If you have an iPhone, you are likely getting more than your fair share of unwanted calls. The good news is that you can silence and reject incoming calls. You can even send it straight to voicemail. But how can you do that?
Firstly, you need to know what the iPhone can do. There are a few ways to do it. First, there is the lock screen feature. This is a feature Apple designed to prevent people from accidentally accepting a call when the phone is locked in their pocket.
Second, there is the side button. On older models of the iPhone, this is the Sleep/Wake button. When the phone is unlocked, you can press it to silence the ringer, or simply swipe the banner announcing the call to the right. Alternatively, you can double tap the power button on your device to silence the ringer.
Finally, you can use your device’s microphone to announce an incoming call. It’s not a fancy feature, but it does the job. Similarly, you can respond to the same call using Siri. However, you can’t record a call on your iPhone. Thankfully, the same feature lets you place a call from your home screen.
As with all iPhone features, there are limits. For example, declining a call may not happen in all countries. In some areas, you won’t receive a message if you reject a call. However, in others, you can respond with a reminder. Fortunately, you can even place a call from your keypad.
The iPhone also has a feature that can show you the best way to handle an incoming phone call. This is actually a lot more than a small banner on the screen. While it can’t tell you the exact time and date of an incoming call, it can give you the option to answer the phone or decline it, depending on which is appropriate. Also, it will show you a slide-to-answer bar. That’s the one a phone would display if it had a touch screen.
There are a number of other features in the iPhone that can help you decide whether to accept a call or to reject it. From the big red button that lets you reject a call, to the power button that can silently send the call to your voicemail, there are a lot of options you should take advantage of.
Although it might seem like a petty request, there are times when you’ll want to silence a call. For instance, when you’re driving, and someone calls you with a question, you might not have time to answer. Alternatively, when you’re trying to make a quick business call, you’ll want to make sure you don’t accidentally take the call.
Using the iPhone to decline a call is not impossible, although you won’t be able to do so with any degree of accuracy. In fact, there are a few options that should be included in your next iOS update.
Photo by Mohammadreza alidoost on Unsplash
