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 your phone should ring and when notifications should be silenced.
📌 Good to know: Business Hours only controls ringing and notifications. It does not turn your AI Receptionist on or off - if the AI is enabled, it still answers calls outside Business Hours based on your scope settings.
On the web app
Go to app.beside.com
Open Settings, then Phone Numbers
Select your line
Open the Business Hours tab
Toggle Business Hours on, then pick how your hours apply (Every day, Week days, or Custom for different hours per day) and set your From → To time range for each active day
On the mobile app
Open the Beside mobile app → go to Settings
Select your line
then under Notifications tap Set Business Hours.
Pick how your hours apply (Every day, Week days, or Custom for different hours per day), set your From → To time range for each active day,
and tap Save.
Outside your Business Hours:
Your phone won't ring and notifications are silenced
If your AI Receptionist is enabled and the caller fits your scope, the AI still answers
Otherwise, calls go to voicemail
All calls are still logged in your line
Let the AI Receptionist handle all calls
If you want the AI to answer every call without your phone ringing, configure your AI Receptionist from the mobile app:
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.
📌 On the web app: you can also manage your AI Receptionist from app.beside.com under AI Receptionist in the sidebar.
Silence unknown callers
If you only want to stop calls from unknown numbers (not saved contacts), toggle Silence Unknown Callers. Unknown callers go straight to voicemail or your AI Receptionist without ringing; known contacts still ring normally.
You can toggle this from the web app (Settings → Phone Numbers → [line] → General → Compliance & Privacy) or from the mobile app (Settings → Notifications → Silence Unknown Callers).
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 on mobile. 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. DND on your phone does not affect the web app.
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 from the Beside mobile app
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 "Everyone" 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 on mobile, and close the Beside tab to stop calls ringing on the web app.
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 line 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?
Your phone won't ring and notifications are silenced. If your AI Receptionist is enabled and the caller fits your scope, the AI still answers - it works independently of Business Hours. Otherwise, calls go to voicemail. All calls are logged in your line.