Never miss a call with Call Waiting

With Call Waiting, you'll know when someone is trying to reach you, even if you're on another call. Learn how to use this feature and get answers to common questions.

What is Call Waiting?

When you're on a call, you'll hear a stutter tone when someone else is trying to get through. You can either ignore the incoming call or put the person you're talking with on hold to answer the other call.

Download the Call Waiting user guide

How to use Call Waiting

Get familiar with the Call Waiting tone and discover the power of your hang-up switch or flash button. If you also have Caller ID, you'll see who is calling.

Switch between calls

When you hear the Call Waiting tone, you have two options:

1. End your current conversation and talk to the new caller.

Hang up your current call like normal.
Your phone will then ring.
Pick it up and start talking to the new caller.

2. Put your first caller on hold, then answer the incoming call.

Press the FLASH button on a cordless phone or quickly press and release the hang-up switch (on a wired phone) put the first person on hold.
The new caller will now be on the line and you can begin talking. Pressing the FLASH button or clicking the hang-up switch again will bring you back to the first caller.
To end one of the calls, finish your conversation and hang up. Pause. The phone will ring. Pick it up to continue talking to the remaining caller.

Turn off Call Waiting for one call

You can temporarily disable Call Waiting for one phone call. It will automatically start back up again after you hang up.

Anyone trying to reach you when Call Waiting is turned off will be connected to your voicemail or hear a busy signal.

To turn off Call Waiting before you start a call:

Listen for the dial tone, then press *70.
Listen for three short tones, then the normal dial tone.
Dial the number.

To turn off Call Waiting during a call:

Press thee FLASH key or press and release the hang-up switch to put your call on hold.
Listen for three brief tones, then the normal dial tone. Press *70.
Press the FLASH button or press and release the hang-up switch again to continue your original call.

Note: In some areas, you can only turn off Call Waiting before placing a call. If you try to do so during a call, you may hear a rapid busy signal.

Common questions about Call Waiting

Nope! Both conversations are private. The callers cannot hear each other. If one of your callers hangs up, you'll be automatically connected to the other caller after a couple of seconds.

No, you can ignore the second call. Continue your conversation and ignore the Call Waiting tone, and it will stop after a few repetitions.

The second caller will hear nine rings, then they will either be connected to your voicemail or hear an automated message telling them to try back later.

You can switch between two calls at one time. If a third person calls, that person will either be connected to your voicemail, if you have it, or hear a busy signal.

If you want to talk with three people at the same time (a mini conference call), you can set up a three-way call.