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Rings before going to voicemail

How do you set the number of rings before going to voicemail.

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.5)

Posted on Nov 24, 2010 6:52 PM

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Posted on Mar 29, 2011 11:57 AM

Here's the latest from iPhone tech support for a code that "should work globally". I'm running a G4 so it may be different for other models. The last number "30" changes the length of ringing before going to voicemail to 30 seconds. I believe it is adjustable in 5 second increments up to a maximum of 35 but forgot to ask.

#004#7785804003##30#>SEND
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Question marked as Best reply

Mar 29, 2011 11:57 AM in response to jobevans

Here's the latest from iPhone tech support for a code that "should work globally". I'm running a G4 so it may be different for other models. The last number "30" changes the length of ringing before going to voicemail to 30 seconds. I believe it is adjustable in 5 second increments up to a maximum of 35 but forgot to ask.

#004#7785804003##30#>SEND

May 11, 2015 10:46 AM in response to jobevans

Typical Apple... Lets take what should be the easiest thing to do and make it as obscure and complicated as possible.


Heres a thought for their software engineers:


Choose 'Settings', followed by 'Phone'. Add a category called 'Number of rings before voicemail'. Enter a number and done. Simple, fairly intuitive, easy but so typically un-Apple. Why don't they ever learn from MicroSoft???

Mar 29, 2011 12:13 PM in response to tonymele

tonymele wrote:
How do you set the number of rings before going to voicemail.


For AT&T specifically (from their tech support web site):

+To change the number of rings before Voice Mail answers your phone, call 1-800-233-7719, and our automated system will make your changes within 24 hours if you have been a Voice Mail user for at least one week, and within one week if you are a new Voice Mail user.+

Aug 26, 2011 12:24 PM in response to Kernos

And what would happen if you were on a plane and your phone was turned off when someone tried to call you? Unlike the old answering machine your parents had, the voice mail service lives on your carrier's systems. There may even be multiple voice mail systems in use by the same carrier, so there would be no uniform way of setting things up so that a phone could control this. NO phone has this feature. Why should the iPhone be any different?

Aug 26, 2011 12:44 PM in response to Kernos

It could not communicate with the carrier's software via a preference mainly because the carrier does not provide a method to do so. Other preference settings vary from carrier to carrier, like the ability to set call forwarding, etc. If the carrier provides an interface to do so, it can be built into the OS. On AT&T, you can set up call forwarding on the iPhone. On Verizon, you can not. You instead have to call a # and enter a specific key sequence to turn it on or off. That's because Verizon does not provide a software interface to control this.

Jan 17, 2011 2:45 AM in response to tonymele

This is the code for extending the ringing time with Vodphone... I've set it on a few phones and it works. The 121 portion of the code if the voicemail number so if another network is different, it's that bit that you change.

The 30 at the end is the number of seconds it rings, I think you can also change that to 20 or 25 or whatever you fancy.


Tap the phone icon to bring up the phone keypad
Type in the following code as if dialing a number: *61*121*1130# then press call.
You'll get an on screen message saying you've changed the voicemail settings (or something like that).

May 11, 2015 11:00 AM in response to robeehner

robeehner wrote:


Typical Apple... Lets take what should be the easiest thing to do and make it as obscure and complicated as possible.


Heres a thought for their software engineers:


Choose 'Settings', followed by 'Phone'. Add a category called 'Number of rings before voicemail'. Enter a number and done. Simple, fairly intuitive, easy but so typically un-Apple. Why don't they ever learn from MicroSoft???

This thread has been nicely dead for 4 years! And as mentioned, had you read it, voicemail is a CARRIER feature and one that no phone can magically reach out into the carriers proprietary computer system and change an account setting. Thus you need to go through your carrier who controls that setting on your voicemail account on THEIR systems. Apple does not control the cellular service providers proprietary systems Or have unrestricted access to account settings with them.

Rings before going to voicemail

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