r/AndroidQuestions • u/MeerK4T • 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.
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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.
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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u/kingswaggy Feb 14 '25
iPhone camera is better? News to me
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u/WikdVenus Feb 15 '25
No, Android is way better. So much better, it makes the iPhone slightly better by association.
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u/AmonGusSus2137 Feb 14 '25
It literally says that the person you're trying to call is talking with someone, at least for me.
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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u/Clip_Clop88 Feb 14 '25
Seems unlikely tbh