Why is there no ringback tone when I call?
What is a Ringback Tone?
A ringback tone is a sound or song that the caller hears while waiting for the recipient to answer their phone. Instead of hearing the normal ringing noise, the caller hears a customized audio clip chosen by the recipient (RIP Ringback Tones (2004-2020) – YouTube).
Ringback tones became widely popular in the early 2000s when mobile carriers started offering the feature (Verizon Is Finally Killing Ringback Tones Later This Year …). People enjoyed personalizing their ringback tones with snippets of songs, funny messages, or other audio clips. It allowed callers to get a sense of the recipient’s personality before they even answered the phone.
The most common types of ringback tones include music clips, funny greetings or messages, sound effects, or promotions for businesses. Carriers often made exclusive ringback tones available from popular artists to attract subscribers. At the peak of their popularity, ringbacks generated over $600 million in global revenue for the mobile industry.
Why Ringback Tones Aren’t as Popular Anymore
Ringback tones used to be very popular in the early 2000s, allowing callers to hear a short music clip or sound when calling someone’s phone before being connected. However, ringback tones have declined in popularity for a few key reasons:
First, the rise of smartphones has allowed users to set custom ringtones for individual contacts, reducing the need for generic ringback tones (source). Smartphone users can assign a special ringtone to a friend or family member, making their calls easily identifiable.
Additionally, there is now more emphasis on customizing your own caller tunes that play for the person you are calling. Services like Spotify allow sharing song clips as caller tunes, shifting the focus from ringback to outgoing caller tunes (source).
Finally, some began to see ringback tones as annoying or distracting, especially when forced to listen to long audio clips while waiting for the call to connect. The decline in ringback popularity coincided with frustrations over the interruptive nature of hearing someone else’s chosen clip (source).
How Phone Networks Handle Calls
When you make a phone call, your phone sends a signal to your local telephone exchange requesting a connection to the number you dialed. This exchange then routes the call through a series of switches across the network until it reaches the exchange closest to the recipient.
While the call is being set up and routed across the network, the caller hears a ringback tone. This repeated tone indicates that the dialed number is being alerted of an incoming call and their phone is ringing. According to Cisco, the ringback tone provides callers with assurance that the call has gone through and is progressing1.
Once the recipient’s phone is answered and the call connects, a talking path is established between the two parties. At this point, the ringback tone is no longer needed and stops playing. The ringback tone is essentially a network signal confirming the call setup process rather than an actual sound from the recipient’s phone.
Why There’s No Ringback Tone for Outgoing Calls
When you make a phone call, the caller hears a ringback tone while the recipient’s phone is still ringing and unanswered. This familiar “brrrring, brrrring” sound lets the caller know the call is going through and ringing on the other end. However, the recipient does not hear anything until they pick up the call.
This is because of how the phone network handles and signals calls. When a call is placed, the network sends a signal back to the caller that generates the audible ringback tone. This indicates the call has gone through and is waiting to be answered. No such signal is sent to the recipient, so they hear nothing on their end while their phone is still ringing.
This enables full-duplex transmission – where both parties can talk and be heard at the same time once the call is answered. If the ringback tone was played for both caller and recipient, it would make normal conversation difficult.
So in summary, the ringback tone is intentionally one-directional. The caller hears it, but the recipient does not. This is simply how the phone network handles and signals calls from end to end (Source).
Exceptions to No Outgoing Ringback
While most outgoing calls will not produce an audible ringback tone, there are some exceptions where the caller may hear ringing:
Some VoIP and internet calling services like Skype or Google Voice will play a ringback tone when you make an outgoing call, even though the standard public switched telephone network does not provide this. These services generate their own artificial ringback for the caller (1).
If the phone network is having trouble connecting your call right away, you may hear ringback or network announcements indicating there are problems reaching the number. This usually means there is high call volume or technical issues at that moment (2).
In some cases of temporary network errors, you may sporadically hear ringback on an outgoing call when you normally wouldn’t. If this occurs inconsistently, it likely does not indicate a problem.
Workarounds to Hear Ringback Tones
While there are technical barriers to hearing ringback tones on outgoing calls, there are some workarounds people can try. Some popular options include using apps that play custom ringback tones, or trying tricks with your network settings. However, these workarounds have limitations.
Apps like Ringback Tone – Outgoing Call can simulate a ringback experience by playing customizable audio when you make outgoing calls. You choose the ringtone or music you want to hear while waiting for someone to answer. The app overlays the audio when it detects an outgoing call. While this provides the ringback experience, the tones won’t sync perfectly with the actual ringing on the recipient’s end [1].
Some users try enabling call waiting on their phone line to trigger ringback tones on outgoing calls. However, this only works inconsistently on certain carriers and phone models [2]. There are no guaranteed network settings that will enable ringback across all devices and carriers.
In the end, while apps and network tricks can simulate ringback tones, they have limitations. The most reliable way to hear ringback is when receiving incoming calls, not making outbound calls.
Pros of Not Hearing a Ringback Tone
There are some advantages to not hearing a ringback tone when you make outgoing calls on a mobile phone. Here are some of the pros:
Less distraction for the caller. The lack of ringback tone allows you to focus on the call itself without the distraction of hearing rings or music on the other end. This can make the calling experience smoother and less disjointed.
More intuitive calling experience. On a traditional landline phone, you expect to hear ringing while waiting for the recipient to answer. But on a mobile network, the calling experience is different. Not hearing a ringback tone can feel more natural and intuitive.
Saves network resources. Ringback tones take up bandwidth and resources on telecom networks. By not transmitting them on most mobile calls, networks conserve resources and capacity.[1]
Overall, the lack of audible ringback on mobile networks has some potential call quality and efficiency benefits from the caller’s perspective.
Cons of Missing the Ringback Tone
One major con of not hearing a ringback tone on outgoing calls is that you don’t get any indication that the call is actually going through and ringing on the other end. With no audible ringback, it can be hard to tell if the dialed number is valid or if the other phone is even ringing.
This lack of confirmation during the call initiation process leads to uncertainty. Callers accustomed to hearing ringback tones often find the dead silence disconcerting. Without the familiar ringback sound, you don’t know if your call has failed or if the line is just ringing longer than usual.
Hearing the ringback provides a sense of anticipation and progress as you wait for the recipient to answer. Some people enjoy the build up and mild excitement during this ringing period. Without it, the call connects instantly as soon as it’s answered with no lead up.
According to discussions on FreePBX Community, the lack of audible ringback on VoIP systems can be “extremely annoying” and unsettling for those accustomed to the feedback.
Future of Ringback Tones
Ringback tones have declined in popularity as phone networks have improved call connectivity speeds. In the past, hearing a ringback tone provided assurance that the call was going through properly. Nowadays, calls connect almost instantly, so there is less need for that auditory confirmation.
However, some believe ringback tones could see a revival due to increased customization options. Messaging apps like WhatsApp already allow users to set customized tones for incoming messages. Bringing that level of personalization to ringback tones may interest younger users. For now though, most mobile networks are focused on improving overall call quality rather than reviving ringback tones.
While ringback tones are less common today, there are some signs they could make a comeback thanks to integration with messaging apps and more customization options. But their core purpose has been replaced by near-instant call connectivity on modern networks. For most users, the lack of a ringback tone is no longer an issue worth worrying about.
Summary
In this article, we discussed several key points regarding ringback tones and why there is no ringback when you make an outgoing call:
– Ringback tones are an audio clip that plays for the caller while waiting for the recipient to answer. They entertain the caller and inform them the call is going through.
– Ringback tones have decreased in popularity with the shift from landlines to mobile phones. Many mobile users opt out of customized ringback tones.
– Network technology handles calls differently for the caller versus the recipient. The ringtone alerts the recipient they have an incoming call, while the ringback alerts the caller the recipient’s phone is ringing.
– On outgoing calls, there is no ringback tone because the network does not send one. The only ringback occurs when receiving a call.
– VoIP phone services may increasingly replace ringback tones with simple beeps or music clips indicating the call is in progress.
In summary, ringback tones serve a purpose for the recipient of calls rather than the caller. As phone networks evolve, we may see ringbacks continue to decrease in favor of more efficient in-call status alerts.