Phone Not Ringing So You're Missing Incoming Calls?

Missed calls are annoying, but, in most cases, there’s an easy fix.

What Causes Android Phones to Stop Ringing?

When your Android phone isn’t ringing, there are several possible causes. In the worst cases, the phone might be physically damaged or infected with malware. Most likely, however, you inadvertently silenced your phone, left it on Airplane or Do Not Disturb mode, enabled call forwarding, or there’s an issue with a third-party app.

How to Fix a Non-Ringing Android Phone

Follow these tips in order, testing your phone after each one to see if it rings again.

1. Check your volume settings. On most Android phones, there are several sliders for volume control, but you want to adjust the Ring volume slider.

   An easy way to do this is to press the volume up or down button, then tap the menu button that appears on that volume slider. From there, you'll see all the sound controls, including the one for the ringer.

   If other sounds work, like music and alarms, switch to a different ringtone, maybe one that's easier for you to hear. If you’re using a third-party ringtone, try one of the built-in options.

2. Turn off Airplane Mode. If this is on, phone calls are sent straight to voicemail. You can check this by pulling down from the top of the phone's screen to access Quick Settings. Make sure it's toggled off.

   Airplane Mode also turns off Wi-Fi and cellular data, so if you can't load any web pages nor send texts, emails, etc., then there's a good chance this is toggled on.

3. Turn off Do Not Disturb. Depending on how it's set up on your phone, turning this feature on will stop you from seeing notifications about incoming calls. Like Airplane Mode, this is available as a toggle when you open the Quick Settings menu; just tap it to turn it off.

4. Turn off call forwarding. Apps like Google Voice, and some versions of Android, can utilize this feature.

5. Check your headphone settings. If your headphone aren't set up to receive phone call alerts, then it might seem like your phone isn't ringing when really you just can't hear it through your headphones.

   The solution here is to route calls through your headphones, too. Here's how it works on some phones: Go to Settings > Connected devices > select settings next to your headphones > toggle on Phone calls.

6. Restart your phone if none of the above is the problem. Doing so fixes many issues even if you never find the cause.

7. Sometimes Android phones can get infected with malware. There are a few steps you can take to remove malicious apps from your device.

   Uninstall apps you never use, and only download apps and files from trusted sources.

8. Update the Android OS and update your Android apps. If these things are outdated, there could be unresolved bugs causing your phone to stop ringing.

9. Factory reset your phone. This will revert your phone to the same state it was in when you first got it. If software is to blame for your phone not ringing, this is the ultimate fix.
   

   All your apps, settings, photos, etc., will get deleted. Consider backing up your phone first.

10. If all else fails, the cause of this issue might be due to physical damage. Contact the manufacturer or carrier about getting it repaired, if possible, or getting a replacement. 

    In the meantime, your phone might support another way to get your attention about incoming calls. Learn how to set up camera flash notifications to be alerted visually instead, or have calls ring on a different device.