Call screen of private numbers - If you don't take the call, it hangs up on them?

[PaulQ]

I have two call screening methods on my phone and I realized that the one I had been using was not ringing my phone after they entered their number. So, I decided to try the Pixel screening of unknown numbers.

At first, I thought it was cool. It asks the caller what they want then displays then in text when it rings the phone. The problem is, if you decide to reject the call (for example, you are in a meeting), it just tells them you aren't available and hangs up. It doesn't let them leave a message.

Oddly, if you just don't answer and let it ring (a really long time), it asks the caller if they'd like to leave a message.

Is your experience the same? I thought maybe it was my voicemail service but I don't think so.

 

[VidJunky]

What about flipping the device over to silence the ring? I don't know the Pixel but most devices have this setting. As far as I know it doesn't decline the call just silences the ringer. Also you mention the long delay between when it asks if they'd like to leave a message and when the device starts ringing, could you also set a ring limit? That is pretty basic on most answering services.

 

[PaulQ]

What about flipping the device over to silence the ring? I don't know the Pixel but most devices have this setting. As far as I know it doesn't decline the call just silences the ringer. Also you mention the long delay between when it asks if they'd like to leave a message and when the device starts ringing, could you also set a ring limit? That is pretty basic on most answering services.

Yes, flip to silence is an option. You gave me an idea to test what happens when I just reach for the phone which normally lowers the volume quite a bit. It worked but the phone kept vibrating for the very, very, very long time that it keeps ringing. Seriously... the phone timer read 1:47 when it finally disconnected the call. So, that was good in terms of killing the sound but not the vibrate.

Regarding the ring length, no options on that. The Pixel call screen doesn't have many options, but it normally works well.

I'm going to play around with silencing it. Although, that's just a work around. Swiping down on a call has never hung up on it before, always to voicemail. Pixel call screen is different.

 

[VidJunky]

It just occurred to me while thinking about this where you need to look. I had to do this the first time I set-up Google Voice. The ring limiter is in your voicemail settings. So when I got Google Voice for the first time I had to go into my stock voicemail app and set the ring limit to 15 or 20 rings (it may have been seconds but either way) so that my carrier voicemail didn't intercept the call before Google Voice could answer. Except for you it would be in reverse. I've been trying to figure out what makes the difference between swiping down and not swiping down and why would one go to voicemail and the other not. I'm betting if you disabled the app the phone would ring for just as long before going to VM. The difference being that if you disabled the app and swiped down without it the call would go to VM. With the app something gets screwy and it disconnects when you swipe down. Which is the real problem, but like we were talking some kind of work around might be better than nothing. So in your VM settings you set the ring to 5 or 6 rings (I'm pretty sure it was rings) then use the flip to silence and instead of a minute of ringing you only get 20 seconds or so. The question is will this give you enough time when you're not wanting to ignore the call to answer???


The only other thing I could think of would be replacing the dialer. The Play Store has several. Some just look pretty but others actually have features and functions. You might find one that silences the ringer stops the vibrations and maybe ignores the call differently than the stock dialer + App does???