Can't receive incoming calls
If incoming calls go straight to voicemail or never reach you, the cause is almost always one of: no open Ody tab, the softphone not connected, or the number routed somewhere other than the team.
Checks, in order
- Is an Ody tab open? The web softphone only rings while a signed-in tab is open (any screen). If everyone had closed the app, calls fall to voicemail — that's expected. On iPhone, the app must be open too.
- Check the softphone status. Open Calls and look at the pill next to the title. If it says Softphone · +1… with a green dot, you're registered. If it says Connecting… wait a moment; if Calling offline, Ody is already retrying every 30 seconds and shows a Calling is reconnecting… · Reconnect now pill at the bottom of every screen — click it to reconnect immediately, or refresh the tab. A tab left idle in the background overnight is the usual cause.
- Check the number's voice mode. In Settings → Numbers, read the label under the number. If it says Follows the work schedule, Voicemail, or Phone menu (IVR), calls are answered by the schedule, voicemail, or menu — not your team directly. Set the off-hours action or disconnect the AI if you expected ringing (see Number voice modes).
- Is the number assigned to one person? An assigned number rings only its assignee. Check the assignee dropdown on the number's card in Settings → Numbers.
- Is a ring order skipping you? With a sequential ring order, you ring only when it's your turn. Open Settings → Numbers → Ring order to review the order and the per-step ring duration.
- Close stale tabs. An Ody tab left open for many hours on another machine can hold a dead session that interferes with ringing for everyone. Close old tabs and refresh your current one. The same goes if a call attempt showed "Can't use your microphone" — fix the microphone (see Microphone permission issues) and reload the tab so it reconnects cleanly.
- Outside working hours? If the number follows the work schedule, off-hours calls go to the off-hours action (often voicemail or the AI). Check Settings → Work schedule.
- No ringtone but the banner shows? Browsers only play sound after you've interacted with the page — click anywhere in the tab once.
- It rings, you answer, and the call ends a second later (the caller says it never picked up)? That is a different problem with its own fix — see Call drops right after you answer.
- Calls started going straight to voicemail the day your team installed the Ody iPhone app on several phones with the same sign-in? A phone that reconnects while the call is ringing can refuse the call for everyone. Sign out of the iPhone app on every phone until the next app update — details in Call drops right after you answer.
If you did miss a call, the conversation in your Inbox shows a Missed call entry with a Call back button — one click returns the call from your Ody number.
If calls still fall straight to voicemail with a green softphone pill and an open tab, note the time of a test call and contact support — we can trace the exact call.
Callers hear "your call cannot be completed"
This is different from calls going to voicemail. If someone dialing your Ody number hears a recorded message like "your call cannot be completed as dialed" or "this number is not in service", the call was stopped by the phone network before it reached Ody, so:
- Nothing in your workspace causes it. Voice mode, ring order, work schedule, assignees and the AI receptionist only apply once a call reaches us. The checks above will not fix it, and you do not need to change any setting.
- Your number is not lost. It stays yours and keeps its settings, texts and history.
- A missed call will not appear in your Inbox, because Ody never received the call. Do not rely on the Calls tab to tell you it happened.
What to do:
- Try once from a different phone (a cellphone on another carrier, or a landline). If it fails from both, it is on our side.
- Note your Ody number, the number you called from, and the time of the attempt.
- Send those three details to support. We can see exactly where the network stopped the call and restore service; this kind of issue is fixed on our side, not yours.
If you were expecting an important call during the outage, ask the caller to try again or text your Ody number: texting is handled separately and is usually unaffected.
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Frequently asked questions
I'm signed in on my computer and my phone — why does only one ring?
When a signed-in tab or app is connected, calls ring there first. If that tab is stuck or its microphone can't open, reload it or close it — a healthy session on your other device then rings normally. After a microphone problem, reload the tab so it reconnects cleanly.
Why do calls only ring when I'm on the Calls screen?
They shouldn't — the softphone rings on every screen as long as an Ody tab is open. If ringing seems tied to one screen, refresh the tab.
Do I need the app open to get calls?
Yes — on web, at least one signed-in Ody tab must be open (any screen). On iPhone, the app must be open; background ringing is coming with push support.
Callers hear 'your call cannot be completed as dialed' — did I set something up wrong?
No. That recording comes from the phone network before the call reaches Ody, so no setting in your workspace causes it. It means a network-side issue on our end. Report the number and the time of the call so we can trace and fix it.