Voice notifications going straight to voicemail

Problem

xMatters sends a voice notification, but it doesn't seem to reach your device. Either the phone doesn't ring, the notification goes straight to voicemail, or the notification log indicates that the call connected and was disconnected before playback was complete.

Environment

All versions of xMatters

Resolution

The voice notification is typically blocked or redirected before it can ring your device. To make sure you receive notifications from xMatters, check the following:

In xMatters (all devices):

• Confirm the phone number configured as your voice device in your xMatters profile is correct.
• Verify which number is used for voice calls versus SMS/mobile notifications, and update the correct device entry if the number is in the wrong field.
• Review the order of your devices/contact methods so that voice is attempted when you expect (for example, Work Phone before other methods).
• Send yourself a test notification from your xMatters device list to confirm the device can receive voice calls and SMS. (If calls are blocked, test calls may also go straight to voicemail.)
• If you have an alternate phone number or carrier, add it as another device and test to see whether that number receives calls as expected. This can help determine if the issue is specific to one carrier or device.
• Review the xMatters event and delivery logs for the alert to see whether the voice provider reported a successful connection, a failure, or that the call reached voicemail.

For Android devices:

• Add the xMatters caller ID number to your contacts list.
• Review the device's blocked numbers or call-blocking settings to see if the xMatters caller ID number is listed. If it is, remove it from the list.
• Temporarily disable any Caller ID and spam protection or call-filtering features (including third-party call-blocking apps), then test again. To learn how to do this, click here.
• Check whether Do Not Disturb is enabled and, if so, whether calls from your xMatters contact entry are allowed to ring through.
• Try restarting the phone. Sometimes it's just a temporary condition that can be solved by reconnecting to the provider.

For iOS devices:

• Add the xMatters caller ID number to the device contacts list.
• Turn off Silence Unknown Callers.
  
  
• Temporarily disable apps which filter or detect spam calls or adjust their settings to permit calls from the xMatters contact. For more information, click here.
• Check whether Do Not Disturb or Focus modes are enabled and, if so, whether calls from your xMatters contact entry are allowed.
• Try restarting the phone. Sometimes it's just a temporary condition that can be solved by reconnecting to the provider.

With your carrier:

• If calls in the xMatters log show as connected or rejected but your phone never rang, contact your carrier to confirm they are not blocking or filtering the xMatters caller ID number as suspected spam.
• Ask your carrier to remove any spam- or fraud-protection blocks for the xMatters caller ID number if one is in place.
• If possible, note the approximate date and time of a recent missed notification so the carrier and xMatters Support can investigate the call path.

If you're still having issues after completing these steps, collect the incident or event ID and the approximate time of the missing call, and then Contact Support.

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