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Use Call Waiting and never miss a call because you're on the phone

This calling feature is extremely popular because with it, you don't have to worry about missing important calls. Even if you're on the phone, callers can reach you.

With Call Waiting, if you're already on the phone, you hear a stuttered tone in your ear when someone's trying to call you. You can ignore the incoming call or put the person you're talking with on hold and find out who's calling.

How to use Call Waiting

Call Waiting is simple to use. You just need to get familiar with the Call Waiting tone and discover the power of your hang-up switch. (It's not just for disconnecting calls.) 

When you hear the Call Waiting tone, you've got choices:

End your current conversation, start talking with the new person. To do this: 

  1. Hang up the phone like normal. 
  2. Your phone will then ring. 
  3. Pick it up and start talking to the new caller.

Put who you're talking with on hold, answer the incoming call. To do this:

  1. Quickly press and release the hang-up switch (or FLASH button) to put the person you're talking with on hold.
  2. The new person will now be on the line, and you can chat with him/her. (Clicking the hang-up switch again, lets you go back to your original person.)
  3. To end one of the calls, finish your conversation and hang up. Pause. The phone will ring. Pick it up, and continue talking to the remaining caller.  
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.

Ignore Call Waiting altogether. If you're in the middle of an intense conversation and don't want to talk with someone else, ignore the Call Waiting tone, and it will go away. 

The incoming caller will hear 9 rings and an automated message telling him/her to try back later. Unless... you have CenturyLink Voice Mail set up. Then, the caller can leave a message.

Turning Call Waiting ON/OFF

If you're in the middle of an important call and don't want to be interrupted by Call Waiting, turn it OFF temporarily. (It will automatically start back up again when you hang up.)

Anyone trying to reach you -- while you're on the phone and Call Waiting is OFF -- will hear a busy signal unless you have voicemail on your account.

Turn it OFF BEFORE you start your call:

  1. Listen for the dial tone, and press 70.
  2. Listen for 3 short tones, then a regular dial tone.
  3. Dial the number of the person you want to reach.

Turn it OFF DURING your call:

  1. Press and release the hang-up switch (or FLASH key) to put your call on hold. 
  2. Listen for 3 brief tones and a normal dial tone. Press 70.
  3. Press and release the hang-up switch (or FLASH key) again to continue your original call.

Note: In some areas, you can only turn OFF call waiting before placing a call. If you try during a call, you'll hear a rapid-busy signal.

When a third person calls

With Call Waiting, you can switch between 2 calls at one time. If a third person calls, that person may:

  • Hear a busy signal
  • Be routed to voicemail (if you have that feature)

If you want to talk with multiple people at the same time (a mini conference call), set up a 3-way call.

To add or change the calling features on your account, chat with us. We're here to help!

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