I think I can do that with my ATT service. It's like a "I'm away" auto email response. Good for when you're in a meeting. Proably also happens when the phone is in airplane mode. Of course it could just be cocked-up.

meeting mode.

alternative: press red phone when it rings.

alternative: press red phone when it rings.

Right... Like, I don't want to talk to someone, I don't want their phone to ring and them to pick up, I want to dial directly into their voicemail? And that does it?

I don't think so. I think dabitch means the person being called can put you through to their voicemail by pressing the red phone button.

What you describe will also happen if the person you are calling has their phone turned off or has no mobile recption where they are. (Depending on their carrier's set up).

In Canada two phone companies I've dealt with have the option to send a message to someone if they're with the same company, bypassing calling them at all. I admit to using this option when I need to get some sort of information to somebody who may not check their email regularly, but don't actually want to talk to anyone.

But I know what shane's talking about. Sometimes my phone will BEEP with a new voicemail when it never rang once, even though I have it on my ring-normal setting.

I have no idea how that happens.

Rhapsodie, maybe your phone lost service? I know that if someone calls while my phone is on but without service, it goes straight to voicemail (for obvious reasons, I guess).

At least in the US, I don't think there's a voice option that allows someone to bypass another person's cell phone and go directly to their voicemail.

I think what happens is that someone will call you, and you will have spotty service, so it will go straight to voicemail. You won't know that you have spotty service, though because I think phones lie about how many bars they really have. They do this so you don't switch phone companies.

At least, that's my conspiracy theory...

When someone leaves me a voicemail, one of the options I hear is "return a call" and another is "return a message." If you do the message one, you get sent straight to vmail.
I don't know how to do it otherwise, but I am sure there is a way.

When someone leaves me a voicemail, one of the options I hear is "return a call" and another is "return a message." If you do the message one, you get sent straight to vmail.

I think that's the ticket. It seems likely that every time I've had a call go direct to voicemail, it was in response to a message I left in the caller's voicemail. Thanks.

At least in the US, I don't think there's a voice option that allows someone to bypass another person's cell phone and go directly to their voicemail.

If you share the same service provider, you can usually "send a voice message," at least with the two service providers I have had, which are Sprint and AT&T.

Huh. I never realized that. Thanks, peeps.