How to Turn Up the Ringer Volume on Your iPhone So You Don't Miss Calls

Have you ever come back inside from the garden, glanced at your phone, and realized you missed a call from your daughter? You never heard it ring. It happens more often than you'd think, and usually the reason is simple: the ringer volume is turned down low.

The good news is you can fix that in less than a minute. Here's how.

The Two Volume Buttons on Your iPhone

Look at the left edge of your iPhone. You'll see two small buttons stacked on top of each other. The top one makes sound louder. The bottom one makes it quieter.

Here's the tricky part: those buttons don't always control the ringer. If you're listening to music or watching a video, they change that volume instead. So pressing them at the wrong moment doesn't help your ringer at all.

That's why we're going to change the ringer volume a different way — through the Settings, where it will stay put.

Setting the Ringer Volume in Settings

Think of Settings as the control panel for your phone, a bit like the dashboard in your car. Here's how to find the ringer:

On your home screen, tap the gray icon labeled Settings (it looks like a little gear).
Scroll down until you see Sounds & Haptics. Tap it.
Near the top, you'll see a slider labeled Ringtone and Alert Volume.
Put your finger on the little white circle on that slider and drag it to the right to make the ringer louder. Drag it all the way to the right for the loudest setting.

As you drag, you'll hear a short ringing sound at whatever volume you've chosen. That's your phone showing you exactly how loud your calls will be. Adjust until it's loud enough that you'd hear it from the next room.

Lock It In So the Side Buttons Don't Change It

Right below that slider, you'll see a switch called Change with Buttons. If it's green, that means the side buttons on your phone can change the ringer volume — which is often how it got turned down in the first place.

Tap that switch so it turns gray. Now your ringer volume is locked at the level you just set. The side buttons will still control music and videos, but they won't accidentally silence your calls anymore.

A Quick Test

Before you put your phone down, do this: ask a friend or family member to call you. Set the phone on the kitchen counter, walk into another room, and listen.

If you can hear it clearly, you're all set. If not, head back to Settings and nudge that slider a little further to the right.

One More Thing to Check

If your ringer is turned all the way up and you still can't hear calls, look at the very top of the left edge of your phone — above the volume buttons. There's a small switch there called the Ring/Silent switch.

If you can see a little orange stripe on that switch, your phone is on silent. Flip it the other way (toward the screen) and the orange will disappear. Now your phone will ring out loud.

Try This Today

Take two minutes right now to open Settings, tap Sounds & Haptics, and drag that Ringtone slider all the way to the right. Then flip off Change with Buttons so it stays that way. The next time your grandson calls to say hello, you'll hear it — no matter what room you're in.

Need a hand with your technology? We're here to help. Give PorchSwing a call or book an appointment, and we'll walk you through it at your own pace — no rush, no jargon.