To silence calls on an iPhone, turn on Silent mode. To unsilence them, turn Silent mode off. On an iPhone with a Ring/Silent switch, flip the switch toward the back of the phone (orange showing) to silence, and toward the screen to ring. On an iPhone with an Action button, press and hold the button, or go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics and switch Silent Mode on or off.
If calls are still quiet after that, something else is silencing them, usually a Focus such as Do Not Disturb, a low ringer volume, or the setting that silences unknown callers. The sections below cover each one, with menu names from iOS 26 and later.
Which Control Your iPhone Has
The control above the volume buttons depends on the model. Apple lists them this way:
- Ring/Silent switch: iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, and earlier models. It is a small switch that slides forward and back.
- Action button: iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 16 models and later, including iPhone 16e and iPhone 17e. It is a button you press, and it replaced the switch.
The Action button is a customizable button. Silent Mode is its default job, but it can be set to open the camera, turn on the flashlight, and more. Apple describes both controls in Silence iPhone in the iPhone User Guide.
Silence or Unsilence With the Ring/Silent Switch
- Find the switch on the left edge of the iPhone, above the volume buttons.
- To silence calls, flip the switch toward the back of the phone. Orange shows next to the switch, and Silent mode is on.
- To unsilence calls, flip the switch toward the screen so that no orange shows.
In Silent mode the iPhone doesn’t ring or play alert sounds, but it may still vibrate. Apple also notes that alarms you set in the Clock app still sound. Silent mode is also the usual way to turn off the iPhone camera shutter sound. To get a visual cue for calls while the ringer is off, see how to turn on flash notifications on iPhone.
Silence or Unsilence With the Action Button
- Press and hold the Action button to turn Silent mode on.
- Press and hold it again to turn Silent mode off.
This only works when the button is assigned to Silent Mode. To check, open Settings, tap Action Button, and swipe through the actions until Silent Mode is shown. Our guide on how to set the Action button on iPhone covers the other choices.
If the Action button does something else
You don’t have to give up your camera or flashlight shortcut. Use either of these instead:
- Settings: go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics and turn Silent Mode on or off. Silent Mode stops the ringtone but the phone may still vibrate, so see how to turn off iPhone vibration if you want that gone too.
- Control Center: swipe down from the top-right corner of the screen and check the Silent Mode control. Apple’s speaker troubleshooting article points Action button owners here to make sure Silent mode is off.
Silence One Incoming Call
To quiet a single call without changing any setting, press the side button or either volume button once while the phone is ringing. The ringing stops on your iPhone, but the call is still there. Apple says you can still answer a silenced call until it goes to voicemail.
Be careful with the side button. Pressing it twice quickly declines the call and sends it to voicemail.
This also explains a common surprise. If you reach for the volume buttons during a ringing call to make it louder, that press silences the call instead.
Silence Calls With Do Not Disturb
Silent mode only mutes sound. A Focus goes further. A Focus is an iPhone mode that silences calls and notifications, and Do Not Disturb is the best-known one. It can also let calls through from people you choose.
- Swipe down from the top-right corner of the screen to open Control Center. On an iPhone with a Home button, swipe up from the bottom instead.
- Tap Focus, then tap Do Not Disturb.
- To unsilence, open Control Center, tap Focus, and tap the Focus that is on to turn it off.
While a Focus is on, its icon appears in the status bar and on the Lock Screen. To decide who can still reach you, go to Settings > Focus > Do Not Disturb > People. There you can allow specific contacts and allow repeated calls, which Apple defines as two or more calls from the same person within 3 minutes. For more detail, see how to turn on Do Not Disturb on iPhone.
Silence or Unsilence Unknown Callers
Before you turn this on: silenced calls from numbers that aren’t saved in your contacts go to voicemail. That can include a doctor’s office, a school, or a delivery driver. Add important numbers to Contacts first.
- Open Settings and tap Apps.
- Tap Phone.
- Scroll to Screen Unknown Callers.
- Choose Silence to silence unsaved numbers and send them to voicemail, Ask Reason for Calling to have the caller asked why they are calling before your phone rings, or Never so these calls ring like any other.
To unsilence unknown callers, pick Never. These steps follow Apple’s Manage unknown callers on iPhone. On older iOS versions the setting is a single Silence Unknown Callers switch in the Phone settings. Apple also notes that calls aren’t screened while you are roaming, and that call screening turns off for 24 hours after you call emergency services.
Related guides: how to silence unknown callers on iPhone and how to turn off spam calls on iPhone. To stop one specific person instead, see how to block calls and texts on iPhone.
Calls Still Not Ringing? Check These
If you turned Silent mode off and calls are still quiet, work through this list.
- Ringer volume: go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics and drag the volume slider under Ringtone to the right. If Change with Buttons is on, the volume buttons also change ringer volume when no audio is playing. For media volume and the speaker limit, see how to increase the max volume on iPhone.
- A Focus on a schedule: go to Settings > Focus, tap each Focus, and look for a schedule. A Sleep Focus follows the sleep schedule set in the Health app, so it can turn on by itself every night.
- Screen Unknown Callers: if only calls from unsaved numbers are quiet, set it to Never as shown above.
- Bluetooth audio: if the iPhone is connected to headphones, a speaker, or a car, the sound may be playing there. Disconnect the device and try again.
- Calls skipping the ring entirely: that is a different problem. See why an iPhone goes straight to voicemail.
- No sound from the slider: Apple says that if you drag the ringtone slider and hear nothing, or the speaker icon on it is dimmed, the speaker might need service.
Vibration in Silent Mode
Silent mode and vibration are separate. To change whether the iPhone buzzes for calls, open Settings > Sounds & Haptics and tap Haptics. A haptic is the vibration you feel from the phone. The exact choices on that screen vary by iOS version. See how to put your iPhone on vibrate for a walkthrough.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will alarms ring in Silent mode?
Yes. Apple states that Clock alarms still play through the speaker when Silent mode is on. Audio apps such as Music and many games also still play sound. To quiet a game, use its own audio settings, as in our guide to turning off sounds in Super Mario Run.
How is Silent mode different from Do Not Disturb?
Silent mode mutes ringtones and alert sounds, and the iPhone may still vibrate. Do Not Disturb is a Focus. It silences calls and notifications, can run on a schedule, and can make exceptions for people you choose.
Does the caller know I silenced the call?
Pressing a button to silence a ringing call only quiets your iPhone. The call keeps coming in until you answer or it goes to voicemail. Apple’s documentation doesn’t describe any notice being sent to the caller.
Can one person ring through when everything else is silenced?
Yes. Open Contacts, select the contact, tap Edit, tap Ringtone, and turn on Emergency Bypass. Apple says this lets sounds and vibrations from that contact come through even when the iPhone or notifications are silenced.
How do I turn the ringer volume up?
Turn Silent mode off, then go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics and drag the slider under Ringtone. You can also press the volume up button when no audio is playing, if Change with Buttons is on.
Why can’t I find the Ring/Silent switch?
Your iPhone probably has an Action button instead. Press and hold it, or use Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Silent Mode.
Next Step
Once calls ring the way you want, you can change how they are answered. If you would rather hear calls through the speaker every time, see how to answer iPhone calls on speaker automatically.
Matthew Burleigh has been writing tech tutorials since 2008. His writing has appeared on dozens of different websites and been read hundreds of millions of times.
After receiving his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science he spent several years working in IT management for small businesses. However, he now works full time writing content online and creating websites.
His main writing topics include iPhones, Microsoft Office, Google Apps, Android, and Photoshop, but he has also written about many other tech topics as well.