You picked up your phone to call someone, but halfway through dialing their number, you changed your mind.
Now, you want to know what happens next. What happens if you call someone and hang up right away? Did the called party receive the call (or a notification) or not?
Typically, if you call someone and hang up right away, the outcome will be affected by a variety of different factors.
For instance, if the receiver’s phone was switched off or out of coverage and you hung up immediately, the call wouldn’t be registered. If you had stayed longer on the call, the operator will have let you know that the phone was off or out of coverage.
In this article, we will mainly be addressing what happens if you call an active phone and hang up immediately. Keep reading to learn more!
If You Call Someone and Hang Up Right Away, Does it Go Through?
If you call someone and hang up right away, it usually won’t go through – provided “right away” refers to less than five seconds!
Network providers usually take about five to ten seconds to process a call depending on the location. So, if you hang up within five seconds of placing the call, it usually won’t register on the caller’s phone.
Meanwhile, some phones like Samsung smartphones make a characteristic sound when a call connects successfully.
This sound can let you know whether or not the call went through. If you hang up before you hear that sound, it won’t register on the other end, either.
However, if you hear it and hang up following that, the call will register on the other party’s phone as a missed call.
Voice and video calls over VoIP software like WhatsApp, FaceTime, and Telegram are different because they are dependent on an internet connection.
This connection is usually instantaneous. For instance, if you have a strong internet connection, a WhatsApp call will go through immediately after you tap the “Call” icon.
If you place a WhatsApp call and hang up right away, the party you called will receive a missed call notification.
If the other person did not have an internet connection when you called, they would subsequently receive a notification once they connect to the internet.
How Many Rings Does It Take for a Phone Call to Go Through?
It usually takes one ring for a phone call to get through to the person you are calling. The first ring you hear may not register as a ring on the call receiver’s phone with some providers. The second ring usually gets the receiver’s phone to start ringing.
However, whether or not their phone rings, as long as you hear the first ring on your phone, the called party will receive a missed call notification.
So, if you ever received a missed call notification but didn’t hear your phone ring, the caller must have hung up immediately.
Accidental calls (“butt dials”) can occur to the best of us. However, instead of hanging up straight away and creating an awkward missed call, it may be better to stay on the call for a bit longer! You can always explain that the call was a mistake.
There have been many cases where people accidentally called 911 and hung up straight away.
However, what many don’t realize is that emergency operators like 911 call back when callers hang up. If the caller doesn’t respond to the call, they immediately send a welfare unit to the caller’s location.
So, instead of taking the time and resources from those who need help, it’s better to call the operator back and tell them that your call was a mistake.
Just keep in mind that you may be arrested and charged with criminal mischief if you repeatedly make “accidental” 911 calls!
Why Does My Phone Randomly Hang Up When I Call Someone?
Your phone can randomly hang up on a call if the network signal is weak, your phone needs a system upgrade, or there’s an issue with the SIM card.
Start by checking the network signal. If it is weak, you may need to change your location, remove and replace your SIM, or restart your phone. You may also want to check for software updates on your phone and install them.
iPhones can randomly end calls mid-conversation if they are overheated. Modern smartphones end calls and stop other processes when they are hot to prevent hardware damage.
So, what should you do in this case? Please turn off your phone, remove the case, and let it cool down for a while.
If none of these tips fix the issue, then you may need to call your network carrier or your phone’s customer care team for further help.
What Happens if You Call Someone and it Goes to Voicemail Immediately?
If you call someone and it goes straight to voicemail, they may have switched off their phone.
It’s also possible that the phone is in Airplane Mode, or that the person may have activated the “Do Not Disturb” feature and set their calls to go to voicemail for a while.
The other possible (but more unpleasant reason) is that you may have been blocked.
You may never know the exact reason until you get the chance to ask the person!
You can also try calling them using a different number. If it still goes straight to voicemail, then it is likely one of the initial reasons listed above.
However, if it goes through with a different number, then it’s unfortunately likely that the other party has blocked you.
The Bottom Line
When people make accidental calls, their instinct is to hang up immediately. The reason is that they hope the call won’t go through if they hang up quickly enough!
As a rule of thumb, the longer the period between when you dial a number and when you hang up, the more likely the call will go through.
Also, if you call someone and hang up after the first ring, they will receive a missed call notification.
There is a difference, however, with notifications through online calls such as WhatsApp calls. If you call someone and hang up even in a span of one second, the call receiver will still get a missed call notification due to how an internet connection works!