# Problem calling another person **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 20, 2026, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-calling-another-person/1026833 "2026-01-20T00:19:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-calling-another-person/1026833/1 "2026-01-20T00:19:38Z")
We are both on Verizon, the same plan, in fact. When I try to call her it rings several times, but only on my end and not hers, and when it finally goes to voicemail and I leave a message, there is no indication that she received it. Her ringer is turned on. We have tested her phone with other people and, while others can call her, they cannot leave messages. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-calling-another-person/1026833/2 "2026-01-20T00:25:21Z")
1. Turn your phone completely off (powered down). Then turn on again. Sometimes the cell network and routing info needs updating. This kind of stuff can linger after outages. 2. Do the same with the other phone. 3. Check that phone number are not blocked. Sometimes it happens inadvertently, especially rules that block everyone not in the address book. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-calling-another-person/1026833/3 "2026-01-20T00:34:44Z")
Tried all. All failed to work. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-calling-another-person/1026833/4 "2026-01-20T00:59:43Z")
Has she called you? ---
**Author:** ![Noelq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noelq/32/16438_2.png) [@Noelq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noelq)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-calling-another-person/1026833/5 "2026-01-20T01:01:20Z")
Sounds like you’ve been blocked. If the other person has an IPhone, (1) if you go to Contacts, at the bottom should be a Blocked Contacts item, or (2) if you open up Voicemail, and go to the bottom, Blocked should be showing. I’ve had plenty of people do this accidentally. It could also be corrupted network settings. If you go to Settings, General, and Transfer/Reset phone, you can reset your network settings, and see if it fixes it. I don’t know about Android settings. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-calling-another-person/1026833/6 "2026-01-20T01:02:33Z")
It is a Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Android. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-calling-another-person/1026833/7 "2026-01-20T17:38:29Z")
My wife has experienced this problem with my cousin. We are all best friends. My cousin came here for Christmas. My Wife is not blocked. The three of us have tried to figure it out. We are all on Android, but my wifes phone is not a Samsung. It’s some Google phone or something. But that’s just hardware. It should work. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-calling-another-person/1026833/8 "2026-01-20T17:44:00Z")
I just noticed something: When I call this person, and this person only, the phone will ring a few times, then it sounds like it switches to a slightly different and fuzzier ringing for a couple of times, then someone picks up and says “You have reached the voicemail. Please leave a message after the beep. If you would like AI, call this number.” I think I will contact someone else and see if they get the same results when _they_ call her. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-calling-another-person/1026833/9 "2026-01-20T17:48:25Z")
Sounds very much like the other phone is auto-switching you to caller “verification” or something similar. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-calling-another-person/1026833/10 "2026-01-20T17:49:24Z")
Is the offer for me to get AI part of that message usually? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-calling-another-person/1026833/11 "2026-01-20T18:12:13Z")
Sorry, I mistyped what happened at the end of the recording. the offer to get my own AI didn’t happen until after I pressed the # key, as instructed, to hang up. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-calling-another-person/1026833/12 "2026-01-20T18:43:45Z")
My son just tried to call her and got the exact same result, down to the offer after the message was left and the # key was pressed, with an offer to get his own AI if he went to a specific website. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-calling-another-person/1026833/13 "2026-01-20T21:03:26Z")
Are you or your son in this person’s contact list? My iPhone on ATT service is set to send anyone not in the contacts list to voicemail. And if you’re not blocked, is your number perhaps marked as spam? ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-calling-another-person/1026833/14 "2026-01-20T21:04:57Z")
She might need to go to her phone company’s store or kiosk and see if she’s missing an update or has a corrupted component. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2026, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/problem-calling-another-person/1026833/15 "2026-01-20T21:43:11Z")
We are in her contact list, we are not blocked.