For those of us with iPhones, reading the phone log can be interesting. I, for example, am astonished at the number of calls I get from someone called Scam Likely. Scam Likely is exceptionally mobile and apparently lives in virtually any city in the world that has a call center. I have discovered that I can block Mr. Likely by using the information button on the far right of the recent call. Scam Likely is not, however, the only unusual description you see in your call log.
What Does “Canceled Call “Mean?
In order to see a canceled call at all, you have to look for it. This designation doesn’t appear in the iPhone log of calls, Recents, like Scam Likely does. As you’ll see below, you have to go looking for canceled calls.
Canceled calls – you can find them on your iPhone, Facetime, telegram, Snapchat, and even Whatsapp. But what does the phrase mean? And does that meaning differ among phones and other systems?
iPhone
The primary meaning of “Canceled Call” in your iPhone phone log is that the person calling you didn’t finish the call. In other words, that person disconnected before you picked up the call. When you are the one who made the phone call, you can see this information by going into your phone app and selecting Recents.
Calls that you answered are black, missed incoming calls are red. Calls you dialed will show in black. Outgoing calls you make also have a handset icon with an arrow on the left-hand side.
When you complete a phone call and go into your Recents, select the small blue information icon on the far right of the call log. This selection will take you to a screen for that call showing the phone number and further explains the Recents entry or entries relating to that number. A completed call will show as “Outgoing call” with the time you made the call and the length of the call. A canceled call will only show the time.
The person you are calling will not see the canceled call described as that. Instead, it will show up as a missed call on their log. If you hang up before the first ring, it may not show up at all, though this is not guaranteed to be the case.
Other iPhone Meanings
Sometimes a canceled call designation appears where there was a network issue. If the recipient declines the call and it doesn’t go to voicemail, the call may also show as canceled. In other words, any incoming or outgoing call that doesn’t get answered and doesn’t go to voicemail will probably show as a canceled call.
Android
One place you do not see the canceled call is on your Android call log. Selecting the information on Recents on that phone will take you to more information. An Android phone’s Recents, however, makes no distinction between an outgoing call that the recipient answered and one that they disconnected without being answered. There are no canceled call designations.
Apps
In some systems like telegram seeing a canceled call message can mean that the device to which the call was made isn’t responding to requests to establish the call. If there’s no response from that device within 20 seconds, the system cancels the call. On the other hand, on Facetime, the message indicates that, for some reason, the system dropped the call. On Snapchat, a canceled call means that someone tried to contact you, and you chose not to answer. Snapchat calls appear on your Recents list and ring through your iPhone incoming call interface.
What a Canceled Call Isn’t
A canceled call on your iPhone does not mean that someone is blocking you or rejecting your calls. It also doesn’t mean that your call failed, although sometimes a call marked as Failed may, in fact, be a blocked call. Calls also fail to robocalling systems that aren’t designed to receive calls.
If you call a number that has blocked you, you hear only a single ring, after which you are immediately sent to voicemail. This single ring is the only cue that you have been blocked. You can leave a voice mail, but it won’t show as a voicemail to the recipient. Ordinarily, your phone will ring as many as a dozen times before going to voicemail. Or, if the phone is off, the call will go directly to voicemail with no rings. The one ring and voicemail is a pretty solid clue that you’re being blocked. Also, if you call a number and hear a recording that the number isn’t available, that probably means you’re being blocked.
If you want to go further with a potentially blocked number on your iPhone, try sending a text. Once you send the text, you’ll get one of two notices under your message: Delivered or Read. On the other hand, if you are blocked, there will be no notice of your message. However, this isn’t a definitive test for blocking because you’ll get the same lack of notice if the recipient’s phone is on Do Not Disturb. Once they turn their phone back on, you’ll get your notice if you aren’t blocked.
Canceled Call Is Visible
The canceled call shows on your log as a canceled call. For the person you called, it shows as a missed call. The person to whom you were making the call may find this a little strange. It’s probably something you want to avoid doing. Still, there are some legitimate reasons for canceling a call.
- You don’t have enough minutes for the call and hope that the recipient will wonder what’s going on and call you back. This strategy puts the call on that person’s minutes, not yours.
- You made a mistake. Sometimes we dial the wrong person or the wrong number and prefer not to talk to that person. Of course, the recipient may wonder about the call and call you back. If so, apologize for the wrong number or mistaken call and move on. The better move is to let them answer your call in the first place and apologize for your mistake.
- You may be having network issues. This condition is far rarer than you think, but it does happen. You try to make a call, it ends suddenly and shows as canceled. This disconnection can come from a network problem, or you may simply be in an area where your coverage is poor.
- Sometimes, very annoying people call a random number to see if it is available. If it rings, they hang up immediately. This one makes the caller look like a dolt, especially if the recipient calls back.
- You dialed manually and dialed the wrong number. Once again, the more courteous option is to let the person answer and tell them you dialed the wrong number. If you don’t, the odds are they will call back, and you’ll have to say to them that you dialed the wrong number. Better to save that step in the first place.
Declining a Call Is Not the Same as Canceling a Call
In a canceled call, the person making the call terminates it before the other person answers. It shows on the caller’s Recents as an outgoing call and in the details as a canceled call. For the person you are calling, it shows up as a missed call. When your phone is on, and you’re right there, it’s a little baffling to suddenly have a missed call when your phone didn’t ring. Consider staying on the line to apologize rather than canceling.
A declined call is, in contrast, in the hands of the recipient, not the caller. If the recipient manually declines your call, it will probably ring a couple of times and then go to voicemail. Note that this differs from being blocked, where there will be just one ring before going to voicemail. Some apps, like WhatsApp, will show call declined when the recipient disconnects your call after connecting. If the recipient never connected with the call, it will show as a call not answered.
Summing Up
To sum up, there are several ways that a call will not go through. Some are in your control, and some are in the control of the person you are calling. The canceled call is in your court and appears only as a missed call to the person you were calling. Blocking, declining, and not completing are all in the recipient’s court.
- A canceled call is a call that was disconnected before the recipient answered it. This interruption usually happens when the caller discovers a mistake or other reason not to complete the call. It can also occasionally result from a network or signal failure.
- A blocked call will ring once and go straight to voicemail. The recipient will not see your text or Facetime request either.
- A declined call occurs when the recipient hits the little red button or swipes up the screen of your call, and it goes straight to voicemail. You will probably hear two or three rings before that happens.
If your recipient’s phone is off or on Do Not Disturb, any call will go straight to voicemail with no rings at all.
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