How to Extend Ring Time on Android Before Voicemail

How long your Android phone rings before voicemail is set by your carrier, not by Android. On many networks you can change it by dialing a code in the Phone app: first dial *#61# to see your voicemail number and current ring time, then dial **61*voicemail number**seconds#, using 5 to 30 seconds. If the code doesn’t work, your carrier has to change it for you.

This guide covers checking your current ring time, setting a new one with the code, the alternate code some carriers expect, what to do when your carrier blocks codes, and the mistakes that can send your missed calls to the wrong place. The codes work from the Phone app on Samsung, Pixel and other Android phones, and the same codes work on iPhone.

Step 1: Check your current setting

1. Open the Phone app and tap the keypad. If each key beeps as you type the code, you can turn off the dial pad tones on your Android phone.
2. Dial *#61# and tap call.
3. Read the message that appears.

Result: a message shows where unanswered calls go (your voicemail number) and, on many networks, how many seconds the phone rings first. Write down the number exactly as shown, including any + sign and country code. You’ll need it in the next step.

If the message says “Not forwarded” or shows an error, your carrier may not support this code. Skip to if the code doesn’t work.

Step 2: Set a longer ring time

1. In the Phone app keypad, type **61*, then the voicemail number from step 1, then **, then the number of seconds, then #.
2. Use 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 or 30 seconds. Thirty is the longest the standard allows.
3. Tap call.

Result: after a few seconds you see a message that the setting was registered or that call forwarding was successful.

For example, if your voicemail number were +1 555 010 0000, you’d dial **61*+15550100000**30# for 30 seconds. That’s a made-up number, so use your own.

Step 3: Confirm the new ring time

Dial *#61# again.

Result: the message now shows your voicemail number and the new number of seconds. To test it, ask someone to call you and let it ring.

How the code works

These are standard network codes defined in the mobile industry spec 3GPP TS 22.030. 61 is the code for forwarding a call when you don’t answer. *# asks the network for the current setting, and ** registers a new one. The blank space between the two pairs of asterisks is the “service group,” and leaving it empty applies the setting to all call types.

Carriers don’t have to support these codes, so results vary.

Alternate code if the first one is rejected

Some networks want the voice-call service group filled in. In that case, put 11 (voice calls) between the asterisks: **61*voicemail number*11*seconds#. This is the format an AT&T support agent gave customers.

Carriers with a short voicemail number

Some carriers use a short voicemail number instead of a full phone number. Telstra in Australia, for example, tells customers to dial **61*101**seconds#, according to its ring time guide. Only use 101 if *#61# shows it, or your carrier tells you to.

Be careful with the number

• Use only your own voicemail number. This code sets where unanswered calls are forwarded. If you type the wrong number, missed calls go to that number instead of your voicemail.
• Don’t copy a number from a video or forum. Some guides suggest using a voicemail number someone else posted. If it isn’t your carrier’s number, your callers could end up somewhere else entirely.
• Don’t dial ##61#. In the standard, ## erases a setting, which can remove no-answer forwarding to voicemail completely.
• Check afterward. Dial *#61# to make sure the number and time are right.

If the code doesn’t work

• Ask your carrier. Some carriers, especially many US networks, don’t let you change the timer with codes. Contact support and ask them to change your “no answer” ring time. Verizon support has said its phones ring for a preset 30 seconds that agents can no longer change.
• Check your carrier’s app or voicemail settings. Some carriers put the ring time in their account app or visual voicemail settings.
• Look in the Phone app. On some phones you can view forwarding in Settings › Calls or Supplementary services › Call forwarding. Menu names depend on your phone maker, and not every phone shows the ring time there.
• Try the alternate code with *11* described above.

Seeing “Connection problem or invalid MMI code”? See how to fix a connection problem or invalid MMI code.

Changing your ringtone doesn’t change the timer

A longer or shorter ringtone changes what you hear, not how long the network waits before sending the caller to voicemail. If you want more time to answer, you need the code or your carrier.

Frequently asked questions

What is the maximum ring time before voicemail?

Thirty seconds. The standard allows 5 to 30 seconds in 5-second steps, and many carriers default to somewhere in that range.

Can I change the number of rings instead of seconds?

No. The network counts seconds, not rings. How many rings you hear in that time depends on your carrier’s ring tone pattern.

Does this work on iPhone?

Yes. The codes are handled by the carrier, so you dial them the same way in the iPhone Phone app.

How do I go back to the old ring time?

Dial the same code with the original number of seconds you noted in step 1, for example **61*number**20#.

Will this work on Wi-Fi Calling?

Telstra says its ring time setting still applies when you use Wi-Fi Calling, because the timer lives on the carrier’s network. Other carriers may differ, so test it with a call.

Related

To set up or check your voicemail, see how to check voicemail on Android. To free up space in your mailbox, see how to clear voicemail on Android.