Android phone doesn’t ring when they call me: 20 fixes

Do you miss emergency calls from your loved ones and urgent appointment reminders on your Android smartphone? A phone that doesn’t ring is somewhat contrary to the meaning of having a phone.

Android users often report an issue where “My Android phone doesn’t ring when I get a call”and only a missed call notification is shown on the lock screen. If you are facing the same problem and want to fix it easily, follow our troubleshooting tips to fix Android phone won’t ring when someone calls.

Why doesn’t my Android phone ring when someone calls me?

Your smartphone may not ring when someone calls for many reasons, from common causes like volume sliders set to silent to a more complex hardware issue that only a technician can fix. The possible reasons why my Android phone does not ring when someone calls me are listed below:

One of the most common reasons for Android phone not ringing when someone calls error occurs is because the mobile phone is set to Silent, Do Not Disturb, Airplane or the ringtone is just not loud enough. Changing Android settings can quickly fix this.
You may experience call problems if your SIM card’s network coverage is poor or signal bandwidth is constantly changing between 4G LTE and 2G.
If any Bluetooth device is connected to your smartphone, your Android phone may not ring when someone calls because the Bluetooth connection is set to the primary calling device.
Random system glitches related to the Phone app or Android version can result in scenarios where my Android phone doesn’t ring when someone calls me.
Users may install a third-party application that is infected with malware or ransomware that may attempt to take full control of the device, preventing any calls to your device.
Finally, any hardware issues that may prevent audio from being played from the speaker module of an Android smartphone may result in the phone not ringing.

How to troubleshoot when my Android phone doesn’t ring when I get a call?

Based on the reasons given above, we have provided an extensive list of troubleshooting methods. Try them one by one to see if the “My Android phone doesn’t ring when someone calls”issue is resolved before sending the device in for repair.

Note. The fixes are shown on a smartphone running stock Android 11. The methods can be customized depending on the device brand and Android version.

Check if your Android device is set to silent mode
Check if Airplane mode is disabled on Android
Check if you can hear enough ringtone volume settings and notification sounds
Check if your Android device is in Do Not Disturb (DND) mode
Clear phone app data if my android phone doesn’t ring when they call me
Check if your SIM card settings allow call forwarding to voicemail
Check if the Bluetooth connection is redirecting incoming calls
Check if the caller’s number is blacklisted
Check if setting a different ringtone fixes the “Android phone does not ring”error
Restart Android Smartphone
Turn on Wi-Fi calls over the Internet to fix poor network signal
Reboot in safe mode to prevent any third party application or malware from running.
Try using a separate SIM card for calls
Change SIM card slots to fix my Android phone not ringing when I get a call
Contact your network operator
Reset network settings
Reset Access Point Names (APN)
Fix system crashes by updating your Android version
Factory Reset Android Phone
Consult a technician for any speaker hardware problem

1. Check if your Android device is set to silent mode.

A common reason for your phone not ringing when someone calls is that you leave your Android phone on silent or vibrate mode. You may have accidentally muted your phone without realizing it. This is probably a problem as long as you can still hear sounds from other media like videos and music.

Follow the instructions below to remove silent mode on your Android mobile device:

Unlock your Android device.
Press the volume up button to bring up the volume slider.
Click the arrow button to expand the list of available volume sliders.
Make sure the ringer volume is set to maximum.
Make sure the call is set to ring mode by clicking the button at the top of the slider.
If your device has an external audio slider as shown above, tap it above to turn on ring mode.

2. Check if Airplane mode is disabled on Android

Another common reason that leads to the “Android phone won’t ring when someone calls me” issue is accidentally activating Airplane Mode on your device. For a short period of time, while your phone is in airplane mode, it will appear that no one is calling.

This is a problem if you cannot access the Internet or send or receive text messages while you are not connected to a Wi-Fi network. To disable Airplane Mode, follow these steps:

Unlock your phone and open the Settings app.
Click on the Network and Internet category for network settings.
Turn on the switch next to Airplane Mode.
You can also turn it off by double-dragging the notification bar to open the quick settings bar and pressing the Airplane Mode button to turn it off.

3. Check if you can hear enough ringtone volume settings and notification sounds.

Your Android smartphone has a special menu in the settings panel where you can change many features related to the ringer volume. Check this menu to make sure there are no issues that might be preventing your phone from ringing when you receive an incoming call.

The steps below will help you adjust the volume settings so that your phone rings loudly every time someone calls you:

Open the Settings app on your phone.
Go to the “Sound”menu.
You will see 4 sliders at the top, mainly ringer and notification volume, media volume, call volume and alarm volume.
Drag the sliders of all of them to the right.
Make a test call to your phone from another phone and your smartphone should ring loudly. If not, try the other methods below.

4. Check if your Android device is in Do Not Disturb (DND) mode

Do Not Disturb is an Android exclusive feature that prevents your phone from ringing or showing any notifications. You can use this mode during a meeting and set a timer to turn it off automatically.

Despite using it, your Android phone may not ring when someone calls, simply because you forgot to turn it off. Follow the instructions below to restore your regular phone calls:

Open the “Settings”menu on the Android home screen.
Go to the sound settings menu.
Click on the Do Not Disturb option.
Click the Turn Off Now button to turn off Do Not Disturb and turn on all phone notification and ring sounds.
DND can also be disabled in the quick settings menu.
Drag the notification bar down and tap the Do Not Disturb icon to turn it off.

5. Clear phone app data if my android phone doesn’t ring when someone calls me

All Android phones manage calls through the standard dialer app, which comes separately for different brands of mobile phones. If you can’t receive calls or your phone doesn’t ring when someone calls, you can try deleting the default phone app storage data, which will clear your call history and reset all previous user settings.

Follow the steps below to clear phone app data:

Press and hold the phone app until the context menu appears.
Click on the information button in the upper right corner of the menu.
Tap “More”to view app settings.
Click Storage & Cache.
Tap the Clear Storage option.
Click OK on the confirmation window to complete deleting application data.
Restart the Google voice dialing app and see if incoming calls are coming through.

6. Check if your SIM card settings allow call forwarding to voicemail.

Call forwarding is a feature on all SIM cards that allows you to direct incoming calls to another phone. The main reason why your Android phone doesn’t ring when someone calls is because you or someone else may have turned on the feature.

It is also possible that forwarding is enabled in a third party program such as Google Voice or Skype. Follow the instructions below to fix this issue by turning off call forwarding:

Launch the default dialer app from the Android home screen.
Tap on the three dots icon in the top right corner of your phone screen.
Click “Settings”to open the phone app’s settings menu.
Select the Call Accounts option to display the settings available for making a call.
Select your SIM card according to the name of the network operator through which you mainly make or receive calls.
Click on GSM call settings to open the hidden GSM-only features.
Select a call forwarding feature and wait 30-40 seconds for the phone to retrieve the previously configured settings for this feature.
Ensure that Always Forward, When Busy, When No Answer, and When Not Available are set to Off. If they are enabled, select each and click OFF.

7. Check if the Bluetooth connection is redirecting incoming calls.

Sometimes connecting a Bluetooth device can cause your Android phone to not ring when you receive a call. If your phone is connected to Bluetooth speakers/headphones/headsets, it will send audio to the connected device instead of the speakers.

Your Bluetooth device can play a ringtone. Disabling Bluetooth or disconnecting the hardware from the phone will resolve this issue. We’ll walk through how to do this in the steps below:

Open the Settings app on your device.
Select Connected Devices to open settings related to devices connected via various media to your Android device.
If you are connected to any Bluetooth device, it will be shown at the top.
You can turn it off by tapping the gear icon next to the connected device.
Click the “Disconnect”button to terminate their connection. If they still connect again, click “Forget”to prevent them from reconnecting.
If you want to permanently disable Bluetooth, select Connection Settings from the Connected Devices screen.
Select Bluetooth to find settings related to it.
Turn off the Bluetooth switch.
Call your Android smartphone from another device and see if your phone rings.

8. Check if the caller’s number is blacklisted

You may not be able to receive calls from expected numbers because you may have accidentally blocked them. Blocking a phone number prevents the caller from contacting you and causes the “My Android phone does not ring when someone calls me”error.

So, if you want to receive calls from a phone number, make sure the number is not on your local blacklist. Unblock any blacklisted number by following the instructions below:

Open the stock phone app from the Android home screen.
Tap on the three dots icon in the top right corner of your phone screen.
Select the Settings menu to open all call-related personalization options.
Click on the “Blocked Numbers”option which will display all the numbers you have blocked on your android mobile phone.
Click on the X button next to the blacklisted number to remove it.
Select Unlock again in the unlock confirmation window.
Wait for the number to ring again, and this time your call will definitely ring.
Remember that unblocking a number allows that number to contact your phone. However, number unblocking is ineffective if you cannot make calls.

9. Check if setting a different ringtone fixes the “Android phone does not ring”error.

One of the main reasons my Android phone doesn’t ring when someone calls me is simply a software glitch that causes third-party ringtones downloaded from other software to become unusable.

Since your phone does not have a proper ringtone due to other APK interference, the default ringtones will not be heard. You can fix this error by setting other system sounds as your default ringtone in Android settings. Follow the instructions below:

Open the Settings app from the home screen or app drawer.
Select the Sounds option to view various settings related to the sound on your phone.
Press the Phone ringtone – SIM 1 button (depending on which SIM card you are using to receive calls).
Select ringtones using the Sounds app.
Choose any ringtone available in the system folder.
Click the “Save”button in the upper right corner of the screen to confirm.
Try a new ringtone when your android mobile rings on the next call.

10. Restart your Android smartphone.

Restarting your Android mobile phone is a surefire way to fix “My Android phone doesn’t ring when I get a call”when you can’t find a suitable solution. This can be a lifesaver if you haven’t turned off your phone for several days and have been using it for a long time.

Give your phone a break and fix a lot of random software glitches by restarting it with these steps:

Find your phone’s power button, which you use to lock or unlock your device.
Press and hold the Power button for a short while until a prompt similar to the one above appears on the screen.
Click the “Reboot”button to automatically turn off the mobile phone and restart it at the next boot.
If the Android screen is not responding, you can force restart it by holding down the power button until the screen goes blank and restarts again with a slight vibration.
After booting the Android system, try dialing your number from another phone to check if the problem is still there.

11. Turn on Wi-Fi calls over the Internet to fix poor network signal

The phone won’t ring problem can occur if your Android mobile isn’t getting enough signal strength at your location to accept a call from someone. Your smartphone may be constantly trying to switch between the 2G and 4G LTE bands in the hope of finding a better connection instead of losing quality.

In such a terrible situation, only the WiFi calling feature can save you if you have a WiFi Internet router at home and your network provider supports it.
Otherwise, you can try to move to a location with a better tower signal and take the call from there.
To enable Wi-Fi calling, first open Android Settings from the Home screen.
Go to the Network and Internet section to find toggles for more detailed features.
Select the SIM card you use by default to receive calls.
Scroll down and tap the Wi-Fi Calling button in the CALLS category.
Move the switch to the “On”position and set Call to Wi-Fi Call.
Reboot your Android system and see if you can receive any calls.

12. Reboot in safe mode to prevent any third party application or malware from running.

We often install third-party programs without realizing that they come with their own set of problems. Many third-party apps contain malicious code and compromise the security of your phone.

You can check if these apps are causing the “My Android phone doesn’t ring when someone calls me”issue by restarting your phone in safe mode and uninstalling any recent third-party apps:

Safe Mode prevents any third-party apps from running during boot up and you won’t be able to use them for the duration of your session.
Hold down the power button until the power menu appears.
Keep pressing the power icon until you get a confirmation to reboot into safe mode.
Click OK to continue.
Unlock your phone after booting in safe mode and check if your phone rings when someone calls you.
If the phone is ringing in safe mode, think about any app you installed after which you experienced this problem.
Uninstall an app by long-pressing the app’s icon in the app drawer or home screen, and then tapping the Uninstall button.
Click OK on the deletion confirmation window.

13. Try using a separate SIM card for calls

Since the “My Android phone doesn’t ring when someone calls me”issue might be due to a SIM issue, you can try replacing the card and using a second SIM to receive the call:

Call the phone number of the second SIM card inserted in the mobile phone.
If your phone rings this time, the problem is with the SIM card and the network signal.
If the phone doesn’t ring this time, move on to the other methods below.

14. Change the SIM slots so that my Android phone doesn’t ring when someone calls me.

If you have a dual SIM phone and some unknown system settings prevent your Android device from ringing when someone calls, you can try swapping the SIM slots between the two cards and insert them correctly:

Remove the SIM card tray using the SIM eject tool.
Remove the card from SIM card slot 1 and move it to SIM card slot 2 and vice versa.
Make sure the cards are properly seated before inserting the SIM card tray back into your smartphone.
The SIMs will be checked again and you can test and see if the new configuration fixes this issue.

15. Contact your network operator

If all of the above methods fail, contact your network operator to resolve the “My Android phone does not ring when I receive a call”issue:

You can do this using another number or social networks to check that your number and SIM card are working and not blocked. If your SIM card is working or valid, they can give you some advice.
While it’s rare for a SIM card to get blocked, it can happen if you don’t pay your phone bills on time. Your SIM card may be blocked and you need to contact your network operator.
It’s also possible that your phone’s network carrier is to blame. The phone action plan may have ended. Or your plan may include a limit on the number of minutes per month. Contact your network provider to change your monthly limit.
Prepaid or pay-as-you-go SIM cards have credit limits. You cannot make or receive calls without a balance and must buy more.

16. Reset network settings

You can try resetting your network settings if your Android phone doesn’t ring when someone calls. Resetting your phone’s network settings will delete all connection-related saved phone settings, allowing it to work properly again:

Open Settings on Android and scroll down to open the system menu.
Click “Reset Options”to view the various reset options available on your device.
Select Reset Wi-Fi, mobile phone and Bluetooth.
This option will reset settings related to Wi-Fi, SIM card and Bluetooth.
Click Reset Settings to confirm.
Wait for the process to complete and check if the problem persists by making or receiving a call.

17. Reset access point names (APN)

Access Point Names (APNs) are URLs used by the SIM card to connect Android to the Internet or send MMS. Resetting their settings to default can quickly fix the “My Android phone doesn’t ring when someone calls me”problem:

Go to Settings > Network & Internet and select the SIM card you use to receive calls by default.
Scroll down and select Access Point Names.
Tap the three-dot icon in the top right corner of your phone screen.
Select “Restore Default”to complete the reset of common APNs and the default installation.

18. Fix system crashes by updating Android version

You can always try updating your Android OS to the latest version if all else fails. The latest Android design for your device contains the latest security and bug fixes applied by the developer. Follow these steps to install the latest version of Android on your smartphone:

Open the Settings app on your Android device.
Scroll down to open system settings.
Click System Update to check for the latest updates available for your phone if you have an internet connection.
Start installing updates if available and check if the “my Android phone doesn’t ring when someone calls me”issue persists after a reboot.

19. Factory Reset Android Phone

A more serious problem may arise if you have taken all the troubleshooting steps above and none of them helped. In the worst case, your computer has been infected with malware. Back up your essential data and apps and then do a factory reset to see if that helps:

Open Settings on Android and scroll down to open the system menu.
Click “Reset Options”to view the various reset options available on your device.
Select the Delete all data (factory reset) option.
You will see that the important data deleted after the factory reset is listed together.
If you agree to continue, click the “Erase all data”button.
After the factory reset is complete, set up your phone again.
Call your phone from another number and your android phone will ring clearly when someone calls you now.

20. Contact a technician for any problem with speaker equipment.

If none of the previous methods work, the problem might be your phone’s speakers; they can be broken in some way. This is probably a problem if you are also having difficulty playing other audio.
In this case, you should contact the company that makes your phone or the retailer you purchased it from to find available solutions.

Conclusion

If my Android phone does not ring when someone calls me, not only will this be a problem in my daily life schedule, but people close to me may be unnecessarily worried about my safety. Although the problem may seem difficult to solve, we hope that our article helped solve the problem.