Stop iPhone Ringing!

Stop iPhone Ringing! Here’s a quick tip that you might know, but that, apparently, many people don’t. You know how when your iPhone rings and you decide you don’t want to take the call but let it go to voicemail? Most people just let the phone ring and ring. I’ve seen this behavior in taxi (and Uber!) drivers, on commuter trains, on the streets and even in restaurants and other public places. Most times it’s only mildly annoying, but it gets really annoying at public gatherings like in church or a town hall meeting or a movie theater.

It seems some people don’t know this simple and easy trick to stop the iPhone from ringing without answering the call. Just press the sleep/wake button (that’s the button on the top of the iPhone 5 and before, on the right side on iPhone 6 and 6s). That will instantly stop the iPhone from ringing without you having to pull the phone out – you can easily do this by touch.

A single press on the sleep/wake button will silence the ringer. Double-press the sleep/wake button and you’ll decline the call, sending it right to voicemail.

It seems like anytime there’s a gathering or meeting of people, at least one person forgot to silence their cellphone, and invariably that phone rings at the worst possible time – in church during prayer, when the main speaker has just started speaking, or right after the movie theater screen asked everyone to silence their phone. Please don’t be that person, you’ll get lots of dirty looks. It only takes a moment to flip the switch to vibrate (that’s the sliding switch on the left side of your iPhone, just above the volume up and down buttons).

Better yet, enjoy the movie without interruption by using the Do Not Disturb feature. While Do Not Disturb is activated, your iPhone won’t ring, all calls will go directly to voicemail. Your phone won’t even vibrate (which can be noticeable in a quiet theater or office meeting. It’s easy to turn Do Not Disturb on or off. With your iPhone turned on:

1. swipe up from the bottom of the iPhone screen to reveal the Control Center
2. tap the crescent moon icon to turn on Do Not Disturb

When you want to turn off Do Not Disturb, repeat the above. Do Not Disturb is active when the Control Center icon is highlighted (light versus dark icon image).

This also works to shut off any other alerts and notification sounds or vibrations. If you’ve set your sounds (tap Settings > Sounds and look under Sounds and Vibration Patterns) for various events such as text messages and emails, Do Not Disturb will stop them from bothering you.

Please treat this as a Public Service Announcement – the next time you are sitting next to someone who’s iPhone goes off inappropriately, give them these quick tips. Oh, and with Android smartphones, just put the phone face down on any surface to stop it from ringing. If you want the same Do Not Disturb capability the iPhone has, try this app.