The world recently crossed the 8 billion mark in population density. This means that if you are calling your friend at any given time, there is a semi-probability of them being busy or not picking up. If you are an iPhone user, you may have come across a User Busy message displaying on the call screen at times, when you are unable to reach your friend.

In this article, we will expand upon what is the meaning behind User Busy and why this message is displayed only for iPhone users.

Also read: What does Wireless Caller mean?

Indications to heed

There can be many reasons why you are unable to reach the person when you are calling from your iPhone. Some users have reported that when User Busy shows up, they’re call recipients never received a call. Hence, you can never really know if the problem is with your network coverage, carrier, your iPhone, or the recipient’s phone. In the following section, we have summarised a few issues and fixes that you can try to see if you are able to get through to your recipient.

Carrier related issues

• Your network area is busy as there is an overload due to heavy call traffic.
• Your network carrier is undergoing some maintenance work which has caused a network outage.
• Due to some issues or unpaid bills of yours or your recipient that may have led to your or their account getting blocked.

When this happens, you can contact your specific network carrier and resolve the issue. In case, you are facing problems even after this, the call issue might be due to your recipient’s carrier. Check and pay any overdue or pending bills that you have.

Recipient issues

If you are unable to reach your friend, relative, or acquaintance and you are being directed to the voicemail every time you call, it might be due to:

• The recipient’s phone is switched off.
• The recipient’s phone is on one of the multiple Focus modes provided by the iPhone.
• The recipient’s phone is on Airplane Mode.
• The recipient has blocked you on their phone.
• The recipient has opted to silence unknown callers.

If the recipient has enabled Driving or Do Not Disturb focus mode, then you will not be able to reach them regardless of how many times you call. However, if your number is not saved on their phone and they have turned on Silence Unknown Callers, the recipient will not be notified of your call. If this is the case, then the recipient can also decline the call as they do not recognise your phone number.

Network issues

If you or your recipient is having network coverage issues, try getting in a better spot. Proper connectivity ensures smooth communication. If you want to remove your network settings entirely if you want to switch, then go to Settings -> General -> Transfer or Reset iPhone -> Reset option -> Reset Network Settings. If this does not work, you can also try removing and reattaching, or replacing your SIM card.

Software update

You can try updating your phone and also ask your recipient to do the same. Any updates to the phone app will be taken care of in the system update. By updating to the latest version of iOS, you can use new features and apps unhindered.

Also read: How to create a custom ringtone for iPhone?