Have you ever wished you could disable the phone call feature on your cell phone without affecting your ability to send texts, use data, or access the internet? Sometimes, you may just want some peace and quiet but still need to use the data connection and internet access on your iPhone.
Thankfully, you can achieve this with the help of some workarounds we’ll discuss in this guide. Another advantage – although you won’t get any calls back to the phone itself, you’ll still be able to make outgoing calls.
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How Can I Make My Cell Phone Unreachable But Still Use the Internet?
In this guide, we’ll show you an alternative technique as there isn’t a way to simply turn off the phone feature on a smartphone. This makes use of call forwarding to do one of the following:
- Route all incoming calls either to an inactive number. This brings complete isolation, making it appear as though your phone has been turned off or is no longer accepting calls
- Send all incoming calls to voicemail. This is preferable because people can still leave you voicemails and you can still check them to see if they’re important.
This approach is different from just switching to Airplane Mode, which disables internet access and effectively converts your phone into a mere device with no way to communicate with the outside world. It bars unwanted calls while maintaining cellular data consumption.
Here’s how to set it up:
Step 1: Finding your cell phone operator’s missed call alert numbers is the first step. Check your phone’s Settings >> Call settings >> Call forwarding to see if you’ve already enabled this option. Normally, the “call forwarding when not reachable” option will include the missed call alert number.
Please get in touch with your carrier or network service provider if you don’t find the missed call alert number or how to set up missed call alerts. You will need that information to proceed.
Step 2: Proceed to the “Call forwarding” Menu after receiving the missed call alert number to set up your phone to reject incoming calls. You’ll find the Call Settings option by going to the Settings or Call menu.
You may access the Call Forwarding option from the Call settings menu. You should see the missed call alert number listed under the Forward When Unreachable option in the Call Forwarding menu. Please take note of this number because you will need it in the following stage.
Step 3: You have the choice to pick the “Call forwarding unconditionally” option or the “Always forward” option from the Voice call forwarding page. In the “Always Forward” text area, enter the missed call alert number that your service provider has provided.
Enter the number from the previous menu window if you have already signed up for the missed call alert service. Make sure the forward indicator appears on your notification panel, then save and exit your settings.
Any incoming calls won’t be able to reach your cell phone once you’ve completed the aforementioned steps. You may freely browse the internet and make outgoing calls, so there’ll be no need to worry about that. You’ll now start receiving alert messages for each missed call.
Note that these instructions work for both Android smartphones and iPhones, although there may be slight variations depending on the device in question. By repeating the aforementioned steps, you’ll also be able to deactivate call forwarding whenever you please.
Alternative Option – Airplane Mode + Wi-Fi
The easiest way to make your cellphone unavailable is to set it to flight or airplane mode. It will successfully let the caller know that you’re not available while giving them the impression that there might be a network problem or another technical problem with the phone.
The downside of this method is that you won’t be able to connect to the internet. However, what you can do in this situation is to use your Wi-Fi since it will be unaffected by airplane mode. You’ll still be able to browse the internet as you please, but no calls will come in through your service provider.
In summary, everyone needs a break from phone calls once in a while, so it’s normal to look for a solution that works effectively to help you catch a break.
Try the tips and suggestions we’ve provided in this guide and you should be able to avoid calls for as long as you want without compromising internet access.