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 or browser is silencing calls, your internet connection is unstable, or call forwarding isn't properly enabled.
This guide walks you through each possible cause. It applies to both the Beside mobile app and 📖 Beside on the web at app.beside.com. Items specific to one surface are flagged inline.
First: where should the call ring?
Before troubleshooting, identify which line the caller dialed. The fix depends on this.
Situation A - They called your Beside number directly.
In this case, the call arrives in Beside and rings inside whichever Beside surface you have open (the mobile app or the web app tab). Your regular phone dialer will never ring, that's by design.
If Beside isn't ringing, the issue is usually with AI Receptionist settings, Business Hours, ring count, or app or browser notifications. → Jump to the sections below.
Situation B - They called your primary (carrier) number, and you have call forwarding to Beside enabled.
The call is forwarded by your carrier to your Beside number, then rings in Beside. Again, your regular phone dialer won't ring, Beside handles the call.
If Beside isn't ringing, check the same settings as Situation A.
If the call never reaches Beside at all, the issue is with call forwarding or your carrier. → Jump to Fix call forwarding issues.
💡 Good to know: With Beside, incoming calls always ring inside Beside - not on your regular phone dialer. This is normal behavior and lets the AI Receptionist take over when you don't pick up.
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 mobile app, or on the web from Settings, then Phone Numbers under Workspace, then click your line and open the General tab
Verify or reset call forwarding directly with your carrier
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 Beside mobile 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.
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 the Beside mobile app → go to Settings. If you have multiple lines, select the line you want to review first. Scroll down to Notifications → tap Set Business Hours.
On iPhone
Toggle Set Business Hours on or off, then review the day selector (Every day, Week days, or Custom) and the hours set for each active day.
On Android
Toggle Schedule Notifications on or off, or review your selected days and hours.
On Beside on the web
Go to app.beside.com
Click Settings in the sidebar, then Phone Numbers under Workspace
Select the line you want to review
Open the Business Hours tab
Review the day selector (Every day, Week days, or Custom) and the hours for each active day
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 - mobile
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
Adjust the ring count - Beside on the web
Go to app.beside.com
Click AI Receptionist in the left sidebar
Select the line from the dropdown at the top of the page
Click Phone Calls under Channels
Under Scope, click the Answers after dropdown and pick a higher ring count (or Direct to Receptionist for instant pickup)
Changes save automatically.
Device or browser settings silencing calls
On mobile
Check the following settings on your phone to make sure none of them are intercepting calls:
⚠️ Most common cause on iPhone: Screen Unknown Callers
This is one of the most frequent reasons iPhone calls don't ring, especially after an iOS update. When active, calls from numbers not saved in your Contacts are silenced or screened before your phone rings - which affects most business calls coming through your AI Receptionist, since clients usually aren't saved contacts. Apple may also enable this automatically when prompted during iOS updates.
iOS 26 and later: Settings → Apps → Phone → Screen Unknown Callers. Set it to Never so all unknown calls ring normally.
iOS 18 and earlier: Settings → Phone → turn Silence Unknown Callers off.
Also check the following:
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
🤖 Android: Open the Phone app → Settings → Caller ID & spam (exact name varies by device). Disable any automatic spam filtering or "Silence unknown callers" option if enabled.
On Beside on the web
If calls are not ringing when app.beside.com is open, check the following:
Browser notification permission - Beside needs permission to show notifications. Check the site permissions icon in the address bar.
System Do Not Disturb / Focus mode - if your computer is in Do Not Disturb or a Focus mode, browser notifications may be silenced.
System volume - make sure your computer is not muted.
Tab must be open - the web app only rings when the tab is open in your browser. If you want calls to ring even when the browser is closed, keep the mobile app installed as well.
Unstable internet connection
Beside relies on a strong and stable internet connection for calls. If your connection is weak, calls may fail to ring or drop immediately.
Mobile: switch between Wi-Fi and mobile data
Beside on the web: switch to wired Ethernet if possible, or move closer to your router
Restart your router
Move to a location with better signal
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. Increase the ring count from the AI Receptionist settings - on mobile (AI tab → 📞 Phone → Scope) or on the web (AI Receptionist → Phone Calls → Scope → Answers after).
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. Review your schedule from the Beside mobile app (Settings → Notifications → Set Business Hours) or on the web (Settings → Phone Numbers under Workspace → click your line → Business Hours tab).
Calls don't ring in my browser tab. What should I check?
Calls don't ring in my browser tab. What should I check?
The web app only rings when the tab is open. Also check: browser notification permission for app.beside.com, your computer's Do Not Disturb / Focus mode, and system volume. If you want calls to ring when your browser is closed, keep the Beside mobile app installed alongside.
My phone doesn't ring even though I'm not on Do Not Disturb. What else could it be?
My phone doesn't ring even though I'm not on Do Not Disturb. What else could it be?
On iPhone, check Settings → Apps → Phone → Screen Unknown Callers. If this is set to Ask Reason for Calling or Silence, calls from any number not saved in your Contacts won't ring - regardless of your Do Not Disturb settings. This is a common cause of missed business calls since most clients aren't saved contacts. Set it to Never to have all unknown calls ring normally.
Apple may also enable this automatically when prompted during iOS updates, so it's worth re-checking after each update. On older iOS versions (iOS 18 and earlier), the equivalent setting is Settings → Phone → Silence Unknown Callers - make sure it's off.
I turned off Screen Unknown Callers but I'm worried about spam calls now - what are my options?
I turned off Screen Unknown Callers but I'm worried about spam calls now - what are my options?
Good news: you don't have to choose between missing real clients and drowning in spam. Beside has a few ways to filter unwanted calls without blocking new customers:
Silence Unknown Callers (in Beside) - routes numbers not in your Beside contacts to your AI Receptionist instead of ringing your phone. Unlike the iPhone setting, known contacts still ring and all calls stay visible in your call log.
AI Receptionist scope - set your AI to answer only missed calls from unsaved numbers, so new clients are still captured but screened.
Block specific numbers - use your phone's native block feature for known repeat offenders.
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 Beside mobile app.
A friend told me they called me from their Beside app on my personal number, and it didn't ring in my Beside app. Why?
A friend told me they called me from their Beside app on my personal number, and it didn't ring in my Beside app. Why?
That's expected. Beside only routes calls placed to a Beside number. When someone calls your personal carrier number, the call goes through your carrier, not through Beside, even if both of you use Beside.
If you want calls to your personal number to ring in Beside, set up call forwarding from your carrier to your Beside number.