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Phone Too Quiet? How to Make the Ringtone, Calls and Alerts Louder on iPhone and Samsung

Missing calls because the phone's too quiet? How to turn the ringer up properly, choose a ringtone that's easier to hear, and add a flashing light for calls.

By the Mr. Phone Taigum repair team, checked by David, our senior technician 5 min read

Why does my phone seem so quiet?

There are several separate volumes on a phone, and the buttons on the side don't always change the one you think:

  • Ringer and alerts: incoming calls, texts and alarms.
  • Media: videos, music and games.
  • Call volume: the other person's voice during a call.

On a Samsung, the side buttons change the media volume unless a call is ringing. On an iPhone, they change the ringer only if a setting called Change with Buttons is on. So it's easy to turn a video up all the way and still miss the next call.

How do I make an iPhone louder?

Turn the ringer up

  1. Open Settings → Sounds & Haptics.
  2. Drag the Ringtone and Alerts slider most of the way to the right.
  3. Turn on Change with Buttons if you'd like the side buttons to control it; leave it off if the ringer keeps getting turned down by accident.

Check it isn't silenced

  • The silent switch on the left side of older iPhones: if you can see orange, it's on silent. On iPhone 15 Pro and later, silent mode is on the Action button, and a crossed-out bell appears at the top of the screen.
  • Focus or Do Not Disturb: a moon or other symbol at the top of the screen means calls may be silenced. Swipe down from the top right corner and tap it to turn it off.
  • Attention Aware Features (iPhones with Face ID): the phone lowers the ringer when it sees you looking at it. To keep it loud, turn it off in Settings → Face ID & Passcode.

Add a flashing light and vibration

  • Settings → Accessibility → Audio & Visual → LED Flash for Alerts flashes the camera light for calls and messages while the phone is locked. It's a great backup if you sometimes don't hear the phone. Leave Flash on Silent on if you'd like it to flash even in silent mode.
  • Make sure vibration is on in Settings → Sounds & Haptics → Haptics.

Hearing aids

Many modern hearing aids connect to iPhone over Bluetooth, so calls go straight to them. Pair them in Settings → Accessibility → Hearing Devices.

How do I make a Samsung louder?

Turn the ringtone up

  1. Open Settings → Sounds and vibration → Volume.
  2. Turn up Ringtone and Notifications. (Media is for videos and music.)
  3. If you'd like the side buttons to change the ringtone instead of media, turn off Use Volume keys for media on the same screen.

Shortcut: press a volume button, then tap the ⋮ or arrow on the slider that appears, to see and change every volume at once.

Check the sound mode

At the top of Sounds and vibration, the phone should be on Sound, not Vibrate or Mute. Also check Do not disturb isn't on (swipe down from the top of the screen to see).

Adapt Sound: tuned for your ears

Samsung's Adapt Sound adjusts the phone's sound for your hearing, including during calls. Find it in Settings → Sounds and vibration → Sound quality and effects → Adapt sound. It has a preset for people over 60, which boosts the frequencies that get harder to hear with age, or it can run a short hearing test with headphones to build your own profile. The exact menu can differ between models.

Add a flashing light

Settings → Accessibility → Hearing enhancements (or Advanced settings) → Flash notification flashes the camera light or the screen when a call or message comes in.

Which ringtone is easiest to hear?

As we get older, high-pitched sounds are the first to fade, so soft, high chimes are the easiest to miss. Pick a ringtone that is:

  • lower-pitched, like a classic telephone bell;
  • steady and repeating, rather than a short melody that builds up slowly;
  • distinct, so it doesn't sound like the TV or the microwave.

Change it in Settings → Sounds & Haptics → Ringtone (iPhone) or Settings → Sounds and vibration → Ringtone (Samsung), and try a few while someone calls you.

Calls sound quiet?

  • Turn up the call volume during a call: press the volume buttons while you're talking.
  • Use the speaker button for a louder voice.
  • Check the earpiece slot at the top of the screen. A screen protector that's slightly out of place, or a case lip, can cover it.
  • Clean the grilles gently with a soft, dry toothbrush. Never poke them with a pin.

Phone stops ringing too soon?

That isn't the phone: your phone company sends unanswered calls to voicemail after a set time, often around 15 seconds. Often you can make it longer, up to about 30 seconds, by dialling a short code from your phone. Telstra's is **61*101**30#, and Optus's is **61*321**30#; press call after typing it, as if it were a phone number. It doesn't work on every phone or plan: if nothing changes, or you're on another network, ask your phone company for the longest ring time they allow. On an iPhone with Telstra, turn off Live Voicemail (in the Phone settings) first, or the ring time stays at 15 seconds.

What if it's the speaker?

If the volume is all the way up and it still sounds quiet, crackly or muffled, the speaker may be blocked with grime or faulty. Speakers also suffer after a phone gets wet: here's what to do when a phone gets wet.

Sources

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