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Other Why can't I use my phone while someone is calling me?

I have this issue too. I hate incoming calls. So my solution is basically to turn my subscription into a "data-only SIM": I diverted my main phone number to a VoIP number, which then "rings" via the Acrobits Groundwire App.

Of course I disabled CallKit integration, so I basically only get a notification (just like those I would get for text messages). If I want, to I answer the call, otherwise I ignore it and carry on with what I was doing, without needing to wait.

It's cumbersome, but it works perfectly.

(And for those who think they're smart by suggesting people like me get an iPad: well, the size is not really ideal to carry around in my pocket...)
 
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It’s a weird thing that has taken far longer to fix than I would have expected. If I’m in a game like Clash Royale, where every second matters, a phone call means a lost match. Is it a big deal? No. But still, it’s annoying when this phone or tablet can do practically anything, but can’t do a drop down notification??
 
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AppleFan91 said:
It’s a weird thing that has taken far longer to fix than I would have expected. If I’m in a game like Clash Royale, where every second matters, a phone call means a lost match. Is it a big deal? No. But still, it’s annoying when this phone or tablet can do practically anything, but can’t do a drop down notification??
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Well, for it to be fixed it needs to be seen as broken to begin with, and it doesn't seem like Apple sees their implementation of it as something that is broken.
 
C DM said:
Well, for it to be fixed it needs to be seen as broken to begin with, and it doesn't seem like Apple sees their implementation of it as something that is broken.
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Maybe, but I would think as many of their users see it as a UI flaw, they’d work on it.
 
AppleFan91 said:
Maybe, but I would think as many of their users see it as a UI flaw, they’d work on it.
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We can hope, but this kind of thing has been seen like that basically for about a decade now (given that's how calls worked since the beginning on the iPhone) and it hasn't changed in all those years. Not sure how much hope that gives.
 
This happened to me yesterday. I wanted to use my phone and at that instant, a spam caller with a number similar to mine with only the option to accept the call (phone was locked). Ticks me off....

But then I noticed my Apple Watch had a decline now button. Hit that, moved on. So that's a workaround. :) <cough>.
 
C DM said:
What's the issue with having an option to simply dismiss the call notification without taking action on it? That kind of thing can be done with all kinds of notifications and alerts, seems like something as advanced as a smartphone would be capable of providing it without any particular reasoning as to why someone might want to use it or not, as is the case with any other notification basically. (They even provide an option to enable or disable read receipts for messages, imagine that.)
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This whole conversation is moot. Apple will never have an option to allow you to continue doing what you were doing while the phone is ringing. If you don’t like it switch to an android phone or just deal with it. The end.
 
This is one of the reasons why I always leave Do Not Disturb on and just get all alerts/notifications on my watch. It’s my pet peeve getting alerts on my screen while I’m using it—all the more an alert that takes up entire screen and doesn’t allow me to dismiss it.

phpmaven said:
This whole conversation is moot. Apple will never have an option to allow you to continue doing what you were doing while the phone is ringing. If you don’t like it switch to an android phone or just deal with it. The end.
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Great, the obligatory and obvious “get an Android” post that finds its way into every thread that criticizes Apple. It might as well be copy/pasted. Seriously, what do people get out of posting this?

You don’t know what Apple will or won’t do. And you don’t know if discussing these issues will help someone in some way (understand Apple’s reasoning, figure out workarounds, inform their next purchase, inform a developer, etc). Regardless, your post is moot, because people here are free to express their opinions about Apple with or without members such as yourself seeing the benefit.
 
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phpmaven said:
This whole conversation is moot. Apple will never have an option to allow you to continue doing what you were doing while the phone is ringing. If you don’t like it switch to an android phone or just deal with it. The end.
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Many conversations are moot in that sense, it doesn't mean that they shouldn't be had with those who choose to participate in them.
 
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C DM said:
Many conversations are moot in that sense, it doesn't mean that they shouldn't be had with those who choose to participate in them.
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My point is that you can complain about this all you want, but in my opinion it will never be something that Apple would consider changing. It's like continuing to lament the loss of the headphone jack. It's never coming back. You have two choices: either deal with it or get a phone that has one. Of course everyone is free to continue complaining and of course you are free to believe that Apple will change it because of the cry of complaint. I of course could be wrong, but I'll eat my shorts if I am. :)
 
phpmaven said:
My point is that you can complain about this all you want, but in my opinion it will never be something that Apple would consider changing. It's like continuing to lament the loss of the headphone jack. It's never coming back. You have two choices: either deal with it or get a phone that has one. Of course everyone is free to continue complaining and of course you are free to believe that Apple will change it because of the cry of complaint. I of course could be wrong, but I'll eat my shorts if I am. :)
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I believe most understand that part of it -- that just as it applies to most of these types of things it's all down to Apple to change something or not -- but the discussions of all these kinds of things can still be had nonetheless. And to be fair, this is a little different from Apple deciding to remove something and speaking out about it even. We've certainly seen Apple change various things when it comes to notifications and other interactions. Does any of that make it more likely to happen or anything of the sort? No, it definitely doesn't. But it also doesn't just rule it out and makes it unworthy of discussion here or there.
 
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phpmaven said:
My point is that you can complain about this all you want, but in my opinion it will never be something that Apple would consider changing. It's like continuing to lament the loss of the headphone jack. It's never coming back. You have two choices: either deal with it or get a phone that has one. Of course everyone is free to continue complaining and of course you are free to believe that Apple will change it because of the cry of complaint. I of course could be wrong, but I'll eat my shorts if I am. :)
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Well, seems like Apple didn't just consider it, but is actually making the change in iOS 14.
 
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macintoshmac said:
What happened for you to pick up on a two-year old thread!
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Just get reminded of some discussions, especially some long-standing ones, when different topics surface (as it has in this case in relation to call handling and iOS 14).
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BenTrovato said:
I think PMP was dead wrong and C DM is just pointing out that Apple did something about it. Now I'm wondering if we should start complaining about the headphone jack again o_O
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It wasn't really that much about that as it really was to surface the topic to say that Apple is actually doing something about it after all this time.
 
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BigMcGuire said:
I look forward to this change. Nothing like being on my iPad, while my iPhone has ignore unknown callers, only to have my iPad (FULL SCREEN) blast with an unknown caller for a good 15 seconds.
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That used to be the iPad's way of nudging you to take a break. ;) Alas, not anymore with iOS 14.

I also found it funny how Craig lamented about this full blast of a call.. why would you even have it (for years!) if you know it should not be there! But anyway, good that this is finally coming.

In iOS 14:
- you can continue working if you were when the call came
- if you were not working, the call is full screen
- you can swipe up and the call will be ignored and allowed to ring for the caller
- you can reject and accept (obviously)
- you can swipe down and be greeted with the full screen nostalgia of pre- iOS 14.
 
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CrazyForCashews said:
This is truly something that won't ever come back. When you see how popular AirPods are and how much money they're making Apple, you can see why they axed it.
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AirPods could comfortably exist alongside the jack. If I want wireless earphones, I buy from other manufactures or buy AirPods. Presence of a jack would never have hampered that decision for me. That jack meant you could use your supplied earphones or any other to listen to music on the phone and on the Mac - carrying one unit of earphones. Today, if I do not want to buy AirPods or any other wireless, I have to have two sets of earphones, one for the Mac with a jack and another the supplied Lightning earphones.

They supply and sell an adapter cable with the thinnest possible dimensions. I really wonder why couldn't a trillion-dollar company have designed a solid adapter without cables. Again, AirPods are a great product if you want to go wireless. It could have existed alongside in harmony without hampering the sales of AirPods, and should have existed. Apple murdered the jack on the iPhone lineup out of insecurity and pure lust for money, they thought to push the people into buying their AirPods somehow, and called it courage. And people got pushed simply as they do when their bank balances allow the feel-good wants to be satiated and Apple was able to intentionally hinder people's experiences just short of being debilitating and people decided to go wireless (a push and a want supported by bank balance) when they could as conveniently have stayed wired to Mac and iPhone with the option to go wireless if they wanted. Apple has been able to milk certain human tendencies more than any other tech hardware company and miraculously without facing enough customer backlash to make them revert. The keyboard fiasco was outright debilitating to people, so a small but large-enough backlash happened. :)

I am not against wireless earphones, I just do not need it. I listen to music in my bed, and on my 5s I used to use an Audio Technica M50x. While travelling, I would carry the supplied Apple earphones with the 3.5 mm jack and use it on my MacBook and the iPhone. It hurts that Apple took that choice away from me starting with iPhone 7 and I either have to carry the unbelievably flimsy adapter cable and risk buying it over and over should it break (that adapter costs around $15 here) or I carry two pairs of earphones with me, one for each device.
 
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macintoshmac said:
That used to be the iPad's way of nudging you to take a break. ;) Alas, not anymore with iOS 14.

I also found it funny how Craig lamented about this full blast of a call.. why would you even have it (for years!) if you know it should not be there! But anyway, good that this is finally coming.
Click to expand...

Yeah Craig’s statement made me chuckle as well.
 
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BigMcGuire said:
I look forward to this change. Nothing like being on my iPad, while my iPhone has ignore unknown callers, only to have my iPad (FULL SCREEN) blast with an unknown caller for a good 15 seconds.
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Settings/cellular/calls on other devices fixed.

As for why it does it on your phone? Because it’s a phone first.
 
You all do realize it is a "phone" right. the purpose is to make and receive calls. All the other things it does are auxiliary. So I could see Apple's logic that the phone functions override all other operations. and DnD can easily deal with this. basically what is desired is to be able to screen calls and have the option to answer, ignore, or decline. People are so arrogant... 20 years ago the phone rang. all you did was decide to answer it or not. you didn't get to know who it was ahead of time or play games on it, there was no "decline" either. yes from a software perspective this probably isn't a massive change to iOS but from a personal attitude and societal standpoint this is some crazy stuff.
 
wirefire said:
You all do realize it is a "phone" right. the purpose is to make and receive calls. All the other things it does are auxiliary. So I could see Apple's logic that the phone functions override all other operations. and DnD can easily deal with this. basically what is desired is to be able to screen calls and have the option to answer, ignore, or decline. People are so arrogant... 20 years ago the phone rang. all you did was decide to answer it or not. you didn't get to know who it was ahead of time or play games on it, there was no "decline" either. yes from a software perspective this probably isn't a massive change to iOS but from a personal attitude and societal standpoint this is some crazy stuff.
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What is apparent is that you don’t realise these devices are no longer just “phones”, they haven’t been for some time.

If the soul purpose of a device for a user was to just call someone then you wouldn’t be buying an iPhone - you’d probably just buy a cheap Nokia of sorts.
 
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