If your iPhone isn't ringing properly, there may be several reasons why.
Before you attempt to service your phone for ringer issues, check that your iPhone doesn't have Do Not Disturb Mode enabled or that it's not stuck in headphone mode.
You should also make sure that your iPhone isn't on Silent, you haven't blocked any numbers, and that any custom ringtones are working properly.
Here are a few tips on how to fix your iPhone if it's not ringing.
Turn off Do Not Disturb mode
The Do Not Disturb icon is a crescent moon. Dave Johnson/Insider
If your phone is in Do Not Disturb mode, incoming calls won't ring and they'll go straight to voicemail. When enabled, there's a crescent moon icon in your status bar. If you see it, here's how to disable Do Not Disturb mode.
1. Swipe up from the bottom of your Home screen.
2. If the Do Not Disturb button - which looks like a quarter moon - is highlighted, tap it to disable the feature.
Quick tip: Some calls can get through Do Not Disturb mode on iOS if you set up exceptions for specific phone numbers.
Check that your iPhone isn't stuck in headphone mode
Test whether your phone is stuck in headphone mode. Dave Johnson/Insider
It's possible that your phone is "stuck" in a mode in which it thinks it's playing the ringtone, but it's sending it to a device that isn't connected, like earbuds that aren't plugged in or a Bluetooth device that isn't turned on.
Here are a few things you can try to "wake up" your iPhone's audio connection so it's working properly:
Plug earbuds into your phone and remove them again to coax the phone into recognizing there are no earbuds plugged in.
Make sure you're not connected to another audio device by swiping up on the screen to display the Control Center. Then tap the Airplay icon in the music pane - it looks like a triangle with three circles - and if anything other than the iPhone is selected, choose the iPhone.
Enable and disable Airplane mode by tapping the airplane icon in the Control Center.
See if any custom ringtones aren't working
Custom ringtones may be creating ringer issues. Dave Johnson/Insider
If the phone won't ring for a specific caller and that person isn't blocked, then check to see if it's a custom ringtone you assigned to them that isn't working.
On iPhones using iOS 12 and earlier, you can change the custom ringtone for a contact. Open the phone app, select their name from your contacts, and tap "Edit" in the top right corner of the contact's page. Under the "Ringtones" header, select a non-custom ringtone from the list of available options and then do a test call to see if your iPhone still won't ring.
For iPhone users with iOS 13 or higher, follow these steps to remove a custom ringtone before resetting the tone for a contact.
1. Open the Settings app.
2. Select "Sounds & Haptics."
3. Choose "Ringtone."
4. Locate the tone you want to delete from the Ringtones list before swiping left on it.
5. Tap the red "Delete" icon that appears to delete the ringtone.
6. Go back to your contact and assign a different ringtone to their profile.
Make sure the number isn't blocked on your iPhone
You might not be getting calls from blocked numbers. Dave Johnson/Insider
Apple gives you the ability to block specific phone numbers, which is handy if you get a lot of telemarketing and other spam phone calls. To make sure you didn't accidentally block an important number by accident, follow these steps.
1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap "Phone."
3. Tap "Call Blocking and Identification."
4. In the list of blocked calls, see if you have accidentally blocked any numbers. To unblock it, swipe it to the left and tap "Unblock."
Make sure that the Ring/Silent switch is flipped up, which enables the speaker. Dave Johnson/Business Insider
Make sure that your iPhone's Ring/Silent switch isn't in the Silent position. It should, of course, be flipped up toward the screen. If it's down (with a band of red visible) it's set to silent, and might have accidentally been bumped into that position.
Quick tip: You can find your iPhone's Ring/Silent switch on the left side of the phone, above the volume controls.
Increase your iPhone volume
Check your volume to ensure it's not on silent. Dave Johnson/Insider
Related Article Module: 'Why is my iPhone so quiet?': 4 ways to make your iPhone louder, from changing its settings to sticking it in a bowl
It's possible the phone's volume is too low to hear it ringing. To fix a volume issue, press the Volume up button on the left side of the phone until you can hear something.
You can then test if your iPhone ringer is not working by playing music or a video. If you hear noise, the issue is low ringer volume, not your ringer not working.
Restart your iPhone
If all else fails, consider restarting or force-restarting your iPhone. This should be a last resort step when your iPhone runs into software bugs that cause the phone to run slowly or wonky, including if its sound or ringer has stopped working.
Get your iPhone serviced
If none of the other troubleshooting tricks solved your problem, you probably have a hardware problem with your iPhone, like a damaged speaker or a fried port.
How to fix a frozen iPhone in 3 simple waysHow to access the Control Center on any iPhone and customize its device shortcutsHow to mute the sound on your iPhone by turning on silent mode and lowering the volume7 ways to fix your iPhone when it has no service
Former NBA guard Darius Morris has died at the age of 33. He played for five teams during his four NBA seasons. Morris played college basketball at Michigan.
Affluent Americans may want to double-check how much of their bank deposits are protected by government-backed insurance. The rules governing trust accounts just changed.
Miami Heat president Pat Riley rebuked comments Jimmy Butler made about the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks, while also implying that his star needs to play more.
Jake Mintz & Jordan Shusterman discuss the Padres-Marlins trade that sent Luis Arraez to San Diego, as well as recap all the action from this weekend in baseball and send birthday wishes to hall-of-famer Willie Mays.
An annual government report offered a glimmer of good news for Social Security and a jolt of good news for Medicare even as both programs continue to be on pace to run dry next decade.
Jason Fitz and Frank Schwab join forces to recap the draft in the best way they know how: letter grades! Fitz and Frank discuss all 32 teams division by division as they give a snapshot of how fans should be feeling heading into the 2024 season. The duo have key debates on the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, New Orleans Saints, Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots, Las Vegas Raiders and more.
The 2023-024 NBA season isn't yet over. A number of teams are still dreaming of championship glory. But for those that have been bounced from the playoffs, it's time to reassess and re-evaluate for next season.
