iPhone 101: iPhone Not Ringing? Meet the Silent Switch!
Three brand-new iPhone owners I know have asked me about this in the last week, and I’ve heard the Apple Store has gotten more than a few walk-ins who think their iPhones are busted because of this. So, what better way to start out the New Year and our new iPhone 101 series — for new iPhone owners — then with this little how-to.
The iPhone has a hardware mute switch, which lets you quickly and easily turn the ringer off and put the iPhone into vibrate-only mode. It’s located on the left side (facing the device) directly above the volume rocker. When the ring/silent switch is in-line with the volume rocker, the ringer is on. When the ring/silent switch is offset from the volume rocker, the ringer is muted (and only vibrate is on).
A bell will flash briefly on the screen when the ringer is on, a bell with a line struck through it will flash briefly when the ringer is muted.
(Note: the iPhone will still sound alarms, play iPod music, and allow apps like games to make sounds even when the phone is set to silent)
January 1st, 2009 at 2:23 pm
lmfao at this post.
January 1st, 2009 at 2:46 pm
Not everyone is technologically adept, and because the iPhone is easy to use — unlike every other smartphone on the market — it’s something less technologically adept users are willing to pick up and try out… then, boom, problem.
iPhone 101 to the rescue!
January 1st, 2009 at 3:16 pm
I guess I’m one of the few who actually read the manuals and walk-thrus. This is hilarious! Can you tell me why my screen dims when I’m not using it? J/K
January 1st, 2009 at 4:34 pm
say day when you have to actually point this out to people. guess it could be worse like when people ask me how to turn on the phone. “oh your phone isnt working mr customer? meet the power button”
January 1st, 2009 at 4:43 pm
@Michael:
I am more concerned why it dims when I’m using it. Try reading something on a web page – after a minute or so it just goes black. I am almost thinking of returning the stupid thing to the dealer.
January 1st, 2009 at 5:02 pm
A lot of new iPhone users that I’m friends with have asked me about this. Good post.
January 1st, 2009 at 5:30 pm
Hey:
If you have a jailbroken iPhone, you can install StatusNotifier. It shows an icon on the taskbar when the switch is set for “silent mode.”
Rajiv
January 1st, 2009 at 5:57 pm
I just hate how easy it is to accidentally switch the ringer off via the silent switch. I’ve missed calls because I unknowingly switched it off when I was putting in a holster or taking it out.
January 1st, 2009 at 7:31 pm
OMG! You can actually make it ring? Wow! I just accepted it as Apple knows best and if they didn’t think I need a ringing phone then it must be best for me.
January 1st, 2009 at 7:37 pm
This is what happens when Walmart sells iPhones!
January 1st, 2009 at 11:12 pm
Haha is it really that hard to read the manual? I mean, if you don’t know how to use something, just read the instructions that come with it. LOL geez.
January 2nd, 2009 at 12:27 am
@Chad hahahahaha
January 2nd, 2009 at 1:05 am
@nick
I have an iPhone 3g which a pretty much the same thing as the iPod touch. I had a friend who thought his battery died and didn’t know what to do. I showed him the sleep wake button.
January 2nd, 2009 at 1:14 am
WTF. You’re fired!!!!
January 2nd, 2009 at 1:22 am
Basically this is a result of a dumbing down of a culture and people. This phone is horrible idiot prof! It has 3(three) count it 3 external buttons. A home button, a lock button, and oh well wouldn’t you know a hardware mute switch. It all goes back to what several other level headed individuals have said, it all goes back to reading the manual and educating yourself on the product in which you just purchased. But thats just my own two cents worth.
January 2nd, 2009 at 3:37 am
It happened to me (multiple times) that my phone didn’t ring and only vibrate although the switch was not on. This usually gets fixed if you turn on the switch and then turn it off. I don’t know what causes that. Else I’m really happy with ‘the silent switch’ since there’s no need to unlock the phone or anything else to put it on silent (this is especially important while in class and you don’t want your phone confiscated, just put the hand in the pocket and put the phone on silent).
January 2nd, 2009 at 9:30 am
Make fun of people who have this problem if you want, but that is short-sighted. Whether the consumer read the manual or not, this button is implemented poorly. The fact that so many people run into this problem is a giant red flag, this button is too easy to hit accidently.
January 2nd, 2009 at 10:35 am
3G silence switch definitely has problems. I had a first gen iPhone for over a year and only once or twice have had the silent switch accidentally enabled. Got a 3G for xmas and I have found the silent switch enabled accidentally at least once per day.
The 2G switch was soft and actually kinda hard to catch without really trying. The new one is hard, has hard edges and catches on my pocket all the time. Bad change Apple.
January 2nd, 2009 at 1:20 pm
Is there gonna be a post that explains how to use the touch screen? Having some difficulty with that one.
January 2nd, 2009 at 1:26 pm
lololz comment reminds me of the xkcd about youtube comments. typical.
January 2nd, 2009 at 1:46 pm
iphone aside, Japan has always had the most advanced phones and gadgetry. Why have we not seen these amazing innovations? Everything is dumbed down in the U.S. because, on the whole, WE DON’T READ MANUALS! Pretty sad.
January 2nd, 2009 at 7:19 pm
What freaking moron doesn’t see the switch on the side of the iphone and move it at least once?
January 3rd, 2009 at 7:32 pm
My silent switch is broken. When I put it on vibrate it just switches between ringer off and on constantly until I flip it back on. It’s so annoying.
January 6th, 2009 at 6:38 am
I just got a new iPhone 3G and it came with NO manuals! Googled ’silent iPhone’ to find out how to put it in silent mode! Seemed odd to me that in an almost entirely touch screen phone there wasn’t a silent mode option under settings, and it wasn’t immediately obvious that the silent button slides rather than can be pressed! At least when in silent there is a neon dot which is clearly visible… Strange indeed…
January 6th, 2009 at 11:32 pm
@ emma thats a jk and a half and or a goofy lie.
January 22nd, 2009 at 10:31 am
the **** on my switch broke off in lesss than a month. switch still works but it is impossible to try to move – taking it back to AT&T
January 24th, 2009 at 8:12 pm
the silent switch is aligned and steal havent hear any incoming call but vibrates. is that usual??
January 25th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
oh my god you must be thick to not notice the silent switch
February 5th, 2009 at 7:33 am
I think it is confusing that changing the hard switch does not make a change in the “status” on the touchscreen under “sounds”.
JS
February 21st, 2009 at 2:34 am
I have a jailbroken 3g and it is not ringing, only vibrating on incoming calls. I have flipped the mute switch back & forth, tried holding down the Sleep/Wake button, tried holding down the Sleep/Wake button & the Home button at the same time, disabled EMAIL, switched it to WiFi and still NO RINGING.
Pulling my hair out as I don’t think I can take this thing back to Apple after 3 months and being hacked.
Any help is greatly appreciated!!!
February 21st, 2009 at 11:54 am
Recently, I experienced an issue with my iPhone, during phone calls the sound disappeared from the ear speaker, but when plugging in the headset or switching to the speaker (loudspeaker ) the sound was available. I was afraid the iPhone already after a couple of month had to be delivered to Apple Support/Service, but thet told me that it is problem of dust kindly give me the solution
February 21st, 2009 at 12:00 pm
kindly email me on my email id pulliwarparag@gmail.com or call me +91 90963 30001 parag
February 24th, 2009 at 12:48 pm
I’ve had my iphone 6 months, and since last week I have been trying to figure out why it is only vibrating. Oh, so after spending 2-3 hours checking “settings” soft reset, going through all the applications, it was that Da** button that was hid under the edge of my case. Wouldn’t it have saved me, and THOUSANDS of other people hours, if a SIMPLE reminder program would flash “Silent button Switch ON” across the top of my screen. Geez, how difficult that would have been!
March 14th, 2009 at 1:12 pm
Why do people have to be thick or dumb just because they didn’t notice a silent button or read the iPhone manual??? Grow the f*ck up people. I know it makes you all feel smart and brave sitting behind a screen calling people stupid. Idiots.
Moving along thank you for that informative article.Keep them coming.
March 15th, 2009 at 2:32 pm
hey, jackasses, guess what? reading the manual isn’t any faster than typing “iphone doesn’t ring” into yahoo search and getting info about the silent switch
March 15th, 2009 at 3:26 pm
lol… too bad there isn’t a virginity switch for you heroes
March 28th, 2009 at 10:10 pm
I hate the silent switch. I really, really wish their was a software solution to disable the silent/ring switch. I am constantly missing phone calls because the phone switches to silent while it is in my pocket. This is really bad for me as a business owner and I am seriously thinking of going back to my Blackberry!
April 6th, 2009 at 5:51 pm
I am a very successful businessman, so I have no time to read manuals (which isn’t the reason for my problem today, but for you anal losers, try working at a real job instead of reading tech manuals in your momma’s basement). I buy things to work, not to screw me. This design from Apple is not only ridiculous, it’s now ******** me. I am getting rid of my Iphone NOW because of it. 3 Times in the last two months the damn phone was accidently put in silent mode and one of those missed calls (actually 10 missed calls in 5 minutes) cost me $200K. I am only at this site in a last ditch attempt to find a way to disable it. But I can’t. So bye-bye Iphone. Back to my Blackberry. At least it Ph#%&ing rings when I want it to.
Hey Apple, Go F yourself. My Iphone will be at the bottom of SF bay. I am sending you a bill for my 200K I lost because of your idiotic design.
April 13th, 2009 at 9:15 am
Hey Daltonus, If you are so friggin smart, why would you put yourself in a position to lose 200k if your phone doesn’t work. You sound like a pretty stupid business man to me. Maybe next time you’ll read a manual and you won’t lose your shirt loser.
April 13th, 2009 at 9:17 am
One more simple comment. If you don’t like the hardware switch, crazy glue it on and use your ringer settings to turn your phone to vibrate or set it for airplane mode. You don’t need a manual for a creative solution. Daltonus, your still a dumbass.
April 15th, 2009 at 4:25 am
I found this helpful as I didn’t bother Reading manual.
Cheers!
May 7th, 2009 at 12:37 pm
This switch is very poorly thought out. It gets thrown all the time just as the phone is in my pocket. It’s a defect, nothing less.
May 11th, 2009 at 7:28 am
There’s a manual? i got some “fingertips” but no manual with mine …
May 13th, 2009 at 10:55 am
for all those smart asses who say read the manual… what manual?????? or do I have to go buy it at the Apple store?
May 26th, 2009 at 10:02 pm
To all you under 30’s who need to feel superior because “YOU KNOW WHERE THE SILENT SWITCH IS” and put s–t on others because they don’t. Grow up and get a life. Refusing to acknowledge the fact so many people have the same problem with accidentally turning the switch off does not imply those people are morons. Clearly Apple should have put a disable option in the settings area. Hopefully Cydia will have an app that does this soon. Thats all kiddies
June 27th, 2009 at 10:51 pm
I got this Iphone for fathers day and ok ok I am the person this post was for although I am a supervisor of Technical Operations for a major Telecommunications Company I couldnt figure out if this switch pushed in and out or what it was for in fact in reading the post i still wasnt sure because i was looking at it saying yea they all sticking out at the same length if not for those pictures i would have been making an appointment at the local apple store tomorrow
July 21st, 2009 at 7:42 pm
Anyone know a way to keep phone calls from interrupting while listening to the ipod on my iphone or using other apps?
thanks
July 29th, 2009 at 2:45 pm
NELSON. go to SETTINGS. Place phone in AIRPLANE MODE. All data will be turned off (phone email web etc.)
July 30th, 2009 at 7:50 pm
hey, my iphone silent switch is spoiled. dont know how but it no longer works. is there any other way to silent the phone
August 4th, 2009 at 11:09 pm
Dutch: Thanks for the great tip!
September 4th, 2009 at 4:40 am
Auto Silent app is replacement of silent switch. It can be used to put iphone into silent mode and out of it automatically. More info http://iphonepackers.info/autosilent/depiction/index.html
September 10th, 2009 at 9:45 pm
Okay so i got the iphone 2g 8gig the phone plays music and plays all the sounds fine. some apps have no sound when sound is enabled, also playing with the ringer/silent switch i still get no rings when people call. red dot showing and not showing volume all the way up and all it does is vibrate. Help please?
October 19th, 2009 at 5:19 pm
I seem to have the opposite problem to everyone I’ve read. My switch isn’t working and is stuck in silent mode. Is there anyway to turn sounds back on?
November 3rd, 2009 at 2:50 pm
You can use “Auto Silent” app to disable or bypass iPhone Silent switch. If your switch was broken in silent mode, it will restore all sounds including ring. Then you can use Auto Silent app to put phone into silent mode. There is SBSettings toggle to quickly mute and unmute the phone using Auto Silent app.
The app supports iPhone 2G, 3G and 3GS and OS firmware 2.2, 3.0, 3.1
This app can also be used by those people whose silent switch is loose or accidently put phone into silent mode.
There is provision to put phone into silent mode automatically using pre-configured settings in the app or according to appointments in iPhone Calendar. There is Provision to put phone into silent mode based on timer. The phone will come out of silent mode automatically once timer goes off. Useful for people who puts phone into silent mode but forget to unmute it. Useful when you go for a movie and forget to unmute once movie is done.
More info at http://iphonepackers.info
The app can be downloaded through Cydia. Search for “Auto Silent” on Cydia. You neeed to jailbreak in order to install Cydia. Search for “How to jailbreak iPhone” on google.
November 6th, 2009 at 12:51 pm
When using an Otter Box, the switch is hidden. I couldn’t find it and I knew it was there. Felt stupid? YES.