How do I make sure that the caller does not hear my mobile voicemail?

When you use Rinkel, you probably do not want your mobile voicemail pick up a phone call. If this happens, this can be because of multiple reasons. The best solution depends on your situation and preference. There is, however, one solution that is guaranteed to fix any and all issues with your mobile voicemail which we recommend.

Our advice: Switch off your mobile voicemail completely

By switching off your mobile voicemail, you're guaranteed to never have any issues with your mobile voicemail anymore.

How to deactivate your mobile voicemail differs per provider, though it's always an easy process. We recommend to check with your mobile operator what steps you'll have to take to turn it off.

If you don't want to turn off your personal mobile voicemail, and are looking to troubleshoot, we've listed other solutions below.

Solution 1: Make sure your number is reachable

Your mobile operator will always forward calls to your mobile voicemail if you have no signal.

Verify the phone number in the forwarding is reachable and you have signal.

If your phone number is reachable and your callers still hear your mobile voicemail, move on to solution 2, below.

Solution 2: Set your Rinkel voicemail to pick up earlier

It might be the case that your mobile voicemail picks up before your Rinkel voicemail has the chance to. It is most often the case when your forwarding duration is longer than 20 seconds.

Reduce the 'ring time' of your business voicemail. This means you reduce the time it takes before your callers are sent to voicemail.

Your mobile voicemail generally 'picks up' after ±23 seconds, so by default we set the ring time to 20 seconds. If you have changed your ring time in the past, your issue is more often than not a case of reducing your ring time. Not to worry - it is a very easy fix on iPhone, Android & your computer!

Change your ring time on desktop

1. Log in to My Rinkel and go to the Numbers page.

2. Click on the cog wheel on the left of the number you'd like to change the ring time of.

3. Change the number of seconds within the ring time block to anything below 20.
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Change your ring time on your iPhone

1. Open the My Rinkel app on your phone

2. Tap on Settings in the bottom right corner

3. Select Ring time and decrease the number in the field to anything below 20.

Change your ring time on your Android phone

1. Open the My Rinkel app on your phone

2. Tap on the three lines in the top left corner and tap Preferences

3. Select Ring time and decrease the number in the field to anything below 20.

After adjusting your ring time, test to see if your personal mobile voicemail no longer picks up and you hear your business voicemail.

If your personal voicemail picks up because you're already in a phone call, it means you most likely do not have 'Call Waiting' enabled. This causes your phone to reject the call, resulting in your operator to forward the call to your mobile voicemail. But not to worry, this too is an easy fix.

Solution 3: Enable the "Call waiting" feature on your phone

Please note: when you reject incoming calls, your callers might still be forwarded to voicemail. We advise you not to reject calls when your mobile voicemail is active.

Turn on Call Waiting on iPhone

1. Go to Settings, scroll down a bit and tap on Phone

2. Tap on Call Waiting and make sure the toggle is enabled

3. That's it!

Turn on Call Waiting on Android

1. Go to the Phone app (the same app you use to make outgoing calls with your personal phone number)

2. Tap the three vertical dots on the top right of your screen and go to Settings

3. In the drop-down menu, select Additional Services

4. Tap the switch next to Call Waiting and enable it.

5. That's it!

Have you gone through all of the steps, and still have callers tell you they hear your personal voicemail? Reach out to us in chat, and we'll dive into it together.

Why do my business callers hear my mobile voicemail?

Your mobile operator is in charge of what happens when you receive calls. This means that if your personal voicemail is active and your incoming call is rejected for example, your mobile operator will automatically forward this call to your mobile voicemail.

Our system cannot tell the difference between a person picking up or your personal mobile voicemail being played. It will always show as an answered call in My Rinkel, making it all the more important to make sure your business voicemail picks up before your personal voicemail does.

What is the ring time on my mobile voicemail?

The default ring time of your personal mobile voicemail is often ±23 seconds, though the actual duration may differ per provider. The ring time of your personal mobile voicemail can only be changed by your own provider.