How to Enable Call Waiting

Call waiting lets your phone alert you to a second incoming call while you are already talking, so you can put the first caller on hold, switch, or decline. This guide shows how to turn it on, confirm it works, and sort out the usual reasons the option is missing or fails.

Before you start

Call waiting is a mobile network service, not a feature that runs only on the phone. On most networks the toggle sends a request to your carrier, and the carrier stores the setting. You need the following:

• An active SIM or eSIM from a carrier that offers call waiting on your plan.
• A working connection to the mobile network while you change the setting, because the phone usually has to contact the carrier to read or save it.
• The built-in Phone app. Calls made through messaging or video calling apps follow that app's own behavior, and the carrier setting does not control them.
• On a dual-SIM phone, knowing which SIM you want to configure, since the setting is usually stored per SIM.

Step-by-step instructions

Menu names differ between manufacturers, system versions and carriers. The paths below are common examples. If your screen looks different, look for a Calls, Call settings or Supplementary services section inside the Phone app's settings.

Android (Google Phone and similar dialers)

• 1. Open the Phone app.
• 2. Tap the three-dot menu and choose Settings.
• 3. Open Calls, Calling accounts or Supplementary services. On a dual-SIM phone, select the SIM first.
• 4. Look for Call waiting, which may be under Additional settings or Advanced, and switch it on.
• 5. Wait while the phone contacts the network. It may briefly show a message such as Reading settings before the result appears.

Samsung Galaxy

• 1. Open the Phone app and tap the three-dot menu.
• 2. Choose Settings, then Supplementary services.
• 3. Turn on Call waiting. If the phone has two SIMs, choose the SIM when prompted.

Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO (MIUI or HyperOS)

On Xiaomi phones the call waiting setting usually sits within the SIM-specific call options. Open the Phone app, go to its settings using the gear or three-dot icon, and look for an entry such as SIM card settings, Calling accounts or Advanced settings. Select the SIM, then switch on Call waiting. On some versions the same options are reachable from the system Settings app under the SIM cards and mobile networks section. Labels change between MIUI and HyperOS releases, so use the search field in Settings if you cannot find the entry.

iPhone

• 1. Open Settings.
• 2. On iOS 18 and later, go to Apps, then Phone. On earlier versions, tap Phone directly in Settings.
• 3. Tap Call Waiting and switch it on.
• 4. If Call Waiting does not appear, your carrier may manage the feature itself, and you will need to ask the carrier to enable it.

Using dialer codes

Many GSM-based networks accept standard codes typed in the Phone app keypad and sent like a call. Dial *43# to activate call waiting, #43# to deactivate it, and *#43# to check its status. The network sends back a confirmation message. Not every carrier supports these codes, so use the settings menu or contact your carrier if nothing happens.

Both methods are reversible. To undo the change, switch the toggle off or dial the deactivation code.

Check the output

After you switch it on, reopen the Call waiting setting and confirm it still shows as enabled once the phone has finished contacting the network. You can also dial *#43# where your carrier supports it and read the status message.

To check it in practice, ask someone to call you while you are already on a call. With call waiting active you should hear a short tone during the first call and see options on screen. These typically include holding the current call and answering, ending the current call and answering, or declining. The exact options and tones depend on the phone and the network.

If you are on a video or voice call in a third-party app, how an incoming carrier call appears depends on that app and on the phone's system, not on the call waiting setting alone.

Common problems and next steps

• Option greyed out or an error such as a network or SIM error appears: make sure you have mobile signal, restart the phone and try again. If Wi-Fi calling is on, temporarily turning it off and retrying over the mobile network can help on some carriers. If the error continues, ask your carrier whether call waiting is available on your plan.
• Setting missing entirely: some carriers hide the toggle and manage call waiting on their side. Contact the carrier to have it activated.
• Second caller goes straight to voicemail: check call forwarding in the same settings area. Forwarding set to When busy sends the second call elsewhere instead of alerting you. Also check call barring and any Do Not Disturb or Focus mode that might silence the alert.
• Setting turns itself off: because the network stores it, a SIM change, carrier update or plan change can reset it. Enable it again and check the status afterwards.
• Dual-SIM phones: call waiting is set per SIM. While you are on a call on one SIM, many dual-SIM phones cannot receive a call on the other SIM at the same time, so the second caller may not reach you regardless of this setting.
• Need to skip it for a single call: some networks offer a prefix code that disables call waiting for one outgoing call. Ask your carrier whether this is supported.

If the setting saves correctly but test calls still do not show the waiting alert, contact your carrier with the phone model and system version, since the remaining causes are usually on the network side.