When calls don't ring in Beside, the cause is almost always one of the following: your Business Hours or AI Receptionist settings are taking over, your device is silencing calls, your internet connection is unstable, or call forwarding isn't properly enabled.
This guide walks you through each possible cause.
Business Hours are blocking calls
If you've enabled Business Hours in Beside, calls and notifications will only ring during the days and hours you selected. Outside of those hours, Beside notifications are silenced - and if your AI Receptionist is enabled, it continues to handle calls for you.
Open Beside → go to Settings
If you have multiple lines, select the line you want to review first.
Scroll down to Notifications → tap Set Business Hours
Toggle Schedule Notifications on or off, or review your selected days and hours
AI Receptionist picking up too quickly
If your AI Receptionist is set to answer after only a few rings, your phone may ring very briefly - or appear not to ring at all - before the AI picks up. This is especially noticeable when your AI is set to answer after 0-2 rings with the scope set to all missed calls.
The call is ringing, but only for a very short time before your AI Receptionist answers, which can feel like the call never rang.
Adjust the ring count
Open Beside → go to the AI tab
On a 👥 Business plan, select the relevant line from the dropdown at the top left first.
In the 📞 Phone tab → under Scope:
On iPhone: tap Answers after
On Android: tap Rings before AI answers
Increase the number of rings so your phone rings longer before the AI picks up
Device settings silencing calls
Check the following settings on your phone to make sure none of them are intercepting calls:
Silence Unknown Callers - should be off
Focus / Do Not Disturb - should be off
Ringer volume - make sure it's not muted
Bluetooth devices - make sure audio isn't being routed to headphones
Calls not forwarded to Beside
Only applies if you're using Beside with your primary phone number via call forwarding.
If callers are dialing your primary number and calls aren't ringing in Beside, the issue is almost always that call forwarding isn't active at the carrier level - either it wasn't set up correctly, or it was disabled or reset by your carrier.
Confirm whether calls to your primary number reach Beside at all
Check your call forwarding setup inside the Beside app
Verify or reset call forwarding directly with your carrier
Unstable internet connection
Beside relies on a strong and stable Wi-Fi or mobile data connection for calls. If your connection is weak, calls may fail to ring or drop immediately.
Switch between Wi-Fi and mobile data
Restart your router
Move to a location with better signal
Testing calls from your own forwarded number
If you're forwarding your personal number to Beside and call your Beside number from that same number, the call may not ring. Beside detects this as a self-call and automatically ends it. This is expected behavior and does not indicate a configuration issue.
How to test correctly
Call your Beside number from a different phone number
Or use "Test Receptionist" in the app to simulate a real caller
💡 Good to know: If calls from other numbers ring or reach the AI Receptionist, everything is working as intended.
FAQ
Calls ring on my native phone app instead of Beside. What's wrong?
Calls ring on my native phone app instead of Beside. What's wrong?
This means call forwarding is not active at the carrier level. Your primary number is receiving calls directly instead of forwarding them to Beside.
Follow the steps in 📖 Fix call forwarding issues to reset your forwarding setup.
Calls ring for one second then stop. Is the AI Receptionist picking up?
Calls ring for one second then stop. Is the AI Receptionist picking up?
Yes, most likely. If your AI Receptionist is set to answer after 0-2 rings, it can pick up before you have a chance to. Go to the AI tab → 📞 Phone section → Scope, and increase the number of rings before the AI answers.
Calls ring fine during the day but not in the evening. Why?
Calls ring fine during the day but not in the evening. Why?
This is almost certainly your Business Hours setting. Beside silences calls and notifications outside the hours you've set.
Go to Settings → Notifications → Set Business Hours to review and adjust your schedule.
I tested by calling my Beside number from the same phone I forward from - it didn't ring. Is that normal?
I tested by calling my Beside number from the same phone I forward from - it didn't ring. Is that normal?
Yes. Beside treats this as a self-call and ends it automatically. Always test using a different phone number or use the "Test Receptionist" feature in the app.