How to fix text tones not working on iPhone after iOS 18 update

Some iPhone users are have reported a problem with text tones not working after iOS 18 update. More specifically, iPhone users have reported problems with getting the notifications alert that let them know they have received a text message. This issue has shown up for some users after they updated to the most recent version of iOS 18. It seems that for many users with this issue, text sound may or may not ring to indicate a new message. In this article, we will give some troubleshooting tips to try and resolve this issue.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• If your iPhone text tones are not working after iOS 18 update, it may be a volume or settings issue that can be easily resolved.
• You can try fixes like checking the volume and turning off Focus, Do Not Disturb, or Silent mode.

How to fix text tones not working on iPhone in iOS 18

1. Adjust the ringer and alert volumes

follow the steps below:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap Sounds and Haptics.
3. Now, experiment with the Ringtone and Alerts volume slider.

2. Lock the ringer and alert volumes in Settings

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap Sounds & Haptics.
3. Turn off Change with Buttons.

3. Check that your iPhone isn’t on Silent

This is the most common reason for text tones not working after iOS 18 update and the easiest to fix. You may have just accidentally put your iPhone on silent without realizing it. If you can still hear other media, like videos or music, this is likely the issue.

Look at the switch on the left side of your phone. If the switch is pushed away from your screen and showing an orange color strip, you have Silent Mode on. Flip the switch to turn it off.

On iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, you can turn off Silent mode by going to Settings > Sounds & Haptics, then turning off Silent mode.

Note: iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone 16 series have an Action button instead of a Ring/Silent switch. The Action button can be used to turn Silent mode on or off among other functions.

4. Check that your iPhone isn’t in Focus Mode

Focus is an iPhone feature you turn on expressly when you want to temporarily silence all incoming alerts, calls, and notifications. Naturally, this feature is another common culprit of user-related issues with iPhone text tones.

If Focus is on, other audio will still work, and you will still receive incoming calls and texts. You just won’t be alerted when they come in.

To ensure that text tones are not silenced by a Focus mode like Do Not Disturb, follow the steps below:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap Focus.
3. If any of the Focus Modes is enabled, disable it.

5. Check if you’ve disabled all notifications

If you accidentally disable notifications, you’ll stop being notified about activity in the Messages app while continuing to receive messages. To check if this is the case, follow the steps below:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap Notifications.
3. Scroll down to find Messages and tap on it.
4. Make sure the toggle next to Allow Notifications is turned on.

6. Check if you Silenced Message alerts for One Person

When you mute a text conversation on your iPhone, you won’t get any alert from them until you unmute them again. However, you can still see their texts when you open the app.

To check if you silenced text messages alerts from certain contacts on your iPhone, follow the steps below:

1. Open the Messages app and open the conversation thread with the contact you want to unmute.
2. Tap the contact’s icon at the top of the screen.
3. Turn off the toggle for Hide Alerts.

Here’s another quick and easy method to unmute messages alerts from a contact on your iPhone:

1. Open the Messages app and find the contact in your list of recent conversations.
2. Swipe left on the contact you want to unmute.
3. Tap on the bell icon to unmute the contact.

7. Check if you are filtering unknown senders

iPhones allow you to filter text messages from unknown senders. While this is off by default, you may have accidentally turned it on. If that’s the case, you could be missing text messages alerts from numbers you don’t have saved on your phone.

To resolve this, turn off message filtering on your device. Here’s how:

1. Open the Settings app and tap apps.
2. Scroll down to find Messages, then tap it.
3. Under Message Filtering, tap Unknown & Spam.
4. Under Message Filtering, toggle Filter Unknown Senders to the Off position.

8. Check for iOS updates

Likewise, a surprising number of people don’t bother updating iOS, or wait for it to happen automatically. It may be worth manually updating iOS in case Apple has solved the iOS 18 text tones problem. Don’t worry, it’s easy — just be sure your iPhone is charged and backed up, and that you won’t need it for 15 minutes or so. The process can run shorter or longer depending on the speeds of your iPhone and internet connection.

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap General.
3. Tap Software Update.
4. If an update is available, follow onscreen instructions to install it.

9. Disconnect or power off any linked Bluetooth headphones or speakers

If a paired Bluetooth audio accessory is on, text alerts will usually be routed through that instead of your iPhone’s internal speakers. To see what’s currently connected to your iPhone, follow the steps below:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap Bluetooth.
3. If an accessory needs to stay on for some reason, you can temporarily disconnect it from your iPhone by tapping the (i) (info) button next to it, then Disconnect. You’ll have to manually reconnect later.

10. Check if it’s a text tone issue

If you downloaded a third-party or purchased a ringtone to use on your iPhone and it isn’t working after iOS 18 update, it could be a software glitch causing the sound to fail when someone calls you. Try switching to one of the iPhone’s inbuilt text tones, and see if that solves your problem. Here’s how you can access your default text tones list.

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap ”Sounds & Haptics.”
3. Tap Text Tones.
4. Under Alert Tones, browse pre-downloaded text tones and tap one to preview it. Just make sure that you don’t select None for obvious reason.

11. Restart your iPhone

Many people tend to leave their iPhones on continuously, simply locking them during downtime, but occasional reboots can help fix cache- or process-related issues.

To restart an iPhone without a home button, follow the steps below:

1. Hold down the side button and one of the volume buttons until a set of sliders appears onscreen.
2. Move the Slide to power off slider all the way to the right.
3. After your iPhone goes completely black, hold the side button to power back on.

To restart an iPhone with a home button, follow the steps below:

1. Hold down the power button until a set of sliders appears onscreen.
2. Move the Slide to power off slider all the way to the right.
3. After your iPhone goes completely black, hold the power button to power back on.

12. Reset all settings

If you’ve tried all of the previous troubleshooting options and nothing has fixed the issue, your iPhone text tones not working after iOS 18 update may be more than a small glitch. Reset all settings to see if that fixes the issue. Here’s how:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap General.
3. Scroll down to find Transfer or Reset iPhone, then tap it.
4. Tap Reset.
5. Tap Reset All Settings.

This will restore all of your settings to the factory defaults, but your content will stay intact.