Sometimes you need a break from incoming calls - during a meeting, outside business hours, or just to focus. Beside offers several ways to temporarily pause or control incoming calls without missing anything important.
Set Business Hours to control when calls come through
The most common way to manage incoming calls is through Business Hours. This tells Beside when you're available and what happens to calls outside those hours.
Open the Beside mobile app
Go to Settings
Select your line
Then Under Notifications, go to Set Business Hours
Toggle ON and set your working hours for each day of the week
Outside your Business Hours:
Your phone won't ring
Calls go directly to voicemail (or your AI Receptionist if set to 24/7)
All calls are still logged in your Inbox tab
Let the AI Receptionist handle all calls
If you want the AI to answer every call without your phone ringing:
Go to Settings, then your line, then AI Receptionist
Under the Phone tab, set the scope to "Everyone"
Set the ring count to 0 (the AI picks up immediately)
This effectively disables ringing on your end while ensuring every caller is still handled by the AI.
Silence unknown callers
If you only want to stop calls from unknown numbers (not saved contacts):
Go to Settings, then your line
Scroll to Notifications
Toggle Silence Unknown Callers on
Unknown callers go straight to voicemail without ringing. Known contacts still ring normally.
Use your phone's Do Not Disturb mode
For a quick, temporary pause on all notifications (calls, texts, and push notifications), you can use your phone's built-in Do Not Disturb (DND) mode.
On iPhone: swipe down from the top-right and tap the crescent moon icon, or go to Settings, then Focus, then Do Not Disturb.
On Android: swipe down from the top and tap the DND tile, or go to Settings, then Sound, then Do Not Disturb.
⚠️ Important: When DND is active on your phone, you will not hear Beside calls ringing. Calls will still be received by Beside - your AI Receptionist or voicemail will handle them - but you won't get any notification until DND is turned off.
Exclude specific contacts from calling
If you want to block or silence calls from specific people, you can exclude them from your AI Receptionist and from ringing:
Open the conversation with the contact
Tap the + icon to the left of the message composer
Tap AI Receptionist
Adjust the settings for that specific contact
FAQ
Can I completely turn off incoming calls on Beside?
Can I completely turn off incoming calls on Beside?
There is no single "off switch" for incoming calls. The most effective approach is to set your AI Receptionist scope to "All calls" with a ring count of 0 - this sends every call directly to the AI without your phone ringing. Alternatively, use your phone's Do Not Disturb mode to silence all Beside notifications.
Will I still see missed calls if I'm in DND mode?
Will I still see missed calls if I'm in DND mode?
Yes. All calls are logged in your inbox tab regardless of your DND or Business Hours settings. You'll see the missed call entries and any voicemails or AI summaries once you check the app.
Can I pause incoming calls just for a few hours?
Can I pause incoming calls just for a few hours?
The easiest way is to use your phone's Do Not Disturb mode and turn it off when you're ready. You can also temporarily set your AI Receptionist to handle all calls with 0 rings, then revert the settings later. Beside does not have a built-in "pause" timer for calls.
What happens to calls when I'm outside my Business Hours?
What happens to calls when I'm outside my Business Hours?
Calls outside your Business Hours go to voicemail by default, or to your AI Receptionist if you've set it to "Always available." Your phone won't ring, but all calls are still logged.