Reasons Your iPhone is not Ringing for Incoming Calls and How to Fix It

Summary

• If you accidentally put your phone on Silent, it won’t ring: On your phone, if the physical side button on the left side is showing a thin orange line, it means your iPhone is in Silent Mode, and you won’t be notified of any call coming through.
• Setting low volume on your ring settings makes calls easy to miss: If the Ringer and Alerts volume is set too low, your phone might still ring, but you will barely hear it.
• Focus modes can block calls: Do Not Disturb or other Focus settings silence calls, and they can also turn on automatically if a schedule is set.
• Call forwarding sends calls somewhere else: If this is on, your calls go to another number instead of your iPhone, so nothing rings on your end.
• Bluetooth can transfer your ringtone to the Bluetooth device: If your phone is connected to AirPods, a car, or headphones, the sound goes there instead of playing through your phone.

Missing calls because your phone isn’t ringing is understandably a pain point for many, since half the reason for having a phone is to be easy to reach. If you have been asking, “Why is my phone not ringing?”, the issue usually comes down to one specific setting that changed without you noticing.

The good news is that you don’t need to know anything technical to fix it. Most of the time, it is just a matter of checking the right places. At My Computer Works, this is something we help people with all the time. So, if your iPhone not ringing is becoming a regular problem, go through these steps, one by one, and test after each one.

Check the Silent/Ringer Switch

This is the quickest thing to check, and it is also the one that people overlook the most. The switch can move on its own when your phone is in your pocket or bag.

Look at the left side of your iPhone. If you see an orange line, your phone is on silent. That means calls will not ring at all. Flip the switch toward the screen so the orange is no longer visible. Your phone should make a short sound to confirm.

Right after that, get someone to call you so you can test and confirm the fix worked.

Check Ringer Volume

Your phone might technically be ringing, but the volume is so low that you cannot hear it. This usually happens if the volume buttons were pressed by accident. If you find yourself often saying, “I can’t hear my iPhone ringing”, this is usually the exact reason.

Press the Volume Up button a few times first. Then open Settings, tap Sounds and Haptics, and look at the Ringer and Alerts slider. Move it to at least the middle or higher so it is clearly audible.

Also, switch off Change with Buttons. This keeps your ringer volume fixed, so it does not drop again when you adjust media volume later. 

Check Do Not Disturb/Focus Mode

Focus mode silences calls completely, so even if someone is calling, your phone will stay quiet. This can happen really easily if Do Not Disturb or Focus Mode is either turned on manually or set on a schedule with your iPhone.

To fix this issue, swipe down from the top right of your screen to open the Control Center. If you see a moon icon highlighted, tap it to turn it off.

Then go to Settings, tap Focus, and open Do Not Disturb. Check if a schedule is set, such as specific hours during the day or night. Turn that off if you do not need it. Lastly, if you are trying to disable Do Not Disturb, make sure it is not set to turn back on automatically.

Check Call Forwarding

If call forwarding is enabled, your iPhone will not ring because calls are being routed to another number. To fix this, go to Settings, tap Phone, then tap Call Forwarding. If it is switched on, turn it off. Once it is off, your calls should come directly to your phone again. 

Additionally, it’s important to ensure you have a signal. If you don’t have enough bars, you may not receive an incoming call until it’s too late, and all you get is a notification.

Check Blocked Contacts & Notifications

If only certain people cannot reach you, the issue is likely tied to those contacts and whether you accidentally blocked them. As the name aptly suggests, an individual whose number you have blocked on your phone will not be able to contact you, so there will be no ring or notification, unlike a normal incoming call.

To correct an accidental block on a contact, go to your iPhone Settings, tap Phone, then Blocked Contacts. Look through the list and remove any numbers that should not be blocked.

After that, go to Settings, tap Notifications, then Phone. Make sure Allow Notifications is turned on, and also check that alerts are enabled for Lock Screen, Notification Center, and Banners. This ensures calls actually show and make sound.

Check Bluetooth Connections

Your iPhone might be ringing, just not through the phone speaker. If it is connected to AirPods, a car system, or wireless headphones, the sound will go there instead.

Open Control Center and tap the Bluetooth icon to turn it off temporarily. You can also go to Settings, tap Bluetooth, and disconnect any active devices. Once Bluetooth is off, test with a call again, and if your phone rings normally, then the issue is the audio being routed to another device.

Final Thoughts

If your iPhone is still not ringing for incoming calls, you now know that the cause is almost always one of these settings. 

At My Computer Works, the easiest way to handle your phone not ringing is to check one setting at a time and test after each step. This way, you know exactly what fixed it, and if it is still not working after all of this, you can head over to the My Computer Works Help Center for more support. We are always ready to help users, whether it’s fixing an iPhone that’s not ringing or other tech issues.