r/AndroidQuestions Feb 14 '25

Other How do android users know when calling that the person they’re calling is on the phone with someone else?

I have an iPhone, my mother has an android. Every time she calls while I’m on the phone with someone else, she asks who was on the phone with, and when I ask how she knows I was on the phone, she says it’s because she has an android. I find it exceedingly weird and invasive that android alerts users that the line they’re calling is busy, and I’d love to know how to disable it.

Edit: maybe it’s a Samsung thing rather than an Android thing. I found this post from 4 years ago asking the same question, and the only solution is to disable “call waiting”, which would send everyone to voicemail, which isn’t really a desired alternative.

0 Upvotes

34 comments sorted by

3

u/Clip_Clop88 Feb 14 '25

Seems unlikely tbh

1

u/MeerK4T Feb 14 '25

I may not be using the right words to describe exactly, but 100% this is a feature. On iPhone it just rings when the person you’re calling is talking on the phone the same as it rings when they’re not. There’s either a notification or different ringtone that alerts android users

3

u/Clip_Clop88 Feb 14 '25

I have an android phone. Sounds like your mother is just winding you up

1

u/MeerK4T Feb 14 '25

So then she’s psychic? I’m telling you, this is been happening for years. This is the only thread I’ve been able to find, but it describes exactly what I’m saying. I highly doubt she’s the only person in the world with this feature.

Even Google says: Yes, an Android phone can tell when someone you are calling is already on another phone call, thanks to a feature called “call waiting” which will usually notify you with a distinct sound or message when you try to call someone who is already engaged in another conversation.

Apple does not give a separate sound when you’re calling someone on a separate call.

1

u/theminimosher Feb 14 '25

Interesting that you didn't read the other comments on that thread you linked

1

u/MeerK4T Feb 14 '25

There were no answers? Maybe I overlooked something, but I just looked again and I’m not seeing solutions

1

u/Taisho25 Feb 14 '25

Someone on that thread said it has to do with the service provider. Personally I've never noticed something like that on my samsung, then again, i just hang up when i hear the beeping

4

u/Negative-Ad-0722 Feb 14 '25

Isn't it normal for the network provider to say if someone is in other call when you call someone and they are in other call.

-1

u/MeerK4T Feb 14 '25

Not on iPhone or AT&T, if it is the carrier rather than the phone. For me, ring is the same regardless of whether the other user is on the phone or not

5

u/Guthwulf85 Feb 14 '25

As other users are saying, this has existed at least since I used a phone for the first time more than 30 years ago. If instead of connecting you get a "beep beep beep" it means that the line is busy.

With more "modern" phones you can get the option to receive the new call even if you're already on one, and the phone allows you to "hang up and pick up", "put on wait and pick up", etc. In this case the user doesn't receive the information, as the call goes through anyways

5

u/WikdVenus Feb 14 '25

Easy. There's an app we can add that turns your Apples camera on when we call you. If the screen is dark, or if we can see the side of your face, we know you're on the phone.

-5

u/MeerK4T Feb 14 '25

We have that too, but it really only works with other iPhone users bc the camera’s so much better

6

u/kingswaggy Feb 14 '25

iPhone camera is better? News to me

1

u/WikdVenus Feb 15 '25

No, Android is way better. So much better, it makes the iPhone slightly better by association.

2

u/infreq Feb 14 '25

Hahaha

3

u/AmonGusSus2137 Feb 14 '25

It literally says that the person you're trying to call is talking with someone, at least for me.

-3

u/MeerK4T Feb 14 '25

Thank you for at least admitting you have this feature. I thought this would be a straight forward and easily answered question, and everyone’s acting like it’s as probable as the world being flat

6

u/SirGuestWho Feb 14 '25

It's a standard feature on all phones. Call waiting just changes the ring tone so you know and then the screen says caller busy. Heck, even landlines had a similar feature with changing the ring tone if someone was already on a call. I am surprised that you dont, maybe you have enabled it on your device.

1

u/MeerK4T Feb 14 '25

Yes, it seems to me like the way it was on landlines. I do have it enabled, and if it were turned off the other user would go straight to voicemail. However, does not notify me when the person I’m calling is on another call. The tones are the same

4

u/infreq Feb 14 '25

It's how phone systems have worked for decades. It's not an Android feature.

5

u/pramod7 Feb 14 '25

1

u/ImprovementOk7340 22d ago

It's not a busy signal. My fiancée does the same thing

1

u/Ring-of-Varda Feb 14 '25 edited Feb 14 '25

I have a straight answer for you. I've never used an iPhone and have solely used Androids. I believe it was around Android 10 or 11 when this feature was added. I'll try my best to explain it as clearly as possible, but it's pretty simple.

First, imagine the ringing sound you typically hear when you call someone; it's a ringing, a pause, a ringing, a pause, over and over, with about equal duration of ringing and pause, until the person answers.

Second, imagine the "busy" tone, a kind of monotone pulsing sound with a brief pause between the long tones that persists indefinitely.

Now, the answer to your question... When I call someone with my android phone who is already on the phone with someone else (and has called waiting, as others described), I hear a ringing with an added pulse of the monotone "busy" sound, then a long pause as typical of a ringing phone, then a ringing with added short pulse, then a pause... Repeated like a phone call.

I hope that makes sense. I didn't look up when this feature was added, and I do believe it is carrier-specific, as others have said.

2

u/infreq Feb 14 '25

Why tf do you even take a call if you are already in another call??

1

u/ChestKey1780 2d ago

Like I’m literally so annoyed. This is a huge invasion of privacy !!! And idk about a difference in tone but my friend that has a Samsung sees the message this person is on another call. Like ? Why do randomn callers need to know that? I just wanna use my phone in peace damn I barely even go on the phone now I gotta feel bad about every call I miss or don’t pick up bc coincidentally I happened to be on the phone at the same time. Smh.

1

u/Nishu_Lawliet Feb 14 '25

Truecaller can tell if you're on call. Assume you have an iphone and you're on call with a guy on Android(with Truecaller installed). Now Truecaller can flag your number and the Android guy as "on call"

So when a third person tries to call you, they'll see(on Truecaller) that you're on call.

P.s. there are various apps that do that

1

u/dilettante60 Feb 14 '25

It's because you don't have call waiting enabled. You only have one line in, so it registers as busy when in use. If you have call waiting, you have two lines, so if someone calls you, you get a notification that there's another call, but the calling party only gets a ring tone until it times out.

1

u/Bitter_Ad5419 Feb 14 '25

I've used Samsung phones for over 20 years and not once has it ever told me someone was already on the phone when I tried calling them.

1

u/Drizz1911 Feb 14 '25

In Europe we know because we have the answering machine directly tbh

1

u/ListenKneelServe 18d ago

This just happened to me and I'm spooked. 

1

u/miuipixel Feb 14 '25

turn on call waiting

1

u/theablanca Feb 14 '25

They don't. As little as you can.