A Guide To Fix iPhone Not Ringing For Incoming Calls

Did your iPhone suddenly stop ringing for incoming calls? Do you often encounter missed calls when you take your iPhone out of your pocket or bag? Are your friends complaining that you are not answering their calls and you haven’t heard the ringtone on iPhone? If your answer is yes to any (or all) of these questions, then this issue requires your attention. We have compiled some probable solutions to the problems preventing your iPhone from ringing for phone calls.

The solutions in this guide apply to regular phone / cell calls, FaceTime calls, and incoming video and voice calls from third-party apps like WhatsApp, Zoom, Skype, etc. Before trying the troubleshooting solutions recommended below, make sure your iPhone isn’t connected to a Bluetooth audio device like AirPods or other external speakers. These audio devices can take control of your iPhone’s speakerphone and prevent it from ringing when you receive phone calls.

1. Turn off silent mode

First, make sure that the switch on the left side of your iPhone is not set to silent mode. Your iPhone will not ring or play when you receive calls, notifications, and other cellular and app calls in this mode. If the color of the side switch is orange, it means your iPhone is set to silent. Move the switch up to set your device to ring mode.

You can also go to Settings> Sounds & Haptics and move the “ Ringtone & Alerts ” slider further to the right.

If the iPhone still does not ring despite turning off silent mode and increasing the ringer volume, continue to the next solution.

2. Disable Do not disturb

This mode is designed to turn off incoming calls, messages, and app notifications, especially when your iPhone is locked. It doesn’t matter if your device’s ring profile is on silent or ringing mode, Do Not Disturb will mute calls and notifications. To turn off Do Not Disturb, open your iPhone Control Center and tap the purple colored crescent shape. You should see a message saying “Do Not Disturb: Off” at the top of the screen.

You can also turn off Do Not Disturb in the Settings menu. Go to Settings> Do not disturb and turn off Do not disturb.

3. Reconfigure the call parameters

In an effort to prevent spam calls, Apple has rolled out a feature that allows users to automatically cut calls from numbers that are not saved on your iPhone. When enabled, you will not be notified of incoming calls from unregistered numbers. Your iPhone will not ring and calls will automatically be sent to voicemail.

If you notice that only incoming calls from saved contacts ring on your iPhone, you need to reconfigure the call settings to re-enable calls from unknown callers. Here’s how.

Note: Disable silence for unknown callers is only available on iPhones running iOS 13 or newer.

Step 1: Launch the iPhone Settings menu and select Phone.

2nd step: Tap “Mute unknown callers”.

Step 3: Deactivate the “Silence on unknown callers” option.

Call your iPhone with a number not saved in your phonebook and check if it rings.

4. Restart the iPhone

Turn off your iPhone and turn it back on. It might also help fix issues preventing your iPhone from ringing for incoming calls on cell phones and apps.

5. Update iPhone

The problem with iPhone calls not ringing usually also occurs on devices running a buggy iOS version. We have discovered that this issue affects iPhone users running early versions of iOS 13. Apple has released later versions of the operating system that do not exhibit this issue.

To fix this problem, just update your iPhone to the latest iOS version. Go to Settings> General> Software Update and tap “Download & Install”.

6. Reset all settings

As previously established, issues with your iPhone’s call and sound settings can prevent phone calls from ringing. If none of the troubleshooting solutions solve the problem, try resetting your iPhone settings.

Step 1: Launch the iPhone Settings menu and select General.

2nd step: Scroll to the bottom of the page and select Reset.

Step 3: Select “Reset all settings” on the confirmation prompt.

Enter your phone’s passcode and tap “Reset all settings” on the confirmation prompt.

This reset option will only restore your iPhone to factory settings while sparing personal data.

Ring, ring, ring!

Some call blocker apps can also prevent incoming calls from ringing on your device. Usually, these apps are supposed to silence and block spam and telemarketing calls. However, sometimes they incorrectly turn off calls from genuine numbers to your contacts. So if you have installed spam blocker on your iPhone, unload or delete the app and check if you are now notified of incoming calls. If the problem persists, you need to take your iPhone to an Apple Authorized Service Center. Your device’s speaker may have been damaged; try playing a song to confirm it. Changing your iPhone ringtone (Settings> Sounds & Haptics> Ringtone) can also help.