Android phone not ringing? 10 fixes for Samsung and Pixel

Why is my Android phone not ringing?

Why do calls arrive silently on Android?

A phone rings only when several things agree. The sound profile must be Sound, the ringtone volume must be above zero, no mode like Do not disturb can be holding calls back, and the call must reach the phone in the first place. When any link fails you get a missed call with no sound, a screen that lights up silently or a call that goes straight to voicemail. The 10 steps above cover the usual causes. This section covers what to do when they do not solve it.

Sound profile and volume on Samsung vs Pixel

Samsung keeps its sound switch under Settings › Sounds and vibration. Choose Sound, then open Volume and drag the Ringtone slider up. Samsung also has a separate Vibration pattern and a Sound mode toggle in Quick Settings. On a Pixel, the ringer lives under Settings › Sound & vibration. Press the volume key and tap the icon above the slider, which cycles through Ring, Vibrate and Mute. Other brands such as Motorola and OnePlus use similar menus. If you cannot find a setting, search Settings for Ring volume.

Do not disturb, Modes and schedules

Do not disturb can quietly turn itself on at night, during a calendar event, while driving or when you start an app. Open its settings and look for schedules and exceptions. On Samsung with One UI 6 and later, Modes and Routines may start Sleep, Driving, Work or a custom mode, and each one can silence calls. On Pixel, check Settings › Notifications › Do Not Disturb › Schedules. Allow calls from Starred contacts or Repeat callers if you want important people to get through even when the mode is on.

Bluetooth, earbuds and smart watches

If your phone is connected to wireless earbuds in a bag, a car stereo or a smart watch, the ring may play there instead of on the phone. Turn Bluetooth off for one test call. If the ringtone returns, forget the device and pair it again, and check its call audio setting. Some watches also have a Mute phone on connect option that you may not know about.

Ringtones, contacts and blocked numbers

A custom or downloaded ringtone can be a file that no longer exists, which results in silence. Choose a built-in ringtone under Sounds and vibration › Ringtone. If only one person never rings, open their contact and check for a custom ringtone set to silent, then check your blocked numbers list in the Phone app settings. Some spam filters, such as Caller ID & spam protection, may also send unknown numbers to voicemail without a ring. Turn the filter off for a test.

Calls that go straight to voicemail

If the phone never rings and the caller goes to voicemail, the call is not reaching you. Check for call forwarding set to always forward, a weak signal, Airplane mode and a SIM that is not registered. Ask a friend to call, then ask whether it rang once or went straight to voicemail. Straight to voicemail points to forwarding, Do not disturb or no coverage. For carrier-side issues, see a Not registered on network error.

Software, safe mode and the speaker test

Play a song out loud to check the speaker. If music plays but calls do not ring, the cause is a setting or the Phone app. Restart in Safe mode (hold the power button, then press and hold Power off) to see if a third-party app, such as a call blocker or a dialer, is interfering. Install the latest system update, and update the Phone and Google apps in Play Store. If Safe mode fixes it, remove recently installed apps one at a time.

Dual SIM, ringtone vs media volume and quick tests

If your phone has two SIMs, check that both lines have a ringtone and that calls on the second line are not set to silent. Ringtone volume is also separate from media volume, so music can play loudly while calls stay quiet. Drag the Ringtone slider on its own. For a fast test, call your number from another phone while holding yours, with Bluetooth off and Do not disturb off. If it rings, your earlier setting was the cause. If it does not ring at all, test again in Safe mode, which tells you whether an app is to blame.

Why this keeps happening after an update

A system update can quietly switch a setting back, such as Do not disturb schedules, Modes or the ringtone itself. If your phone stopped ringing right after an update, go through Sounds and vibration again as if you had a new phone. Also check app updates, since a new dialer or call blocker version may change how calls are handled. Keeping a note of the settings you rely on makes recovery quicker next time.

When to reset or repair

• Reset all settings: Samsung under Settings › General management › Reset › Reset all settings, Pixel under Settings › System › Reset options. This keeps your photos and apps.
• Back up first if you plan a full factory reset, since that erases the phone.
• If the speaker is silent for music too, it may be water or dust damage. A speaker repair is often much cheaper than a new phone, but get a quote before you decide.

If you are thinking about replacing an older phone that has several faults, compare the repair quote against a trade-in value from your carrier. For the same problem on Apple devices, see the same problem on an iPhone, and to cut down on the calls you do not want, try blocking spam calls on Android.

Make a test call from another phone after each fix, so you know exactly which change brought the ringtone back.