Re: how to reach someone who makes it h ard to reach him.

micky, 2024-04-08 00:25:

My brother, who has been sick and I'm worried about him, is usually
impossible** to reach.   It rings 5 or 6 times and goes to voicemail,
which is almost always full.   I visited two weeks ago and found he had
it set on DND.  I turned that off, but today it did the same thing.
 
If his phone were off, it would go to voicemail right away, right? or
almost right away, no 5 rings, Right?

Yes, it is safe to assume this. Because with the phone turned off it
does not make sens to "ring" first.

Is there any other way it could ring 5 times and go to VM other than
DND?

Yes, many ways: turning down the ring volume so far that you barely hear
it, ignoring the phone, putting the phone into a bag or drawer were it
can not be heard etc.

Maybe he sets it to DND when he's sleeping and forgets to change it
back.   Is there some other settting he could use instead for sleeping? >
Or a way that I could get it to ring aloud for me, even when set on DND?

Depending on the phone your number can be marked as "VIP" number which
overrides DND settings, but this is vendor specific and not generally
possible with all Android devices.

**Except I can text him, but he doesn't usually notice texts either.
 
Is there a way to keep the text notification on top until he clicks on
it?  I seem to find that they display for a second or two and then all
there is is the badge on the text icon on the homepage.

No. If your brother fails to notice text messages or pick up the phone
when you call him, there is no technical solution to this. Only having a
second "dumb" device which does not have a DND mode at or a "dumb"
landline phone may help.

--
Arno Welzel
https://arnowelzel.de