The short answer
Check Do Not Disturb or a Focus mode, Silence Unknown Callers, call forwarding, and your blocked list. Between them they account for most phones that never ring, and all four can be switched on accidentally or by a schedule you forgot you set.
A phone that does not ring is either not receiving the call or receiving it silently. The distinction matters, and the call log tells you which: a missed call logged means the call arrived and was silenced. Nothing in the log means it never got there.
If the calls appear in your log
The call reached you and something suppressed the ring.
- Focus or Do Not Disturb. Check whether one is active, and importantly whether a schedule turns it on automatically. Sleep focus modes are the usual culprit, particularly if the schedule was set on a different routine.
- Silence Unknown Callers. On iPhone, Settings, Apps, Phone. It sends everyone not in your contacts straight to voicemail with no ring. Excellent against spam, and it silences the garage, the doctor and delivery drivers too.
- Blocked numbers. Check the blocked list for entries added by accident.
- Ring volume and silent mode. The physical switch on an iPhone, or a volume setting adjusted while media was playing, which changes a different volume than you expect.
If the calls never appear at all
Now it is network or forwarding.
Check call forwarding
Settings, Apps, Phone, Call Forwarding on iPhone; in the Phone app’s settings on Android. Forwarding switched on sends every call elsewhere and produces exactly this symptom. It can be enabled by a dialled code without any visible sign.
Toggle aeroplane mode, then restart
Forces the phone to re-register with the network. A phone that has lost its registration shows signal bars while being unreachable, which is confusing and common.
Check Wi-Fi Calling behaviour
If you are somewhere with poor mobile signal and Wi-Fi Calling is off, calls may not arrive at all. Turning it on frequently resolves missed calls at home. Conversely, a bad Wi-Fi connection with Wi-Fi Calling on can also drop calls — test both ways.
Reseat the SIM or check the eSIM
Power off, remove and refit the SIM. For an eSIM, confirm the line is still active in settings — profiles occasionally deregister after an update.
Ask someone to call while you watch
Have them call and describe what they hear: ringing then voicemail suggests your phone is unreachable or forwarding; an immediate voicemail suggests blocking or the phone being off the network; a busy signal suggests something different again.
Reset network settings
Rebuilds carrier configuration, which resolves registration problems that survive a restart. It clears saved Wi-Fi passwords, so have them to hand.
Calls are unaffected, but messages from iPhone users can vanish if iMessage was never deregistered from your number. If both calls and texts are behaving oddly after a switch, deregistering your number with Apple is worth doing.
Frequently asked questions
Why do calls go straight to voicemail without ringing?
Usually Silence Unknown Callers, a Focus mode, call forwarding, or the phone not being registered on the network. Check the call log — if the call is listed as missed, it reached you and was silenced.
Why does my phone ring for some people and not others?
That points at contact-specific settings: a blocked number, or a Focus mode allowing only certain contacts through. Check the allowed contacts list in the active Focus.
Can poor signal stop calls arriving entirely?
Yes. The network cannot reach a phone that is not registered, and the caller hears ringing or voicemail while your phone shows nothing. Wi-Fi Calling is the usual fix in a weak signal area.
How do I know if call forwarding is on?
Check the setting in the Phone app. Some networks also show a small forwarding icon in the status bar, and there are dial codes to query the current state.
Look at your call log first. Whether the missed calls appear there decides which half of this page applies to you.
