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I Can Never Get To My Iphone Before It Goes To Voicemail!!!

Hi guys!  This is actually a re-post of an article done by Macgirl out of Massachusetts in 2007.  This technique still holds true today so I thought that I might include it in a blog post.  Here is the post from Macgirl …

How to change how long your iPhone rings before calls go to voicemail

I had changed this setting on a previous phone years ago and wanted to make sure I had the longest setting possible on my iPhone since it sometimes takes me a while to dig it out of my purse. I can’t take full credit for these instructions, having found them on an old Cingular users forum, but I have updated them to be specific for the iPhone on AT&T.

You can choose between 5 and 30 seconds in increments of 5 (5, 10, 15, etc.). I haven’t tried anything longer than 30 seconds. I have confirmed that this works by setting it for 30 seconds, then 10 seconds, then 30 seconds, and testing it each time by calling my iPhone and timing how long it rings before going to voicemail.

First, you’ll need to know your voicemail access number. The easiest way to get this is to dial *#61# and then press Call on your iPhone’s keypad. The first block of text you’ll see on the screen that comes up will be:

Setting Interrogation Succeeded
Voice Call Forwarding
When Unanswered
Forwards to +1XXXXXXXXXX Enabled

Where +1XXXXXXXXXX is shown as an actual number – write this number down because you’ll need it in the next steps. You can ignore the rest of the text that is shown for the purposes of this exercise.

To change how long your iPhone rings, dial *61*+1XXXXXXXXXX*11*tt# where +1XXXXXXXXXX is the number you wrote down from the first step above and tt is the length of time in seconds for which you want your iPhone to ring. To get the + sign to show up, hold down the 0 key for a couple of seconds and release it when it turns into the + sign in the readout above. Then press Call.

You may be able to go longer than 30 seconds – I have not tested it to see if it even works, but it may cause some of your plan minutes to be used even if you don’t answer the phone, so beware.

To give you an example, I dialed *61*+12537094017*11*30# then pressed Call to change my iPhone ring to last 30 seconds. After this, assuming you’ve entered everything correctly, you’ll see the following message:

Setting Activation Succeeded
Voice Call Forwarding
When Unanswered

That’s it! Enjoy!

PS:  If this doesn’t work with your particular phone another commenter on the blog mentioned that you may also call your mobile provider and ask for extended ringing.  Hope this helps some of you who may have wondered how to accomplish this task.

PBX Versus Custom Telephony Solutions (VOIP)

What exactly are PBX and Custom Telephony (VOIP) systems? Back in the olden days, if you wanted a telephone, you only had one option. That option was to call the only telephone company that existed and wait for an installation of a land line.  It was understood that this was the method of the time and no one questioned it.  My how times have changed!  There are options everywhere to choose from when it comes to voice communications.

Today, there are the options of wireless cell phones, broadband computer access, as well as landlines. Our phones carry the ability to have call waiting, phone conferencing, caller I.D., three-way calling, remote voicemail, digital cameras and believe it or not that is just the tip of the iceberg. Today everything that you can do from your office phone you can also do from your cell phones.  Yes … everything and then some.  This is made possible because business are no longer limited to simple PBX systems in their office but have the ability to use the internet to communicate with systems like Switchvox offered by Digium and ABC IT Solutions.

Let’s first start by clearing up what these systems are.  PBX stands for Private Branch Exchange. This is a telephone system that businesses often use. With this system, phone calls would come into the office building and then would be routed to various extensions of departments and employees. There are actual physical lines running to the building from the local utility company, as well as lines running to each phone extension. There is a main control panel which is wired into the office building, as well. With this methodology, there is fairly extensive maintenance and upkeep necessary to keep the system up and running.  To top it off, users are tied to their desk if they are expecting a call.  Unless you pay extensive licensing fees you simply must wait to retrieve your voicemail when you get back to your desk.   In today’s world, everyone wants an answer now and if they can’t get it they move on.  Sometimes to a different company.  For many years, the analog/digital PBX was the cutting edge in technology. Today, advancements in technology have created a shift to the VOIP system.

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