How to stop iPhone 15 Pro Max from auto-answering calls

If I understand your text correctly, you want to prevent the phone from answering a call in any way.

This is something I've also looked into more than a few times, reading many web pages and watching Youtube videos. Every one of them useless, despite what their headlines claim.

For those wondering why this may be important, spam is the answer. When you know a call is yet another spoofed piece of junk (often from the same area code where you do not know a single soul), you want to hang up without answering. Period!

Any type of answer tells the computer system making these calls it reached a live number, which will only result in more spam calls, and get your number added to spam lists of valid, active numbers.

The problem is, there is currently no method of any kind to prevent the spam systems from finding out your number is live. If you answer, it of course verifies your number. But double tapping the side button to hang up without answering is no help because then the call is automatically sent to voicemail, which once again confirms a live number.

Years ago, I'm pretty certain double tapping used to kill a connection without answering, and that was it. No voicemail reroute. But it doesn't do that anymore, and it's highly annoying you can't actually dismiss a call.

Your only working option is to disable voicemail in your cell service. Which is a bad idea when you want, or need to get voicemail messages from people you know. But when I double tap to hang up without answering, that should automatically also mean I DO NOT want the caller sent to voicemail.