Waiting on an incoming call is never enjoyable, but waiting while someone else is chatting away on the phone can be infinitely more frustrating. And you can never quite be sure they’re not just ignoring the call-waiting beep. Put those frustrating days behind you with Enhanced Call Waiting. If a second call comes in while the phone is in use, they’ll still hear the beep – but all of your other devices will also ring.

  1. What is Enhanced Call Waiting?
  2. Who can use Enhanced Call Waiting?
  3. Enhanced Call Waiting doesn’t seem to work on all my phones. Why?
  4. What if I want to answer the second incoming call? Can I use call waiting like I normally would?
  5. Will I see the caller-ID of the second incoming call?
  6. If I don’t want to answer a second incoming call, what can I do?
  7. What happens if I am using the both phone lines and a third call comes in?

What is Enhanced Call Waiting?

In the past, when the phone is in use, the only person who’d know there was a second incoming call would be the person who’s on the phone. With Enhanced Call Waiting, Ooma has brought traditional call waiting into the 21st century. Now, in addition to the traditional call waiting beep, all of the other Ooma phones in your household will ring. Anyone else in the house can check the caller-ID to see who’s calling. If the call is for them, they can simply pick it up to start a new conversation on the Instant Second Line™.

Who can use Enhanced Call Waiting?

You don’t have to do anything to set it up. Enhanced Call Waiting is automatically available as long as you:

  • Have access to Ooma Premier features (either through a subscription or a free trial)
  • Have at least one advanced Ooma telephony device. Ooma Telo Base Station or Phone Genie systems must have at least one Ooma Linx, Ooma HD3 Handset, or Ooma HD2 Handset.

Enhanced Call Waiting doesn’t seem to work on all my phones. Why?

If you have a cordless phone system with multiple handsets plugged into your Ooma device, keep in mind that all of the handsets on the cordless phone system are treated like a single phone. If someone is using one of the handsets on the cordless phone system and you pick up another handset connected to the same cordless phone system, you will join the same call. There is no way to access the Instant Second Line unless you use an Ooma Linx, Ooma HD3 Handset, or Ooma HD2 Handset.

What if I want to answer the second incoming call? Can I use call waiting like I normally would?

Yes! If you are on the phone, you can use call waiting as your normally would. Just press the flash button to switch to the new call.

Will I see the caller-ID of the second incoming call?

Yes! As long as your phone supports the call waiting caller-ID feature, the caller’s information will be displayed on the active phone as well as on the other phones that are ringing.

Note: The HD2 and HD3 Handsets support call-waiting caller-ID, so you’ll never have to wonder who’s calling.

If I don’t want to answer a second incoming call, what can I do?

You can ignore a call that’s ringing with Enhanced Call Waiting by pressing the envelope button. This will send the incoming call to voicemail. You can learn more by reading our Send to Voicemail FAQ.

What happens if I am using the both phone lines and a third call comes in?

Popularity occasionally comes with its drawbacks. If both of your Ooma lines are in use and a third call comes in, the new call will roll to voicemail.