Do Not Disturb — Without Missing Real Leads

You want peace and quiet — but not at the cost of a new customer. The trick is to let a short list of important people ring through, and have everyone else captured automatically instead of hitting a dead end.

How it works

Do Not Disturb silences calls — it doesn’t hang up on them. A silenced call still rings (quietly, at the network) for the usual few seconds, then follows your "divert when unanswered" setting. So the recipe is two parts:

  1. Allow your VIPs in Do Not Disturb so they ring out loud and you can answer.
  2. Set a no-answer divert so every silenced (non-VIP) call rolls over to your capture number.

Result: family, your boss, or your best client get through; everyone else is text-backed in seconds.

On iPhone (Focus / Do Not Disturb)

Step 1 — let the right people through:

  1. Open Settings → Focus → Do Not Disturb.
  2. Tap People → Allow Calls From → choose Favourites (or "Allowed People").
  3. Optional: turn on Allow Repeated Calls so a second call within three minutes always rings — handy for genuine emergencies.
  4. Add people to Favourites in the Phone app, or set Emergency Bypass on a contact to always let them through.

Step 2 — divert the rest: set a no-answer divert from the iPhone forwarding guide — dial **61*[number]#.

On Android

Step 1 — let the right people through:

  1. Open Settings → Notifications → Do Not Disturb (on Samsung: Settings → Notifications → Do Not Disturb).
  2. Under Calls (or People → Calls), choose Starred contacts or Contacts.
  3. Optional: turn on Repeat callers so a second call from the same person within 15 minutes rings through — useful for genuine emergencies.
  4. Star your important people in the Contacts app so they count as priority.

Step 2 — divert the rest: set a "when unanswered" divert from the Android forwarding guide — or dial **61*[number]#.

Good to know: a divert set with **61* applies whether or not Do Not Disturb is on — so you can leave it in place permanently and just flick Do Not Disturb on when you need quiet.

Quiet for you, answered for them

Point your no-answer divert at your Call2SMS number. While you’re heads-down, every silenced caller gets an instant, friendly text back — we find out who they are and what they need, and drop the lead onto your phone for when you surface.

See Call2SMS plans