You have to turn off Silent mode on your iPhone to unmute any alerts you need to hear.
Hollis Johnson
The iPhone’s Silent mode mutes ringtones and notification alerts when you need your phone to be quiet.
Turn off Silent mode by flipping the Ring/Silent switch on the side of the phone so you can’t see the band of orange.
If you also want to disable haptic feedback while in Silent mode, turn it off in the Settings app in the Sound & Haptics section.
Your iPhone’s Silent mode is a great tool for muting the seemingly endless stream of notifications that arrive throughout the day – ideal for meetings, dinnertime, and other occasions when you need a break from notifications.
But it’s entirely possible that you have entered Silent mode by accident and might not know how to get out of it. Here is everything you need to know to turn off Silent mode on your iPhone, as well as how to control whether your phone gives you haptic feedback while it’s silent.
How to turn off Silent mode on an iPhone
As a general rule, Silent Mode disables all ringtones and notification alerts, so while in this setting, your phone won’t notify you about phone calls or text messages. Some third party apps also mute themselves when your phone is in Silent mode, though most music and video will generally continue to play normally. Even in silent mode, for example, YouTube videos will still play the way you’d expect.
Your iPhone makes it very easy to toggle Silent mode: It’s controlled from the Ring/Silent switch on the side of your phone. To turn off Silent mode, flip the Ring/Silent switch upward, so you can no longer see the band of orange at the top of the switch.
To turn off Silent mode, just flip the switch on the side of the phone so you can’t see the orange band.
Dave Johnson/Insider
How to disable haptics when in Silent mode on your iPhone
When Silent mode is enabled, you won’t be distracted by audible alerts, but you might still feel your phone vibrate when a notification arrives. That can be a handy feature, allowing your phone to discreetly notify you even when you are trying to reduce distractions. If you want your phone to go completely silent without actually turning it off, though, you can disable haptic feedback while in Silent mode.
To do that, start the Settings app and tap Sound & Haptics. In the Ring/Silent Mode Switch section, turn off Play Haptics in Silent Mode by swiping the button to the left.
You can tell your iPhone not to vibrate in Silent mode using the Sound & Haptics settings.
Dave Johnson/Insider