How to Turn on Ringer on iPhone: Easy Guide + Fixes

PDF download Download Article
Learn how to enable, adjust, and fix your iPhone's ringer volume
PDF download Download Article

If you have Silent Mode turned on, you can easily disable it with the physical switch on your iPhone or in your settings. If your iPhone isn't ringing when you get calls, you can easily troubleshoot it. Here's how to turn on the ringer on your iPhone 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and newer.

Turning On Your iPhone's Ringer

  • To turn off Silent Mode, find the switch on the side of your iPhone, above the volume buttons. Flip the switch up so the orange isn't showing.
  • Change the ringer volume manually in Settings → Sound & Haptics. Drag the slider towards the right.
  • If your iPhone isn't ringing, make sure your volume is raised, Focus modes are turned off, and you don't have unknown callers silenced.
Section 1 of 3:

Using the Switch

PDF download Download Article
  1. Step 1 Locate the switch on the side of your phone.
    This is on the same side as your volume buttons.
    • When the Silent Mode is turned on, you'll see orange underneath the switch.[1]
  2. Step 2 Flip the switch up.
    You should see the Silent Mode Off notification on your iPhone.
    • When Silent Mode is turned off, the orange will disappear from underneath the switch.
    • On iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max models, open the Control Center and tap the alarm bell icon. When your ringer is on, there will be no slash through the icon.
    Advertisement
  3. Step 3 Press the top volume button.
    This will increase the volume.
    • If the ringer volume doesn't change with the buttons, see the next section to change it in your settings.
    4. Advertisement
Section 2 of 3:

Increasing the Ringer Volume

PDF download Download Article
  1. Step 1 Open the Settings app.
    This is the grey cog icon.[2]
    • If the volume buttons don't increase your ringer volume, this feature may be disabled. Use this method to enable it.
  2. Step 2 Tap Sound & Haptics.
    You can find this underneath Notifications.[3]
  3. Step 3 Toggle on icon "Change with Buttons".
    When this feature is enabled, you can use the volume buttons on the side of your iPhone to change the volume of alerts and ringtones.[4]
    4. Advertisement
Section 3 of 3:

Troubleshooting

PDF download Download Article
  1. Step 1 Make sure your volume is up.
    A too-quiet ringtone could result in many missed calls. If you have Change with Buttons enabled, press the top volume button to increase your volume.
    • Alternatively, open your Settings and tap Sound & Haptics. Drag the slider to the right to increase the volume of your ringtone.
    • If you often use your iPhone in a louder environment, some of the more mellow ringtones might not break through the noise. Tap Ringtone and try selecting a different sound.
    • If you're using a custom ringtone that you created or downloaded, there could be a problem with the file. Try switching to one of the built-in ringtones to see if that fixes the problem.
  2. Step 2 Turn off Focus modes.
    Do Not Disturb, Driving, Sleep, and other Focus modes turn off your ringer to help you stay on task. If any of these modes are enabled, you may miss any calls or texts you receive.
    • To disable a Focus mode on an iPhone with Face ID, swipe down from the top-right corner of the Home screen and tap the moon symbol on the Focus tile.[5]
    • To disable it on an iPhone that has a Home button, swipe up from the bottom of the Home screen, then tap the moon symbol on the Focus tile.
    • You can also ask Siri to turn off Focus mode.
  3. Step 3 Toggle off Airplane mode.
    Airplane mode prevents your iPhone from placing and receiving calls and texts.
    • On an iPhone that has Face ID, swipe down from the top-right corner of the Home screen and tap the airplane symbol.
    • If your iPhone has a Home button, swipe up from the bottom of the Home screen, then tap the airplane symbol.
  4. Step 4 Stop silencing unknown callers.
    If you're blocking spam calls, you might also be blocking other calls. The Silence Unknown Callers feature prevents your iPhone from ringing when any calls come through that aren't already in your contacts or recent calls list.[6]
    • If you're missing calls from non-contacts, open the Settings app and tap Phone. Tap Silence Unknown Callers and toggle the switch off.
  5. Step 5 Disconnect from other audio devices.
    If your iPhone is connected to another audio device, incoming calls won't ring through your iPhone's built-in speaker. This can cause problems if the AirPlay or Bluetooth speaker, stereo, TV, or other audio device is muted or it's not close to you when your phone rings.
    • Open the Control Center by swiping down from the top-right corner of the screen. If you have a Home button, swipe up from the bottom.
    • If you're connected to an AirPlay speaker, including your car's audio system, tap the AirPlay icon (a triangle with three circles), and then select iPhone.
    • If you're mirroring your iPhone to an AirPlay device, tap Screen Mirroring → Stop Mirroring.
    • To disconnect from a Bluetooth speaker or headphones, tap the Bluetooth icon. It looks like a sideways bowtie.
  6. Step 6 Turn off Call Audio Routing.
    This accessibility option automatically forwards incoming phone calls to another audio device. Even if you've manually disconnected from other audio devices, Call Audio Routing might be trying to ring your calls elsewhere.
    • To disable it, open your Settings app and go to Accessibility → Touch → Call Audio Routing and make sure either Automatic or Speaker is selected.[7]
  7. Step 7 Review your blocked caller list.
    If you're only missing calls from a particular person, you may have blocked them.
    • To check, open Settings and go to Phone → Blocked Contacts.[8]
    • If you see the person you're missing calls from on the list, tap Edit, tap the minus sign next to that person, and then tap Done.
  8. Step 8 Disable call forwarding.
    Call forwarding automatically sends your calls to another phone number.[9]
    • To disable call forwarding so you can receive calls on your iPhone, open Settings and head to Phone → Call Forwarding to toggle off the switch.
  9. Step 9 Turn off Calls on Other Devices.
    Your calls could be ringing through to your Mac or another iPhone. While Calls on Other Devices shouldn't prevent your main iPhone from ringing, someone else in your home might be answering the call from your Mac or iPad before you can.[10]
    • To disable this feature, open Settings and head to Cellular → Calls on Other Devices.[11] Disable any devices on which you don't want to receive calls.
    10. Advertisement

Expert Q&A

Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
Advertisement

Video

Tips

Submit a Tip
All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
Name
Please provide your name and last initial
Submit
Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

You Might Also Like

Expert
1
How to

Unsilence Calls on iPhone
Expert
2

Top Ways to Fix an iPhone or Android Phone That Isn't Ringing
3
How to

Turn Off Silent Mode on iPhone
4

6 Easy Ways to Make the Volume Louder on iPhone
5

Why Is My iPhone Going Straight to Voicemail?
Expert
6
How to

Silence Your iPhone: Do Not Disturb vs. Silent Mode
7
How to

Mute an iPhone
Expert
8
How to

Use iPhone Speakerphone to Answer or Make Calls
9

8 Ways to Fix Your iPhone When You Can't Hear the Caller
Expert
10
How to

Fix an iPhone That Won't Make Calls but Can Text

Expert
11

10 Ways to Fix Volume Buttons Not Working on an iPhone
Expert
12

Why Am I Not Getting Notifications? Simple Fixes for Android + iPhone
13
How to

Change the Alarm Volume on an iPhone
14

Why Isn't My Microphone Working on My iPhone and How Do I Turn It On?
Advertisement

References

  1. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/select-ringtones-and-vibrations-iph37c04838/ios
  2. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/adjust-the-volume-iphb71f9b54d/ios
  3. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/adjust-the-volume-iphb71f9b54d/ios
  4. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/adjust-the-volume-iphb71f9b54d/ios
  5. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/turn-a-focus-on-or-off-iph5c3f5b77b/ios
  6. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/111106
  7. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/auto-answer-calls-iph29145acf1/ios
  8. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/111104
  9. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/set-up-call-forwarding-iphe9bdd027a/ios
  1. ↑ https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/stop-incoming-iphone-calls-from-ringing-all-your-other-apple-devices/
  2. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-ph/guide/iphone/iphf90f372f0/ios

About This Article

Rain Kengly
Written by:
Rain Kengly
wikiHow Technology Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Rain Kengly. Rain is a tech writer and editor for wikiHow with over 5 years of professional writing experience. In the past, Rain has worked with other creative writers as a Writing Tutor at San Francisco State University and has published gaming features, guides, and news articles for a variety of media outlets. Rain shares a lifelong passion for writing and gaming and is eager to grow alongside new tech inventions. This article has been viewed 138,691 times.
How helpful is this?
Co-authors: 3
Updated: July 7, 2025
Views: 138,691
Categories: IPhone
Article SummaryX

1. Check the Silent Mode switch.
2. Increase the volume and/or try another ringtone.
3. Disable focus modes like Do Not Disturb or Sleep.
4. Turn off airplane mode.
5. Disconnect from Bluetooth or AirPlay devices.
6. Turn off the feature that silences unknown callers.
7. Disable call audio routing and call forwarding.
8. Check your block list.
9. Remove spam blocking apps.
10. Turn off Calls on Other Devices.

Did this summary help you?

In other languages
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 138,691 times.

Is this article up to date?

Advertisement