Sound alerts in mobile devices can be handy especially if you’re waiting for a very important call to answer. But then you just found out that you’ve already missed that call because you haven’t heard your phone ringing when the call arrived. Read on to find out how to deal with the same issue on an iPhone XS that’s not ringing on incoming calls.
For us not to miss important calls, we customize our phone settings and notification alerts. However, this setup can be altered when some controls are changed. This can happen when you modified your phone settings without realizing it caused conflicts to the audio settings. The same thing can happen when automatic update overrides are implemented and eventually halted your device from rendering sounds when a call arrives.
Before we move on to our troubleshooting, if you happen to find this post while looking for a solution to a different problem, then visit our iPhone XS Help Guides page for we have already addressed some of the most common issues with this device. We may have already published articles that could help you fix your problem. Find issues that are similar to yours and feel free to use our solutions.
Troubleshooting iPhone XS that’s not ringing during calls
If you are certain that the phone is not set on silent mode and the volume is on its maximum level, yet still it’s not ringing on incoming calls, then this could be attributed to some software issues. Lined up below are possible solutions for you to try on.
First solution: Reboot (soft reset) your iPhone XS.
Doing a soft reset will eliminate minor software glitches and refreshes your phone’s system. It also dumps junk files including corrupted temporary phone data that might have caused the phone’s notification system to fail. This method won’t result in any data loss, so backing up won’t be necessary. Just proceed to these steps whenever you’re ready:
- Press and hold the Side/Power button and either Volume Up or Down buttons simultaneously for a few seconds.
- When the Slide to Power off command appears, release the buttons.
- Drag the power off slider to the right to turn your phone off.
- After about 30 seconds, press and hold the Side/Power button again until the Apple logo appears.
Once your iPhone is completely turned back on, make a test call and see if your iPhone XS produces sound when the call arrives.
ALSO READ: How to fix an Apple iPhone XS that is stuck on infinite boot loops after an iOS update
Second solution: Turn the Mute Switch ON and OFF again.
Another way to refresh your phone’s audio system is to turn on the Mute switch shortly then turn it off again. Doing so obliterates random flaws that might have silenced the phone when getting phone calls. The mute switch or ringer switch can be found on the side of your phone. All you need to do is to flip the switch down for a few seconds, and then flip it up again.
Alternatively, you can also check and adjust the volume through your phone’s settings. Here’s how:
- Go to Settings from your Home screen.
- Then select Sound & Haptics.
- Drag the Ringer and Alert slider to the right to increase your phone’s volume.
After making necessary changes, your phone should now be able to produce sounds when receiving calls. To see if that’s true, use another phone to place a test call on your iPhone XS. If you still hear no sounds from your iPhone XS for incoming calls, proceed to the next solution.
Third solution: Check and manage DND (Do Not Disturb) feature on your iPhone XS.
The incoming call alerts can also be muted when it has been restricted on the DND settings. The DND or Do Not Disturb feature is designed to restrict notification alerts when your phone screen is locked, during sleep and during work hours, when enabled. To make sure that this feature isn’t the one stopping your phone from making sounds for incoming calls, check and manage the DND settings on your phone using these steps:
- Go to Settings from the Home screen.
- Scroll down to and select Do Not Disturb.
- Toggle the Do Not Disturb switch to turn it off, if it is currently enabled.
After turning off DND feature, Then restart (soft reset) your iPhone to fully refresh its system. Your phone’s notification alerts including incoming call alerts should now be enabled. Try placing a test call again using another phone to see if that solves the problem. If your iPhone XS is still not making sound for incoming calls, rule out other factors using the next solutions.
Fourth solution: Toggle Airplane Mode on and off again.
There are times that your iPhone will stay on “headphone mode” even if it is no longer paired with a Bluetooth-enabled device. This can happen if your phone’s Bluetooth system has been inflicted by random glitches. Should the problem be attributed to these flaws, performing the Airplane Mode toggle will likely fix it. Doing so will disconnect all wireless radios from your phone including Bluetooth connections. If you wish to try this method, just follow these steps:
- Go to Settings from your Home screen.
- Select Airplane Mode.
- Toggle the Airplane Mode switch to turn it on.
- Restart (soft reset) your iPhone while the Airplane Mode feature is ON.
- Once your phone is back on, go back to Settings-> Airplane Mode menu and tap the switch to disable Airplane Mode again.
Once your phone has re-established network connections, make a test call and see if your phone’s notification alert for incoming calls is already working as intended. Also ensure that the Bluetooth feature of your iPhone is turned off to avoid automatic pairing with other Bluetooth device/accessories in discoverable mode and within range.
Fifth solution: Reset all settings on your iPhone XS.
The alert notifications on your phone can also be affected when you have incorrectly configured your phone settings. If the audio issue for incoming calls become apparent after you update your phone settings, it is best to simply revert the changes made. But in case you no longer remember which values and options are to be changed, perform reset all settings on your phone instead. Doing so will restore your phone’s settings to its default configurations. Here’s how it’s done:
- From the Home screen, go to Settings.
- Select General.
- Scroll down to and tap Reset.
- Select Reset all settings from the options.
- Enter your device passcode when prompted to continue.
- Tap Reset all settings again to confirm the reset.
After the reset, your phone will restart by itself. All customized settings including those misconfigured values/options should then be erased after the process, restoring its default settings. Once your iPhone is completely back on, turn on all necessary features that you will be using in the future. Then make a test call to see if the problem has already been rectified.
Is your iPhone XS software up-to-date?
If the problem still persists after doing all the given options, you may try to update your phone’s software to the latest version available. This option is also known to fix tough bugs and software errors including those that might have corrupted your phone’s incoming call notification system.
- To do so, just head over to Settings-> General-> Software Update menu.
Once you are prompted with a notification update, follow the onscreen instructions to download and install the latest software on your iPhone. Then restart your phone after the software update to ensure that the recent changes will be properly applied, so as to refresh your phone’s system. All of your phone’s issues including incoming call notification problem caused by complex malware should then be cleared out after the software update process.
Is your iPhone XS still not ringing on incoming calls?
Software-related factors that might have prevented the phone from ringing on incoming calls are usually cleared out by performing the above procedures. If the problem continues, then it could be due attributed to hardware damage on the phone. You can set up an appointment at the nearest Apple Genius bar and ask an iPhone technician to scrutinize your phone’s audio components to find and fix any damaged part.
If your iPhone is still covered by the AppleCare warranty, then you can report the problem to your carrier and ask if you can avail warranty for service or new unit replacement instead.
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