If you are not hearing your iPhone ringing after iOS 18 update, there are a few reasons that might be happening — and a few tactics you can try to get things back where they should be.
Quick Answer
If your iPhone isn’t ringing after iOS 18 update you should first check it’s not muted and that the ringtone volume is loud enough. It’s also worth exploring whether you have Focus like Do Not Disturb enabled. You can further diagnose by disabling features like forwarding, Bluetooth, and blocking. If all else fails, restart your iPhone.
How to fix an iPhone not ringing after iOS 18 update
Check Your iPhone Isn’t on Mute
If your iPhone only vibrates for incoming calls but doesn’t ring, it’s probably on mute (also called silent mode).
On the left side of your iPhone, you have a small switch that you can flip to switch between ring and silent mode. On most iPhones Apple refers to this as the “ring/silent” switch, and on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, mute is one of the possible functions for the Action button. If your iPhone is currently in silent mode, then behind this switch, you will see orange color.
To disable silent mode and enable ring mode, flip this switch once so that you don’t see the orange color anymore. You can bring an iPhone 15 Pro out of silent mode by finding the option under Settings > Sounds and Haptics.
Increase ringtone volume
If your your iPhone is still not ringing, check your ring volume. This is different from your iPhone volume, which by default is controlled using the two buttons on the left side of the device. You can change your ring volume under Settings > Sounds & Haptics. Tapping the slider will let you preview the ring volume with your default tone. Make sure the Ringtone and Alert Volume slider is high enough to be audible without being deafening. Usually, it doesn’t need to be any higher than 50%. You might also consider changing your ringtone if it’s too subtle.
Turn Off "Change with Buttons"
iOS is set to change the ringer volume with the keys by default. And them being pressed accidentally when in your pocket or purse can mute or dampen the ringer volume. To avoid missing calls, consider disabling Change with Buttons in settings, as follows:
Open "Settings" on your iPhone, then select ”Sounds & Haptics.”
Turn off the switch for ”Change with Buttons.”
Switch off Change with Buttons
That’s it. Volume buttons will no longer affect the volume of the ringtones and alerts. You can always re-enable it later if it doesn’t solve your issue.
Turn Off Focus Mode (and See If It’s Scheduled)
Focus Mode is an iOS feature designed to reduce distractions and help you focus on what you’re doing. When enabled, it temporarily silences the notifications and other alerts on the device.
If your iPhone goes silent or stops ringing randomly at a particular time of day or specific locations, Focus Mode could be the culprit. You could have accidentally enabled it, created a schedule, or turned on Smart Activation.
When Focus is enabled, its icon appears in the status bar and lock screen. Here’s how you can turn it off on your iPhone:
Open "Settings" on your iPhone.
Click on "Focus."
Here, you can view and manage all available Focus Modes: "Do Not Disturb," "Personal," "Sleep," and "Work."
Click on "Smart Activation."
Turn off "Smart Activation" to prevent Focus mode from turning on automatically based on your location, app usage, and more.
Similarly, tap "Work" and disable "Automation" to prevent your iPhone from going silent whenever you arrive at work.
This will prevent Focus mode from turning on automatically based on the time of the day or your current location. You can also disable Focus through Control Center: swipe down from the top right corner of the screen to open Control Center and tap the "Focus" button to turn it off.
Turn Off Bluetooth or Disconnect Devices
You won’t hear ringtone from your iPhone speakers if the phone is connected to nearby AirPods or any other wireless audio devices, such as headphones or car stereo.
Sometimes your iPhone can get "stuck" believing that your headphones or other Bluetooth audio devices are still connected, even if it’s not. This prevents your iPhone from audibly ringing.
Therefore, turn off Bluetooth and see if the issue persists. Swipe from the top right corner to open Control Center on your iPhone and tap the "Bluetooth" icon to disable it. It should turn from Blue to White.
If your iPhone keeps connecting to a Bluetooth device you don’t recognize, go to "Settings" > "Bluetooth" > and tap "I" next to the connected device.
Tap i Next to Bluetooth Device Name in Settings
Tap "Forget This Device."
Finally, tap "Forget Device" to confirm.
Check a Contact’s Custom Ringtone
If you have set a custom ringtone for a contact and the tone isn’t working properly, you should just hear your default ringtone instead. It’s worth double-checking and even disabling the ringtone altogether if you think it may be causing problems. You can do this under the Phone app on the "Contacts" tab by finding the contact and tapping on the "Ringtone" field.
Remember that musical ringtones that rely on Apple Music need to be saved offline on your device to work. To do this, find the track in question, tap and hold, then select "Download" from the menu that appears.
Check the Caller Isn’t Blocked by Mistake
It’s surprisingly easy to block a contact by mistake. If you have a specific friend or family member whose calls seem to consistently fail, it’s worth checking they aren’t on your block list. You can do this under the Phone app by tapping the "Contacts" tab and finding the person in question.
Scroll down to the very bottom of the contact card to see if they are blocked. You’ll be invited to "Unblock this Caller" if they are blocked. If you see "Block this Caller" instead then they aren’t on your list of blocked contacts.
You can also review your full list of blocked contacts under Settings > Apps > Phone > Blocked Contacts.
Turn off Call Forwarding
Call forwarding allows you to pass calls on to another number automatically. With the setting enabled, you won’t receive phone calls on your iPhone but rather on the number you’ve nominated to forward to instead.
To turn off call Forwarding, fire up your Settings app and tap “Apps.”
Tap "Phone,” then tap "Call Forwarding."
Next, tap the "Call Forwarding" option to turn it off.
Disable the "Silence Unknown Callers" Option
Your iPhone can silence dreaded "Unknown" callers automatically, which is a handy setting to enable if you’re averse to answering anonymous incoming calls. This can be impractical since some important calls may come from obfuscated numbers. You’ll find this setting under Settings > Apps > Phone > Silence Unknown Callers.
Any calls from these numbers that are silenced will be sent to voicemail. You’ll still see the call in your call log under Phone > Recent.
Disable Calls on Other Devices
If you’ve got a Mac or iPad, and this feature is on, it could be that one of those devices is ringing instead of your iPhone. That is a glitch, mind — every device is supposed to ring as long they’re on the same Wi-Fi network. If you suspect you’re affected, go to Settings > Apps > Phone > Calls on Other Devices and toggle the option off. You should turn the feature back on if it doesn’t make a difference.
Your iPhone Won’t Ring when CarPlay is Connected
Your iPhone shouldn’t ring when it detects that you are connected via CarPlay. Instead, the call should be passed along to your vehicle’s entertainment system. This is to prevent you from having to touch your phone or answer it manually when it rings.
If you’re having trouble accepting phone calls via CarPlay you should look into restarting your car’s head unit or entertainment system. This could be as simple as stopping the engine, turning off the ignition, then starting everything up again. Some cars may require a manual restart instead.
Try Restarting Your iPhone
iOS can simply crash and stop working properly. This can prevent your iPhone from ringing. You can try fixing this by restarting your iPhone.
To restart your iPhone, activate Siri, say "restart my iPhone," and confirm when prompted.
Alternatively, on iPhones with Face ID, swipe down from the top-right corner of the screen to reveal the Control Center. Tap the power button in the top-right corner and slide to power off. Whereas, for iPhones with Touch ID, swipe up from the bottom of the screen to reveal the Control Center. Tap the power button and swipe the power slider to switch off. You can then start the iPhone back again by long-pressing the Side key.