How To Fix an iPhone Ringing When Do Not Disturb Is Set

Apple’s Do Not Disturb (DND) feature is ideal for managing your notifications so you can focus. While enabled, you can customize it to halt all notifications at all times, only during a scheduled time, or to allow disturbance from selected contacts and apps.

Some iPhone users find they’re being disturbed even when the DND feature is enabled. If this happens to you, read on to learn why, how to prevent it, and some other helpful DND tips.

iPhone Ringing When Do Not Disturb Is Set

The default Do Not Disturb setting on your iPhone could be why you receive calls despite enabling it. By default, iOS will only silence incoming calls and messages if your iPhone is locked. Otherwise, you’ll receive calls and messages while using your phone.

How to Set Do Not Disturb to Always

To ensure you are not disturbed whether you’re using your phone or not, you can enable it to be silenced always in the Do Not Disturb settings. Here are the steps to do that.

1. Open “Settings.”
   
2. Tap “Focus.”
   
3. Select “Do Not Disturb.”
   
4. Under the “ALLOW NOTIFICATIONS” section, select “People.”
   
5. Ensure “Allow Notifications From” is checked and that no people are saved for the same option.
   
6. Under the “PHONE CALLS” section, tap on the “Allow Calls From” dropdown menu.
   
7. Select “Allowed People Only.” Since nobody is on the allowed list, nobody will ring.
   
8. Scroll down to the bottom and ensure “Allow Repeated Calls” is turned off. When on, it allows repeat calls that occur within a three-minute span to ring through.
   

Older iPhones had a “Do Not Disturb” option labeled as “Always.” It got replaced with “Allowed People Only.”

That is why you need to delete any people listed in the “Allow Notifications From” setting. As long as “Focus -> Do Not Disturb -> People” is empty, you can compensate because “Allow Notifications From” has nobody to allow.

How to Schedule Do Not Disturb Mode

The DND mode can be scheduled to activate at specific times, like when you’re going to be in a meeting or asleep. Follow these steps to plan your Do Not Disturb time.

1. Access the “Do Not Disturb” settings menu.
   
2. Tap “Add Schedule or Automation.”
   
3. You should see the specific condition you’d like DND to automatically activate: “Time,” “Location,” or “App.” If you choose “Time,” you’ll be prompted to enter the start time, end time, and days.
   
4. Tap “Done” to save your settings.
   

How to Create Do Not Disturb Exceptions

The Do Not Disturb feature allows you to create exceptions to allow calls and notifications from certain contacts or specific apps. Follow these steps to enable calls and notifications from selected contacts when DND is active.

1. Go to the “Do Not Disturb” settings menu.
   
2. Under the “Allowed Notifications” section, choose “People.”
   
3. Choose which contacts or groups from which you’d like to allow calls and notifications. Tap the plus icon to select a contact.
   
4. From your contacts list, select one or more to add to your “Allowed People” list.
   
5. Tap the “Calls From” option to add other people. Here you can also choose to allow calls from “Everyone,” “No One,” or your “Favorites.”
   
6. You’ll have the option to allow repeated calls from selected contacts. To set this up, go to the DND settings screen and toggle on the “Allow Repeated Calls” option. This will allow the second call from the same person within three minutes.
   

FAQ

What happens when your iPhone is on Do Not Disturb and someone calls?

When Do Not Disturb is enabled, your calls go straight to voicemail. You’ll get a silent notification as a missed call. The caller will be told that the phone is either switched off or outside network coverage.

Is Focus the same as Do Not Disturb?

DND and Focus modes can control the notifications from specific apps. Once either mode is enabled, blocking notifications, clearing away open notifications from certain apps, and preventing further notifications from showing up are all active.

Did Focus replace Do Not Disturb?

No, Focus did not replace Do Not Disturb.

With Focus available in iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 or later, you can activate DND to silence calls, notifications, and alerts when your device is locked. You can schedule DND and allow calls from selected people.

Is Do Not Disturb better than silent?

The silent mode should be used when you prefer to silence everything without needing to create exceptions or a schedule. The DND mode can be used when you need to allow calls and notifications from some people or notifications from some apps. For example, if the DND mode is set at night, you can allow the alarm to still sound in the morning.

How do I turn off Focus?

Follow these steps to disable Focus.

1. Long-press the Focus icon from the “Lock” Screen. Or access the “Control Center,” then press “Focus.”

2. Press the “Focus” icon to disable it.

No More Unwanted Disturbances

No one likes to be disturbed by their iPhone, especially after activating the “Do Not Disturb” function. By default, and despite DND, iPhone assumes that if you’re using your phone, it should be ok to disturb you. You can remain undisturbed at all times by choosing the always silent option in the Do Not Disturb settings.

Were you able to set the Do Not Disturb mode as we’ve outlined in this article? Let us know in the comments section below.