Bizarre problems also exist in mobile devices and one of these is on the notifications that play in silent mode. Read on to find out what to do if ever you’d bump into the same issue and your iPhone XS notifications still play even when the phone is muted.
Problems like this are most likely attributed to software errors particularly on the phone’s audio system. Considering the nature of the problem, which is software-related, performing some workarounds will likely be able to fix it. Find out what could’ve triggered your iPhone to play notifications even when in silent mode and try some tweaks to eliminate the software-related triggers.
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.
First solution: Perform a force restart on your iPhone XS.
One of the possibilities is that your iPhone might have been stuck in ring mode. Hence, it still thinks that it’s on ring mode even if silent mode is already activated. Weird, yes but it can happen especially when system errors strike. To correct these errors, force restart your iPhone XS to stop all apps and services along with minor system errors that ruined the phone’s sound functions. Here’s how:
- Press and release the Volume Up button quickly.
- Press and release the Volume Down button quickly.
- Finally, press and hold the Power/Side button until the Apple logo appears.
Just like a soft reset, performing a force restart clears and refresh your phone internal memory without deleting any saved contents. Wait for your phone to finish booting up and then try to see if notifications are still playing in silent mode.
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Second solution: Toggle the ringer slider and switch back and forth.
Normally, notifications are muted once the ringer button is switched or flipped downwards. An indication that your iPhone is muted is the red-orange bar on the switch. Flipping this switch can also do some wonders, especially when dealing with minor sound issues tied to random system errors. Thus, try flipping the switch back and forth and then rest it in silent/mute position.
You can also adjust the ringer and alerts control to reduce the sound down to the lowest level, if needed. Just follow these steps to access and manage the volume settings on your iPhone XS:
- Access Settings from the Home screen.
- Scroll down to and select Sounds & Haptics.
- Drag the Ringer and Alerts slider to the left to decrease the volume level until it’s muted.
Once you’ve set the volume to the lowest level, test your device to see if notification alerts are still audible.
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Third solution: Manage Do Not Disturb (DND) settings with no exceptions.
Do Not Disturb (DND) is a feature that is used to stop notifications, alerts, and calls from making any sound, vibration or lighting up the screen when the display is locked. In short, it mutes your iPhone notification and sound functions except for alarms. If sounds for notification alerts are still audible while DND is enabled, verify and ensure that you haven’t set some exceptions.
You can manage and turn on Do Not Disturb on your iPhone XS from the control center with these steps:
- Swipe down from the upper-right corner of the phone screen to launch control center.
- Find the Do Not Disturb icon (crescent moon) then tap to turn ON the feature.
- Swipe up from the bottom of the screen or simply tap the screen to close control center.
You can also manage Do Not Disturb feature through your iPhone’s settings menu with these steps:
- Access Settings from the Home screen.
- Tap Do Not Disturb.
- To enable Do Not Disturb feature completely, simply toggle the switch to turn it on.
A crescent moon icon will appear on the status bar of your phone to indicate that Do Not Disturb is enabled. After making necessary changes to DND settings, reboot your iPhone then test to see if notifications are already silenced.
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Fourth solution: Check and install latest iOS version on your iPhone XS.
Installing the latest iOS update available for your iPhone might also be the key to resolving the problem if it is caused by some malwares and bugs. Software updates usually provide fix patches that are designed to address widespread issues that are tied to complex system errors and malware. If your iPhone has a stable access to the Internet, then you can download and install new updates straight from its settings menu. Just follow these steps:
- From the Home screen, access Settings.
- Tap General.
- Select Software Update.
A system notification will prompt once a new iOS update is up for grabs. Just read the update information and follow the on-screen instructions to start the download and installation process. After updating, reboot your iPhone XS to refresh the system and to implement necessary changes to iOS.
Fifth solution: Perform an all settings reset on your iPhone XS.
Your iPhone’s notification system can also be ruined by incorrect or invalid settings as well as erroneous update overrides. To clear this out, you can reset all the settings on your iPhone XS to delete all customized settings and then restore the original values and options. Any associated errors are therefore obliterated. If you wish to give it a try, then here’s how it’s done:
- Access Settings from the Home screen.
- Tap General.
- Scroll down to and then select Reset.
- Tap the Reset All Settings option.
- Enter your device passcode once prompted.
- Then tap to confirm all settings reset.
This reset is often carried out when dealing with post-update errors. After the reset, your phone will restart automatically. Just wait for it to finish booting up and then check to see if notifications still play in silent mode. Make sure that your iPhone is muted or DND feature is activated.
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Sixth solution: Reset factory settings on your iPhone XS.
More complex system errors could cause persistent issues and thus, notification problems may continue on your device. To address major system issues like this, performing a full system reset or factory reset is usually needed. Doing so will wipe out stubborn bugs and firmware errors that caused the problem. Just be sure to back up all your important files beforehand. Failure to do so will result in permanent data loss. If you’re willing to take chances in this reset, then you may do and start performing these steps:
- Access Settings from the Home screen.
- Tap General.
- Scroll down to and then select Reset.
- Tap the Erase all contents and settings option.
- Enter your passcode once prompted.
- Then tap to confirm factory reset.
After the reset, your phone will reboot and then loads up its factory default settings. As soon as it boots up, you can start setting it up as new. Just follow the setup wizard to use automatic settings and account configurations.
Are your iPhone XS notifications still play in silent mode?
The above procedures are usually enough to deal with minor firmware issues including those that have ruined your phone’s notification system. However, the problem may still persists if fatal system errors are to blame. To deal with major system issues like this, performing an iOS restore either through recovery mode or DFU mode is usually needed. Both these methods require the use of a computer that has the latest version of iTunes app.
For further suggestions and other potential solutions, you can escalate the problem straight to Apple Support.
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