Post by High Priestess on Apr 28, 2017 0:18:45 GMT
Here's an offtopic post which has some helpful info for those who like me, are finding that not only can you not answer your own phone anymore, due to the large number of robocalls, but also you are very often annoyed by the large number of times your phone rings, interrupting you in whatever you're doing.
In my case I have a business phone number that is associated with my (non-Airbnb) business, and I literally get a dozen or more robocalls per day, while I get less than one call a day which is an actual business call. So as you can imagine, I really do not need to hear the phone ring! It's most annoying when I'm actually on the phone with someone and the phone is ringing with a robocaller calling in.
This website gives info about how you can STOP incoming phone calls to your phone. You can preserve the ability to make outbound calls, while sending incoming calls either to your voicemail, or , if you don't want even that, send them to a random nonexistent phone number.
osxdaily.com/2013/05/08/turn-off-phone-calls-keep-data-iphone/
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Here follows the instructions given in the article:
Ever wished you could turn off the phone call portion of your iPhone, while still retaining the ability to use data, access the internet, or send texts? You can do that with a workaround we’ll cover here, and it’s an amazing solution if you’re looking for some peace and quiet but in a situation where you still need to use your iPhones data connection and internet access. The other benefit? You can still make outbound phone calls, you just won’t receive any phone calls back to the iPhone itself.
There’s no way to directly turn off just the phone portion of an iPhone, so instead we’ll use an alternate method to get the job done. This utilizes call forwarding to automatically send all incoming calls to either a nonexistent number (bringing total isolation, your phone will appear as if it has been turned off or is no longer accepting calls), or send all calls automatically to voicemail (this is better, because people can still leave you voicemail and you can still check them to see if it’s important).
Maintaining cellular data usage is why this trick differs from just toggling AirPlane Mode, which turns off internet functionality and basically makes an iPhone into an iPod touch that is unable to reach the outside world at all. Do Not Disturb is different too, because although data usage remains intact, Do Not Disturb basically just mutes the phone and doesn’t actually prevent inbound calls from coming through to the phone, they are just silenced when the feature is on.
1a: Find the Voice Mail Number
Each mobile phone number has an entirely separate unique phone number specifically for voice mail, that is what we’re going to retrieve here:
Open the phone app on the iPhone and dial *#67# then hit Call
Ignore all the “Setting Interrogation Succeeded Voice Call Forwarding” stuff and just pay attention to the number following “Forwards to” – this is the voice mail number
Jot the voice mail number down somewhere you can easily retreive it, or take a screenshot (Power+Home button concurrently)
This is what this two-step process will look like, the resulting voice mail number has been blurred out for obvious reasons:
Or you can go the alternate route and find a number that isn’t real or is out of service.
1b: Alternatively, Find a Non-Existent Phone Number
Would you rather your iPhone sound as if it’s been disconnected or is no longer accepting calls? That’s easy, you just need to locate a phone number that doesn’t actually exist. Typically, any random area code followed by 555-5555 works, but you’ll want to call the number yourself first to be sure it’s not actually a real number.
If you’re feeling funny, you could even forward your phone number to some weird service, 800 number, the person who is calling you nonstop and annoying you, or someone else… you get the idea, but that’s not what we’re covering here.
2: Forward Inbound Calls to the Voice Mail or Nonexistent Phone Number
We’ve discussed the the how to use the iPhone’s call forwarding feature before, and if you’re familiar go ahead and jump to it, otherwise here’s what you’ll need to do:
Open Settings, then go to “Phone”
Choose “Call Forwarding” and flip it ON
Tap “Forward to” and enter the number in the prior step, whether it’s the voicemail number from *#67# or the disconnected number
Exit out of Settings
Note about Call Forwarding for Verizon users: Verizon users often don’t have the “Call Forwarding” option built into iOS as described above. Instead, dial *72 followed by the phone number to forward to. You can then dial *73 at a later time to disable call forwarding and return to normal.
You can always double-check the trick is functioning as intended by calling your number from someone else’s phone or by calling yourself from Skype or Google Voice. If you chose the voicemail option, the iPhone will appear as if it has been turned off or is out of service area and instead goes directly to your voice mail box, without you having to manually send each call there yourself. If you chose the nonexistent number option, the iPhone will appear as if the phone number is no longer in service at all as if it was canceled.
You’ll know this is working because you’ll see the little Call Forward icon in the iOS menu bar, it looks like an old fashioned phone handset with an arrow pointing out of it.
In my case I have a business phone number that is associated with my (non-Airbnb) business, and I literally get a dozen or more robocalls per day, while I get less than one call a day which is an actual business call. So as you can imagine, I really do not need to hear the phone ring! It's most annoying when I'm actually on the phone with someone and the phone is ringing with a robocaller calling in.
This website gives info about how you can STOP incoming phone calls to your phone. You can preserve the ability to make outbound calls, while sending incoming calls either to your voicemail, or , if you don't want even that, send them to a random nonexistent phone number.
osxdaily.com/2013/05/08/turn-off-phone-calls-keep-data-iphone/
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Here follows the instructions given in the article:
Ever wished you could turn off the phone call portion of your iPhone, while still retaining the ability to use data, access the internet, or send texts? You can do that with a workaround we’ll cover here, and it’s an amazing solution if you’re looking for some peace and quiet but in a situation where you still need to use your iPhones data connection and internet access. The other benefit? You can still make outbound phone calls, you just won’t receive any phone calls back to the iPhone itself.
There’s no way to directly turn off just the phone portion of an iPhone, so instead we’ll use an alternate method to get the job done. This utilizes call forwarding to automatically send all incoming calls to either a nonexistent number (bringing total isolation, your phone will appear as if it has been turned off or is no longer accepting calls), or send all calls automatically to voicemail (this is better, because people can still leave you voicemail and you can still check them to see if it’s important).
Maintaining cellular data usage is why this trick differs from just toggling AirPlane Mode, which turns off internet functionality and basically makes an iPhone into an iPod touch that is unable to reach the outside world at all. Do Not Disturb is different too, because although data usage remains intact, Do Not Disturb basically just mutes the phone and doesn’t actually prevent inbound calls from coming through to the phone, they are just silenced when the feature is on.
1a: Find the Voice Mail Number
Each mobile phone number has an entirely separate unique phone number specifically for voice mail, that is what we’re going to retrieve here:
Open the phone app on the iPhone and dial *#67# then hit Call
Ignore all the “Setting Interrogation Succeeded Voice Call Forwarding” stuff and just pay attention to the number following “Forwards to” – this is the voice mail number
Jot the voice mail number down somewhere you can easily retreive it, or take a screenshot (Power+Home button concurrently)
This is what this two-step process will look like, the resulting voice mail number has been blurred out for obvious reasons:
Or you can go the alternate route and find a number that isn’t real or is out of service.
1b: Alternatively, Find a Non-Existent Phone Number
Would you rather your iPhone sound as if it’s been disconnected or is no longer accepting calls? That’s easy, you just need to locate a phone number that doesn’t actually exist. Typically, any random area code followed by 555-5555 works, but you’ll want to call the number yourself first to be sure it’s not actually a real number.
If you’re feeling funny, you could even forward your phone number to some weird service, 800 number, the person who is calling you nonstop and annoying you, or someone else… you get the idea, but that’s not what we’re covering here.
2: Forward Inbound Calls to the Voice Mail or Nonexistent Phone Number
We’ve discussed the the how to use the iPhone’s call forwarding feature before, and if you’re familiar go ahead and jump to it, otherwise here’s what you’ll need to do:
Open Settings, then go to “Phone”
Choose “Call Forwarding” and flip it ON
Tap “Forward to” and enter the number in the prior step, whether it’s the voicemail number from *#67# or the disconnected number
Exit out of Settings
Note about Call Forwarding for Verizon users: Verizon users often don’t have the “Call Forwarding” option built into iOS as described above. Instead, dial *72 followed by the phone number to forward to. You can then dial *73 at a later time to disable call forwarding and return to normal.
You can always double-check the trick is functioning as intended by calling your number from someone else’s phone or by calling yourself from Skype or Google Voice. If you chose the voicemail option, the iPhone will appear as if it has been turned off or is out of service area and instead goes directly to your voice mail box, without you having to manually send each call there yourself. If you chose the nonexistent number option, the iPhone will appear as if the phone number is no longer in service at all as if it was canceled.
You’ll know this is working because you’ll see the little Call Forward icon in the iOS menu bar, it looks like an old fashioned phone handset with an arrow pointing out of it.
