can return to Settings> Phone> Call divert> and turn the switch to the OFF position. The iPhone now makes calls as usual, and the forwarding option always has only one ON switch off because the number is stored in the options. Enjoy peace and quiet!
Cheers for some useful posts on ATT forums and iLoung for the trick to search for voicemail numbers. By the way, this also works on phones other than the iPhone by using * # 67 # to look up the answering machine and then * 21 * number # to enable call transfer. Manual forwarding can be stopped at any time by using ## 002 # to return to normal mode. Note that most Android phones have a forwarding setting in the phone options, so a manual trick is really only necessary for smartphones.
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FAQs
How do I disable phone calls on my iPhone? ›
Use Do Not Disturb on your iPhone to block all incoming calls. Enable Do Not Disturb in "Settings > Do Not Disturb". Turn on Do Not Disturb from Control Center.
What is the purpose of turning off iMessage? ›Why should you turn off iMessage? If you switch from iPhone to Android, you must turn off iMessage. Otherwise, texts from your iPhone friends won't be delivered to your new phone since your number is still registered on iMessage. You will have to create a new group chat with your iPhone friends on your Android phone.
Can you turn off calls and texts on iPhone? ›With Focus in iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 or later, you can use Do Not Disturb to silence calls, alerts, and notifications that you get while your device is locked. You can also schedule Do Not Disturb and allow calls from certain people.
How do you decline a call on iPhone without them knowing? ›You can silence the call by pressing the Side or Sleep/Wake button, depending on your phone model. You can also press either Volume button. That will cause the phone to stop ringing or vibrating. The call won't go straight to voicemail.
How do I turn off calls and keep data on? ›For that, open your phone app and tap on the 'menu overflow button' (three dots) in the top right corner of the screen (generally for Android devices, for other devices, it is different). Then tap on the Settings and click on Calls. Within the calls menu, click on the 'call barring' option.
Can I turn off incoming calls iPhone? ›Under "Calls," tap Incoming calls. Under "My devices," turn off any devices you don't want to get calls on.
Will I still receive texts from iPhones if I turn off iMessage? ›You cannot receive iMessages if it is not enabled. iMessages is an Apple app that works over WiFi. If you turn it off, you can't send or receive iMessages. You can send and receive standard SMS messages via your wireless cellular provider assuming that you have a plan that includes texting.
What happens to iMessage when iPhone is off? ›iMessages are only stored on Apple's servers for 24hrs. If the sender tries to send you an iMessage, & your phone is off, it will most likely go as an SMS. Carriers only keep messages for deliver for a limited time, then delete them.
What message turns off iPhone? ›If you are wondering how this article will help you get a perspective about this thing. The easiest way to shut down a distant iPhone is by sending a text message reading 'Shutdown'. Once the recipient of the message checks it through an iPhone it automatically shuts down.
How do I turn off calls but not texts on my iPhone? ›How to Block Calls But Not Texts Iphone – Gametechia If you want to block calls but not texts on your iPhone, you can do so by going to the Settings app and selecting Phone. Yes, you can block only calls on iPhone. To do this, go to Settings > Phone > Call Blocking & Identification and tap the “Block Contact” button.
How do I turn off phone calls? ›
Under "Calls," tap Incoming calls. Under "My devices," turn off any devices you don't want to get calls on.
How do you get calls messages when phone is turned off? ›- By dialling *67*134# (for notifications when your phone is busy)
- By dialling *62*134# (for notifications when your phone is switched off or unreachable)
- Tap Menu | Settings | Call Settings.
- In the new window, tap All calls.
- Tap Auto Reject.
- Tap Enable auto reject.
- Tap Auto reject list.
- Tap the Menu button | Create.
- In the new overlay (Figure A), enter the number to auto reject.
- Tap Save.
- Open the main Phone app from your home screen.
- Tap the Android settings/option button to bring up the available options. ...
- Tap 'Call settings'.
- Tap 'Call rejection'.
- Tap 'Auto reject mode' to temporarily reject all incoming numbers.
Just go to Settings > Call Settings (under "Device") > Call Blocking and select your preferred settings i.e. Block incoming calls.
Does turning off Cellular data stop phone calls? ›After turning off mobile data, you'll still be able to make and receive phone calls and get text messages. But you won't be able to access the internet until you reconnect to a Wi-Fi network.
How do you make a phone call with just data? ›- Use an internet calling app. Naturally, we're going to give a shout-out to our sister app, Hushed. ...
- Use a social media platform. If you already have a Facebook account, it's easy to make video calls on Messenger. ...
- Use your main phone number. Yes, it's true!
If your customer's phone is turned off, the message will fail to get through to their phone. A message will expire after 72 hours but when the phone is switched on the SMS will go through.
How do you text someone who blocked you on iPhone? ›...
Follow these steps:
- Go to the setting option.
- Scroll down and click on messages.
- Click on the send and receive option.
- Change starts a new conversation from your email address.
- Then you will be able to send messages again.
Yes, you can use iMessage without phone service, you just need to be on WiFi and signed into your iCloud account. You can also make FaceTime calls.
Does turning off the iMessage delete the messages what happens when you turn off iMessage? ›
Turning off iMessage will NOT delete the iMessages currently on the phone. Turning off iMessage will NOT delete the iMessages currently on the phone.
Do blocked iMessages turn green? ›Check the Bubble Color
If you see green bubbles, this means that your text messages are being sent through SMS, and they might have blocked you on iMessage.
Which is better for you? Most iPhone users will want to use iMessages, so long as they have a good plan that can handle the data usage. The only reason to use SMS instead of iMessage is if you're chatting with people who don't have Apple devices, or if you don't have any data on your phone.
What happens if you turn iMessage off and back on? ›After you turn iMessage back on, you won't be able to get those message back. Actually you can disable iMessage and people won't even be able anymore to send iMessages towards that specific account.
What does iPhone message needs to be enabled? ›In order to send and receive iMessages to your iPhone, iMessage must be enabled. By doing this, you will associate your phone number with the email address used for your Apple ID or iCloud account. This will allow you to send and receive the "blue text bubbles" when chatting with other iPhone, iPad, and Mac users.
How do I turn off calls but not texts? ›Open the Dialer → Settings → Call → Call → Rejection → Auto rejection mode →All incoming calls. Save this answer. Show activity on this post.
How do I set my iPhone to just call or text? ›- Setting up Guided Access for the first time. This part is quite a few steps, but you only need to do this once. ...
- First Time Setup. Open Settings -> Accessibility.
- Select “Guided Access”
- Turn “Guided Access” On.
- Open the “Settings” app on your phone, then scroll down and select Sound & vibration. (Image credit: Future)
- Select Do Not Disturb. (Image credit: Future)
- Tap Turn on now, then tap People. (Image credit: Future)
- Next, select Calls. ...
- Tap None to block all calls while your phone is off.
Is there a setting that will show missed calls when phone is off? No. Your phone can not display information regarding a 'missed call' when it was powered off or otherwise had no service as the phone never received the call at all. "Missed calls" is a list of calls that rang on the phone, but that you did not answer.
How do you call someone and leave a message without it ringing? ›To use Slydial, dial 267-SLYDIAL (267-759-3425). When prompted, enter the US mobile phone number for the person you are trying to call. Once the service connects you, leave your voicemail, and then just hang up.
Can you silence someone's calls without blocking them? ›
Android doesn't offer a native way to mute calls from one person. However, you can easily download a silent ringtone from the internet and assign the same to the contact that you want to mute.
Can you block someone without them knowing? ›First things first, if you block someone's number, they won't find out right away, if at all. They won't get a notification saying they were blocked and won't be able to see it plainly anywhere, but they can infer it.
How do I temporarily block someone from calling me? ›- Open your Phone app .
- Tap More. Call history .
- Tap a call from the number you want to block.
- Tap Block / report spam.
- Open the “Settings” app on your phone, then scroll down and select Sound & vibration. (Image credit: Future)
- Select Do Not Disturb. (Image credit: Future)
- Tap Turn on now, then tap People. (Image credit: Future)
- Next, select Calls. ...
- Tap None to block all calls while your phone is off.
- Open the main Phone app from your home screen.
- Tap the Android settings/option button to bring up the available options. ...
- Tap 'Call settings'.
- Tap 'Call rejection'.
- Tap 'Auto reject mode' to temporarily reject all incoming numbers. ...
- Tap Auto Reject List to open the list.
Navigate to Restrictions -> Phone. Under Calls, find the Outgoing calls option and click on Restrict to block outgoing calls on Android devices. Next, Save and Publish the restrictions profile. It is recommended to test the profile on a test device before associating it with your production environment.
How do I turn off unwanted calls? ›Some Android devices also allow you to block all unknown callers. While the process varies among different devices, you typically open the Phone app and go to the Settings menu. Find the option for blocking numbers and activate the feature. You can also manually add phone numbers that you want blocked.
How do I make my phone not reachable without switching off? ›All you need to do is head over to Settings> More Settings> Network Selection> Automatic or Manual. Now, choose manually and wait for 10-15 seconds and your smartphone will show the available networks within your reach. Now, your smartphone will lose signal, which results in unreachable mode.
Can you temporarily block calls on iPhone? ›Block voice calls, FaceTime calls, messages, and emails from certain people. Phone app on your iPhone: In the Phone app, tap Favorites, Recents, or Voicemail, tap the Info button next to the name, phone number, or email address of the contact you want to block, scroll down, tap Block this Caller, then tap Block Contact ...
What is * 31 used for? ›Hide Caller ID: *31#
The caller might have hidden the ID intentionally or sometimes it can be accidental. If you want to hide the caller ID dial *31# and press call button.
How do I make my iPhone text only? ›
- Go to Settings > Messages.
- Toggle iMessages switch to off.
T-Mobile Scam Block: A default-off tool that prevents T-Mobile customers from receiving scam calls. Activate from your T-Mobile account, in the latest Name ID app, or dial #622# from your T-Mobile phone. Offered to customers at no extra cost.