Updated on November 8, 2021 Start getting incoming call notifications again
What to Know
This article explains how to unsilence calls on an iPhone by turning off Do Not Disturb and Silent Mode and adjusting ringer volume settings.
How Do I Turn Off Call Silence on iPhone?
If you’ve enabled Do Not Disturb mode to black all alerts, turn it off to restore incoming call and other notifications.
Go to Settings > Do Not Disturb.
Move the toggle to the left next to Do Not Disturb.
To quickly allow incoming call notifications, swipe up from the bottom of your device to bring up the Control Center. Tap the moon-shaped Do Not Disturb icon to turn off silencing.
You don’t necessarily have to turn off Do Not Disturb Mode if you want to receive notifications from only people you know. From Settings > Do Not Disturb > Phone > Allow Calls From, choose your preferred contacts under Groups.
How Do I Unsilence Calls?
Another way to ensure you notice incoming calls is to turn off Silent Mode and check your ringer volume.
Move the switch on the left side of your iPhone toward you so that the orange disappears. Also, look for a notification on your display that says Silent Mode Off.
If you turn on Change with Buttons under Sounds & Haptics > Ringer And Alerts, a ringer volume bar indicator appears on your display instead.
To manage the sounds that signal calls and other alerts when Silent Mode is off, go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics.
On models older than iPhone 7, this menu is called Sounds.
Under Vibrate, turn on Vibrate on Ring if preferred.
Also, ensure that the volume slider under Ringer And Alerts isn’t positioned all the way to the left (and muted).
If you don’t see notifications for missed calls, ensure you have notifications enabled from Settings > Phone > Notifications > Allow Notifications.
Why Are My Calls Being Silenced on My iPhone?
If you’re suddenly not receiving call notifications and don’t know why, check the switch that controls Ring and Silent Mode; it could be set to Silent Mode by mistake.
You may also want to double-check that you didn't mistakenly activate the Do Not Disturb button in your Control Center.
Other possible reasons for call silencing could include:
- Your bedtime and sleep mode settings: If you use the Bedtime feature on iOS 13 and earlier, check to see if Do Not Disturb During Bedtime is on from the Clock app > Bedtime > Options. From the Health app in iOS 14, choose Browse > Sleep > Options > Sleep Mode and look at the toggle next to Turn On Automatically.
- Your headphones could be the culprit: Open the control center to see if the volume bar is too low or mistakenly muted. If you see a Headphones volume indicator on your screen, even if you disconnect the accessory, your iPhone could be stuck in headphone mode and require an inspection by Apple Support.
- Your device could be blocking unknown callers: Go to Settings > Phone > Silence Unknown Callers and move the toggle to the off position if it’s activated.
FAQ
How do I unsilence text messages on an iPhone?
If you disable Do Not Disturb or Silent Mode and you still don't hear text message notifications, go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Sounds and Vibration Patterns and look to see what you have selected next to Text Tone. If it's on None, tap it to change it to your preferred vibration pattern or an alert tone.
How do I unsilence an iPhone while it's locked?
Use the Silent Mode switch on the left side of your iPhone. Move it from the on to the off position to unsilence your phone without unlocking it.
How do I unsilence a contact on my iPhone?
If you previously blocked a particular contact, you can unblock a number on your iPhone. Go to Settings > Phone > Blocked Contacts > Edit > swipe left on the number and choose Unblock. You can also unblock contacts from the FaceTime and Messages apps using similar steps.
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