However, there are still some people who don’t know what tone means when you call someone, and instead of the call being answered, you get a constant beep after the call has been dialed. In this article of information, you are about to learn about the busy signal and the times when you may get a busy signal. So, enough chit-chat. Let’s get to it.
What Does It Mean When Phone Rings Then Busy Signal
It means that the person you are attempting to contact is currently unavailable and already on the phone.
Why Does Phone Ring Then Give Busy Signal?
Typically, when you make a phone call and you get a busy signal, there are many aspects that could play a part in this why you are receiving a busy signal. Sometimes, it could be due to the fact the person is on another call. And if someone is on another call, you may not be able to get their answer right away. Other instances could be they have call waiting set up, they have your number blocked, or you might have an overdue payment that is due from your carrier. Whatever the case is, this can be a technical or non-technical situation that is easily understood. Let’s go ahead and dive into the first method of understanding the busy signal.
1. They’re On Another Call
The first bullet point in this guide is the most common cause for why you would receive a busy signal when making a phone call to someone. And that common cause is because they are most likely on another call. When someone is on another call, as was mentioned earlier, they may not be able to receive your phone call right away. What needs to be understood when this happens is that if you are calling someone and they are on another call, it is essential to take into consideration their time. In other words, it is best to be patient and wait for them to call you back.
Fix 1 – Call Them Later
If you get a busy signal when you have made a phone call to someone, if you are the type of person who doesn’t like to wait for someone to call you back, the best thing for you to do is to call them back at a later time. The phone call the other person is having could be very critical. They could be speaking with other friends and family about other situations. Or, they could be having a phone conference with their job. However, this plays out, if you want to have a successful conversation with the person you had attempted to call, it will not be wise to call back repeatedly. So, in this case, you will hang up the phone, pick a later time frame that is indecent timing, and call that individual back at that specific time.
2. They Have Call Waiting Set Up
The call waiting feature is a beneficial and awesome feature that Android and iOS consumers utilize on their devices to forward incoming calls to hold. Usually, when a call is being forwarded using call waiting, this is because the person you are calling has to answer a second call. For those of you that are not familiar with the call waiting feature, you are going to be provided steps on how you can set up call waiting on your Android and iPhone / iOS devices. To set up a call waiting on your Android, you must proceed with the following steps:
- First, open the phone app on your device.
- Next, tap on the three dots located in the top right corner of the screen.
- In the small drop-down menu, tap on the settings option.
- From here, tap on advanced settings located at the bottom of the screen.
- On the following screen, at the bottom, tap on additional settings.
- On the final screen, you will see the option for call waiting. If you want to activate the feature, you will tap the button to toggle the feature. When this feature is activated, you will be notified of an incoming call. For those of you using an iPhone / iOS device, to set up a call waiting on your device, you will proceed with the following steps:
- First, you will open your Settings app on your device.
- Next, press the option for the phone.
- You will then see the option for call waiting. Tap on the call waiting option.
- There will be a visible indicator next to the call waiting option to toggle it on and off. If you want to activate the feature, you will toggle the call waiting for the feature. When you attempt to make the phone call, or if someone attempts to call you and the call waiting feature is activated, The busy signal will be noticeable. So, now you know one of the reasons why you will be getting the busy signal as well as how to set up the call waiting feature on your own device.
3. They Manually Sent Your Call to Voicemail
The next alternative is that they may have sent your call to voicemail manually. This is an action that is mostly done when the person already has their device in hand. Usually, someone would manually send your call to voicemail if they are working, they are in a quiet location, or they are not taking calls at the moment for any reason. For someone to send your phone call to voicemail manually, they would simply press the end button as soon as your call comes in. For some devices, instead of the voicemail picking up, the busy signal would be audible and noticeable.
Fix 1 – Call Them Later or Text Them
If you encounter this minor error, the best thing for you to do is to call them at a later time or send them a quick text message. As it was mentioned earlier, it would not be wise to call that person back repeatedly if they are not able to answer any calls at the moment. So, the best thing for you to do is to hang up the phone, set a decent time frame to call the person back, and then call them back at that time frame. And if you don’t want to wait to call them at a later time, after you have hung up the phone, you can send them a quick text message and notify them that you have attempted to call them. Most likely, in this case, they would give you an explanation for why they are not able to answer the phone. When something like this happens, you have to look at it from this perspective; if you were super busy and you weren’t able to answer any calls at the moment, would you want someone calling you repeatedly to try to get your attention? This is just something to think about. And above it all, it’s all about communication.
4. They Blocked Your Number
The next circumstance to adhere to if you are getting a busy signal when you are reaching out to someone is to consider the fact they may have blocked your number. This is something that can happen either accidentally or intentionally. However this circumstance proceeds itself, there’s always a reason for why this happens. Amongst many reasons why someone would be getting a busy signal, this option is at the top of the category. There are many people who think they are blocked before considering or thinking of any other possible scenario. For people who are unfamiliar with the steps of how to block someone on Android, you can proceed with these steps:
- First, you will open the phone app on your device.
- From here, you will tap on the three vertical dots located in the top right corner of your screen.
- Next, tap on settings in the drop-down menu.
- From here, proceed to tap Block numbers as the next step.
- On this screen, you will be able to tap the ad icon indicated by a plus sign to begin adding contacts to the block list.
- And if you don’t want to proceed with these steps, you can easily block contacts from the call log. If you are using an iPhone / iOS device, if you want to use the block feature on your phone, you will proceed with these steps:
- First, you will tap to open your Favorites, Voicemail, or Recents.
- After one of the tabs is open, you will tap on the number you want to block. After the contact is selected, you will then proceed to scroll down and tap the option to Block this Caller. For an alternative approach, you can tap on your Contacts and select the caller you want to block. From here, you will scroll down to select the option to Block this Caller. If the person you are calling has the block feature set up for your contact, this may be a possible reason why you are receiving a busy signal. And since you now have the steps on how you can block someone on your Android or iPhone device, if you have the block feature set up for a contact, they would also receive a busy signal.
Fix 1 – Message Them on Another Platform
Normally, if you believe that you are blocked when you attempt to call someone, you may want to reach out to them on another platform. If you have their contact information for other messaging and calling apps, you can reach out to them on those platforms. If you are looking for an example of a messaging or calling app the person may have access to, KIK or TextNow are prime examples. You can reach out to the recipients on social media platforms as well. If you have them as friends on social media, you can send them a quick message, or video call them on one of those platforms. If you are friends with that person on Facebook, Facebook Messenger has a feature where you are able to send messages and video call recipients. However the plan goes, if you believe you are blocked when you attempt to make a phone call after getting a busy signal, a useful alternative would be to reach out to them in another way.
5. You Might Have An Overdue Payment or Problems With Your Account
Now that we have cleared up some of the non-technical aspects of why you would be receiving a busy signal, it’s time to observe some technical issues that could result in this. The first technical issue could be that you have an overdue payment or some internal issues with your account.
Fix 1 – Contact Your Carrier and Check If There Are Issues
Your carrier is the company that provides you with the device you are using for making phone calls and utilizing data. This is also the company that you report to when it’s time to make payments on your account. Whether you are on a prepaid or contract agreement, if there is a bill payment or a payment that is overdue, this can contribute to the interruption of your services. This also could be the primary reason why you would be receiving a busy signal. So, if you notice that you have been receiving a busy signal on most of the phone calls you have been making, you may want to check in with your phone carrier to ensure that your account is in good standing.
6. Software Problem
Whenever there is a software issue with your device, this will affect not only the apps that are on your device but it will affect the functionality of your phone overall. Whenever this happens, you may want to consider updating your device. Before we dive into the next couple of fixes to resolve this issue, let’s go over some steps on how you can update your device to remove any software problems. To update your Android, you will proceed with the following steps:
- First, you will open your Settings app on your Android device.
- Next, at the bottom, you will see the option for System. Tap on System update.
- From here, you will see if your device needs to be updated. Follow through with the proceeding steps on your device to update your phone. The update for your Android could take a couple of minutes. During the update, do not manipulate any buttons while your update is being installed. To update your iPhone / iOS device, you will proceed with the following steps:
- First, you must make certain that your device is plugged into power and that you are connected to a Wi-Fi network.
- After that is ensured, open the Settings app on your device,
- Next, tap on General and then tap on the option for Software Update.
- If there is an update available for your device, you will see the Update Available notification next to the iOS version. If there is an available update, tap to install the update on your device. After installing an update on your Android or iPhone / iOS device, this will get rid of any internal technical issues that you are experiencing. So, if you are experiencing a constant busy signal on multiple phone calls, you may want to consider updating your device. However, if updating your device has not helped, you can proceed with one of the two alternatives listed below to resolve any software issues.
Fix 1 – Restart Your Phone
The first alternative is to restart or reboot your device. When you perform a restart or a reboot, you are clearing out any additional electrical current on your device that is handling your phone from functioning properly. If you are using an Android, to restart your device, you must do the following:
- First, you will press and hold the power button and volume up button simultaneously.
- From here, a small menu bar will drop down from the top of your screen with actions you can proceed with. Those actions will be to power off your device, make an emergency call, or restart.
- Tap on the action to restart your device. After the restart has been completed and your device is back up and running, attempt to make a phone call to see if you will still receive the busy signal. To restart your iPhone / iOS device, you will proceed with the following steps:
- First, press and hold down the side button on your iPhone until the power off slider pops up on your screen.
- From here, you will slide to switch the device off. After switching the device off, it will take approximately 30 seconds for the phone to power completely off. After your device is powered back on, attempt to make a phone call to see if you are still receiving a busy signal.
Fix 2 – Force Restart Your Phone
When you perform a force restart, you are manually turning the device off directly.
- To perform a force restart correctly, you will press and hold the power button on your Android or iPhone iOS device until it powers off.
- After the device is powered off, wait approximately 30 seconds to a minute before powering the device back on.
- After your device is powered back on manually, attempt to make a phone call to see if the busy signal is still audible and noticeable. If you have fought through all of the steps accordingly, and you are still experiencing a busy signal on your phone calls, your device may be out of range, or that may be an issue with your network being backed up or congested.
7. Out Of Range
If your device is out of range of the person you are contacting, you will not be able to make or receive phone calls two or from that person successfully. There also could be an issue with you being out of range from your cellular towers. Either one of these instances can contribute to you receiving a busy signal when you’re attempting to make a phone call to someone. If you’re attempting to call someone who is out of range, either the person’s phone will end the call, or you will receive a busy signal. The best action for you to proceed with is to wait until you are in range for the caller to receive phone calls from you.
8. Network Congestion
Finally, if there is congestion with your network, this is an internal software issue that can easily be resolved on your device. If you believe there is network congestion, the best thing for you to do is reset your network settings on your phone. This can be done on Android and iPhone/iOS. For you to reset your network settings on your Android device, you will proceed with these steps:
- First, you will open the Settings app on your Android device.
- Next, tap on the General Management or System tab.
- Now, proceed to select Reset or Reset Options.
- From here, you will tap on Reset Network Settings.
- Finally, you will have access to the reset button. Tap on Reset to begin the process. To begin the process of resetting the network settings on your iPhone / iOS device, you will proceed with the following steps:
- First, you will open your Settings.
- Next, tap on General and then select Transfer or Reset.
- Tap on the Reset option and then tap on Reset Network Settings. After your network settings have been reset, this will clear out any bugs or congestion that has been commencing with your network. What’s your network settings been refreshed; attempt to make a phone call to see if you are still receiving the busy signal.
Final Thoughts
As was stated earlier, we all have had experiences where we have made a phone call, and the call wasn’t answered. And instead of the call being answered, we get a busy signal. There are many reasons why someone would receive a busy signal when they attempt to call someone. Some of those reasons could be technical and non-technical. Some of the non-technical reasons could be they are on another call, they have call waiting set up on their device, they manually sent your call to voicemail, or the person you’re calling has blocked your number. For a more technical approach, you may have an overdue payment or problems with your account from your carrier. This will prohibit you from using your carrier’s services for your device. Also, there could be a software problem, you may be out of range, or there may be congestion with your network. And with these non-technical and technical difficulties, there are awesome fixes and resolutions you can proceed with to resolve the issues! So, the next time you get a busy signal when you make a phone call to someone, consider the information in this guide for further understanding.
