If you have ever worked in a company, you have probably seen the term “outgoing call” thrown around. What does it mean?
Well, it is pretty simple. Outgoing calls are made from your phone to contact other people or companies.
For example, if you are a salesperson who makes calls to clients daily to set up appointments for later in the week, those are outgoing calls.
And you may also have heard about what does outgoing calls mean in your day-to-day life.
Whenever you call someone from your phone, the process is called making an outgoing call. And when you receive a call from someone on your device, it is called an incoming call.
Here, we will only talk about what an outgoing call means and not go into incoming calls. So, without much ado, let’s get into it.
What Does Outgoing Call Mean?

Now, let’s understand what outgoing calls mean. An outgoing call involves making a phone call to someone else.
An outgoing call can be initiated by either a landline or mobile phone. A landline is a fixed telephone system installed in your home or office.
At the same time, a mobile phone refers to a wireless device that connects you with other people and places through radio waves. This is basically what outgoing calls mean.
A person initiates an outgoing call when they dial the number of another person. And then presses “call” on their phone keypad, which connects them with that person’s number.
The opposite of an outgoing call is receiving calls from other people who have called you during regular business hours. Or when you are not busy at work so they can speak with you (this includes voicemail messages).
The definition of outgoing call means is not difficult to understand. As you tend to make outgoing calls each and every day, right?
What Does an Outgoing Call Mean for 1 Second Mean?
If you see an outgoing call for 1 second, it means that you have closed the call directly after the receiver answered the phone.
You may have hung up on them, or they might have hung up on you. This can indicate that the person is calling from another number or that your caller ID is blocked.
If this happens to you, there is nothing to think about. You can call the person again and start the conversation if the receiver is comfortable.
Besides, It is possible to prevent these unsolicited calls on an iPhone. Here, let’s explain how to block no-caller ID using several methods here.
What Does an Outgoing Call on WhatsApp Mean?
You already know what outgoing calls mean. But do you know what outgoing calls mean on WhatsApp? Well, outgoing calls are the most popular feature of WhatsApp.
They allow you to call any person who is on your contact list and talk with them over the phone. When you call someone through WhatsApp, it shows up as an outgoing call on WhatsApp. This is basically what outgoing calls mean on Whatsapp.
You can see the outgoing call in the chat history and the recent calls list (you must scroll back or forward). There are three ways of seeing an incoming or outgoing call. Incoming/Outgoing Calls, Chat History, and Recent Calls List.
To see the incoming/outgoing calls on Whatsapp, open a chat with the person you want to call. Or you can Tap on the three-dot menu icon on the home screen of Whatsapp. And see the list of all calls you made or received on Whatsapp. It will show you the list of all incoming/outgoing calls.
Not only Whatsapp but many chatting applications these days have a calling feature. For example, Facebook Messenger has call features. And Snapchat and Instagram have calling features too.
Also, are you seeing the error “last line no longer available” when making a call? If yes, read this article to get rid of this error pop-up.
How to Know if Someone is Busy on Another Call?

There are many ways by which you can know if the person you are calling is busy on another call or not. It is not as hard as you might think.
Once you start getting familiar with making outgoing calls regularly and know what an outgoing call means, you will see that it is easy.
- If you are calling someone and it goes straight to Voicemail, that means the person is busy on another call. You can try calling back in a few minutes, or maybe you should call from a different number or device.
- If they are not picking up the phone and their network tells you they aren’t available, that means they may be doing something else. For example, the person may be driving.
- If they don’t pick up when called two to three times in a row or over an extended period of time, there could be several reasons for this behavior. For example, the person may be out enjoying his day after a hectic work day.
- The person could be busy with other people. If so, leave them alone until later to avoid disturbing them while working hard on something important. This is especially true during meetings. As talking at that time might break concentration from the discussion and cause more harm than good. It would disrespect both parties involved in the said meeting (yourself included).
The person might be busy with something else, such as driving or cooking. If so, let them be until they are finished with whatever they are doing at the moment. Then try calling again later when they can talk without distraction.
Beside, learn more about how to fix iPhone WIFI Calling not working after upgrading.
Difference Between Incoming and Outgoing Calls

An incoming call is when someone calls you. And, well, you already know what an outgoing call means, right? An outgoing call is when you place a call on someone else.
For example, if you are talking with your friend and suddenly get another call from your mom. This would be an incoming and outgoing call at the same time—because it is both!
When you make an outgoing call, the receiver’s phone can ring with incoming calls or go directly to Voicemail.
If someone else starts a new call while you are on an existing one (or vice versa), there are two ways for the system to handle this situation.
The first is by sending one of the calls directly to Voicemail or having them all ring until one party answers.
When a Phone Call Can Get Redirected to Voicemail
When you make an outgoing call, you will see that the person you are calling is not responding. The person’s phone will ring for some time, and if it goes unanswered, your outgoing call will go straight to Voicemail.
The Voicemail will play a message that has been recorded and saved by the user. So that every time their phone goes unanswered, that recorded voice message will play.
And you or any other person making that outgoing call can share their message too with that user after the recorded Voicemail plays.
Your outgoing call can go to Voicemail when:
- The person you are calling is busy. The phone system will ask if you want to hold or continue to ring when someone is on another call. If you choose “Hold,” the incoming call will be sent directly to Voicemail. And the caller will hear a message stating that they have been placed on hold and can leave a message at any time.
- The person has their phone turned off or in airplane mode (and therefore won’t receive calls). In this case, your phone may try calling again after several seconds. If it doesn’t connect within 30 seconds, it will automatically send all unanswered calls straight to your voicemail box. So you can check them whenever it is convenient!
- Credit is low on their account, and outgoing costs are high enough not to warrant an outgoing call. If this often happens enough, they might consider disabling outbound calling or buying more credits. So potential customers won’t get frustrated trying again later when there might be better availability for reaching them via other methods. Such as emailing back instead.
If you are unsure of what’s causing the issue, try these. Try calling from another device or landline number to ensure that your phone is set up correctly.
If you are still experiencing problems, try calling the person back from another phone or landline number. If it works for them but not for you, it could be a problem with your account.
Troubleshooting Common Outgoing Call Issues
Sometimes, you might encounter issues when making outgoing calls.
Dropped Calls
If your calls are dropping frequently, check your device’s signal strength or try moving to a location with better reception.
No Connection
If you can’t connect at all, check if your account is active and has enough credit. If everything seems fine, consider contacting your service provider.
Call Quality Issues
Poor call quality can be due to a weak signal, network congestion, or hardware issues. Again, if troubleshooting doesn’t work, reach out to your service provider.
Managing Outgoing Calls: Best Practices
To manage your outgoing calls effectively, consider these tips.
Understanding Your Call Plan
Make sure you understand your call plan’s terms and costs for different types of calls.
Utilizing Call Features and Services
Make use of features like call forwarding, voicemail, and others that can enhance your calling experience.
FAQs
1. What does an outgoing call mean? An outgoing call refers to a phone call initiated or made by you to another telephone number.
2. How does an outgoing call work? Your device sends a signal to your service provider’s network when you dial a number. This network then routes the call to the recipient’s service provider, which signals their device to ring.
3. What are the types of outgoing calls? Outgoing calls can be local, long-distance, international, or mobile-to-mobile, depending on the geographical distance and the networks involved.
4. How do I troubleshoot common outgoing call issues? Common solutions include checking your device’s signal strength, ensuring your account is active and has enough credit, and contacting your service provider if necessary.
5. How can I manage my outgoing calls effectively? Understand your call plan’s terms and costs, and utilize call features and services offered by your provider.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are a lot of different things that can happen with an outgoing call mean. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be confusing or scary!
The information about what outgoing calls mean will surely help you. And this article might also come across your mind every time you make an outgoing call.
Hopefully, you’ll feel more confident about what your phone is doing when it makes an outgoing call or redirects one back to Voicemail. This knowledge will also help if someone asks what’s going on during their call.