The solutions in this guide apply to regular phone/cellular calls, FaceTime calls, and incoming video & voice calls from third-party apps like WhatsApp, Zoom, Skype, etc. Before you try the recommended troubleshooting solutions below, ensure your iPhone isn’t connected to any Bluetooth audio device like the AirPods or other external speakers. These audio devices could take over your iPhone’s speaker and prevent it from ringing when you receive phone calls.
1. Disable Silent Mode
Firstly, make sure the switch on your iPhone’s left side isn’t set to Silent mode. Your iPhone will not ring or play a sound when you receive cellular & app calls, notifications, and the likes in this mode. If the color of the side switch is orange, this means your iPhone is set to silent. Move the switch upward to set your device to Ring Mode. Alternatively, navigate to Settings > Sounds & Haptics and move the ‘Ringer and Alerts’ slider further to the right. If iPhone still doesn’t ring despite disabling Silent Mode and increasing the ringer volume, proceed to the next solution.
2. Disable Do Not Disturb
This mode is designed to silence incoming calls, messages, and app notifications, particularly when your iPhone is locked. It doesn’t matter if your device ringing profile is on Silent Mode or Ring Mode, Do Not Disturb will silence calls and notifications. To disable Do Not Disturb, open your iPhone’s Control Center and tap the violet-colored crescent shape. You should see a message that reads ‘Do Not Disturb: Off’ at the top of the screen. You can also disable Do Not Disturb from the Settings menu. Go to Settings > Do Not Disturb and toggle off ‘Do Not Disturb.’
3. Reconfigure Call Settings
In a bid to prevent spam calls, Apple rolled out a feature that lets users automatically silence calls from numbers that aren’t saved on your iPhone. When enabled, you will not be alerted of incoming calls from unsaved numbers. Your iPhone will not ring, and the calls will automatically be sent to voicemail. If you notice that only incoming calls from saved contacts ring on your iPhone, you should reconfigure the call settings to unmute calls from unknown callers. Here’s how. Note: Disable Silence Unknown Callers is only available on iPhones running iOS 13 or newer. Step 1: Launch the iPhone Settings menu and select Phone. Step 2: Tap ‘Silence Unknown Callers.’ Step 3: Toggle off the ‘Silence Unknown Callers’ option. Call your iPhone with a number not saved on your phonebook and check if it rings.
4. Restart iPhone
Power off your iPhone and turn it back on. That could also help fix glitches preventing your iPhone from ringing for incoming cellular and app phone calls.
5. Update iPhone
The issue with iPhone calls not ringing also commonly occurs on devices running a buggy iOS version. We discovered that this problem affects iPhone users running early versions of iOS 13. Apple has released subsequent versions of the operating system that are void of this issue. To fix this problem, simply update your iPhone to the latest iOS version. Go to Settings > General > Software Update and tap ‘Download and Install.’
6. Reset All Settings
As earlier established, glitches with your iPhone’s call and sound settings could prevent phone calls from ringing. If none of the troubleshooting solutions fix the problem, try resetting your iPhone’s settings. Step 1: Launch the iPhone Settings menu and select General. Step 2: 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’s settings to factory default while sparing personal data.
Ring, Ring, Ring!
Some call-blocking apps could also prevent incoming calls from ringing on your device. Usually, these apps are supposed to silence and block spam and telemarketing calls. However, they sometimes erroneously mute calls from genuine numbers on your contacts. So, if you have any spam blocker installed on your iPhone, offload or delete the app and check if you now get notified of incoming calls. Should the issue persist, you should take your iPhone to an authorized Apple repair center. Your device’s speaker may have been damaged; try playing a song to confirm this, though. Changing your iPhone’s ringtone (Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Ringtone) might also help. Next up: Do you often miss important calls because WhatsApp does not ring when your iPhone is locked? Read the guide below to fix WhatsApp Call notifications woes, especially when your iPhone is locked.
