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Presumably, we have all tried to call a friend, family member, or acquaintance and received a voice message instead that says, โthe number you have dialed is not in serviceโ.
This isnโt something you would want to hear if you are trying to call an important contact or the personโs phone number you are calling is gone and there is no other way to contact them.
But that aside, anyone will want to know why they are getting this message and what it means for them.
Well, it could mean many things including the fact that the person youโre trying to call has you on their blocklist.
But thatโs not all, is it?
There are other lesser-known reasons for this and thatโs what weโll be exploring in this guide.
Why am I getting โthe number you have dialed is not in serviceโ message?
Frankly, this message is meant to notify you that the number youโre trying to call is not in use by anyone at the moment.
This is because it hasnโt been assigned to a user just yet and thatโs why itโs not in service.
But what if youโre absolutely certain itโs the correct number and has been in service before?
Perhaps something else is at play here and weโll try to get to the bottom of it.
We have detailed different situations where this message could come up.
Dialing an Incorrect number
We will start off with the most obvious reason for this and that is dialing the wrong number.
A slight slip of the finger can lead to unknowingly typing in the wrong number.
Perhaps one digit is missing or you tapped on 5 instead of 7.
If this happens, youโll end up getting this message because you dialed an incorrect number by mistake.
So before anything else, do a quick check to confirm that youโre actually entering the right phone number.
It will save you a lot of time and frustration.
Wrong area code
There are probably billions of phone numbers in use all around the globe.
Thatโs why every number has a prefix that represents the country or area code or sometimes both.
Now when making calls to people in the same area as you, there is no need to worry about the area code because youโre in the same region or location.
However, itโs different when youโre calling someone who is in an entirely different country or area code.
You must add the unique area code as a prefix whenever you dial the number to avoid this error message.
Simply search online for the area code of where the particular phone number belongs and remember to add it before making calls.
Deactivated/Discontinued number
The next situation is when you know the number youโre trying to dial was indeed in service at some point and even had a user.
In this case, it could be that the person who had it before deactivated it, but you have no idea.
You may have tried to call them many times, but your calls arenโt going through and all you get is this message.
The user might have discontinued the number and stopped using it completely.
If thatโs the case, the most you can do is ask around and see whether you can find anyone who remembers the person who had it before.
You might be successful in getting the new number theyโre using now.
Call forwarding
In this fast-moving modern world, youโre bound to be making and receiving a lot of calls.
While itโs true that texting and chatting are the most common form of communication nowadays, it still happens that someone needs to talk to you and is unable to call.
You may have a call forwarding number that allows them to reach you whenever youโre not available.
However, the problem here is that some people actually forward their calls to a certain number thatโs not even in service especially when they donโt want to be disturbed in any way.
Now if the calls are being forwarded to an invalid number, you will certainly be on the receiving end of this error message.
Failing to pay phone bills
Another obvious reason why youโre getting this error message is that the person youโve just dialed isnโt paying their phone bill in a timely manner.
As such, the service provider has cut off their number and stopped it from working.
This happens because theyโve been late in paying their bills.
As soon as the phone bill is paid, the service will be reconnected and calls will go through as usual.
Inability to connect
This error may occur if your phone network is congested due to heavy traffic or because of other reasons that are out of your control.
Maybe the signal is too weak for calls to actually be made.
Whatever the case may be, if youโre receiving this message, it means you have to wait for a while and try again until the call is made.
Final Thoughts
We rely on calls for all kinds of reasons and purposes.
From making reservations to ordering food, calling for help, business, and even sending a message to someone you know, the phone is always in our hands.
However, sometimes we may face a problem that prevents us from making a call.
Hopefully, the information in this article will help you better understand the problem and what you can possibly do about it.
FAQs
What is the difference between โCall Forwardingโ and โCall Waitingโ?
Call forwarding and call waiting are two different features of your phone line.
When call forwarding is enabled, it allows you to forward calls from your phone to another number.
On the other hand, call waiting allows incoming calls to be put through whenever there is an unoccupied line on your phone.
What should I do when I get the message โthe number you have dialed is not in serviceโ?
If you suspect the network is overcrowded and thatโs why youโve got this error, you can try to call the number again after a while.
