Getting interrupted by phone calls at the worst possible moment? Want to silence someone’s calls without blocking them?
Luckily, you don’t have to reject every call or turn off your phone to enjoy some quiet. There are four simple ways to silence incoming calls, and you will know how to mute calls on iPhone below.
1. How to Mute an Incoming Call Without Declining It
The easiest way to mute calls on iPhone depends on whether you want to silence one incoming call or prevent future calls from ringing. Apple provides four practical methods. None requires you to block the caller.
Method 1: Press a Volume Button Once
When your iPhone starts ringing, press either the Volume Up or Volume Down button once. Once you do this:
- The ringtone stops immediately.
- The incoming call remains active.
- You can still answer before the call ends or goes to voicemail.
This is one of the quickest ways to mute phone calls on iPhone when you cannot answer immediately.
Importantly, pressing a volume button while your phone is ringing silences that particular call. It doesn’t automatically activate Silent Mode for future incoming calls.
Method 2: Press the Side Button Once
How to mute calls on iPhone with the Side Button? The Side Button provides another convenient way to mute the ringtone for an incoming call without ending the call.
- Wait until your iPhone receives a call.
- Press the Side Button once.
- The ringtone stops, but you can still answer the call.
Be careful not to press the Side Button twice in quick succession, as this can decline the call instead. Declined calls may be sent to voicemail when voicemail is available and configured.
Method 3: Turn On Silent Mode
Silent Mode is ideal when you want to mute phone calls on iPhone for an extended period. Here’s how to mute someone’s calls on iPhone with Silent Mode:
For iPhones with a Ring/Silent switch:
- Locate the switch on the left side of your iPhone.
- Move it toward the back of the device.
- Your iPhone enters Silent Mode.
For iPhones with an Action Button:
- Press and hold the Action Button if it is assigned to Silent Mode.
- Your iPhone switches to Silent Mode.
- Press and hold it again to restore ringing.
If your Action Button performs another function, open Settings > Sounds & Haptics and use the Silent Mode setting instead.
Silent Mode stops ordinary incoming call ringtones without preventing calls from reaching your phone. However, vibrations may continue depending on your haptic settings.
>>> Read more: How to Turn Off Silent Mode on iPhone with 4 Quick Methods
Method 4: Use Do Not Disturb to Silence Incoming Calls
Do Not Disturb gives you more control over muting calls on iPhone, especially when you want important people to reach you while minimizing interruptions.
To activate it:
- Swipe down from the top-right corner to open Control Center.
- Tap Focus.
- Select Do Not Disturb.
Incoming calls and notifications are generally silenced while this Focus is active, subject to the exceptions you’ve configured.
For more control, open Settings > Focus > Do Not Disturb > People. From here, you can manage which contacts or groups are allowed to interrupt you.
You can also configure a schedule to activate Do Not Disturb automatically during meetings, work hours, or sleep.
Unlike Silent Mode, Do Not Disturb is designed to manage interruptions through customized rules.
2. How to Silence Calls From One Person Without Blocking Them
You don’t need to block someone just to stop hearing their incoming calls. The most practical way to mute someone’s calls on iPhone is to configure a Focus that silences that contact.
Use Focus to Allow or Silence Specific People
Here’s how to mute calls from someone on iPhone using Focus:
- Open Settings > Focus.
- Select an existing Focus or create a custom one.
- Tap People.
- Choose Silence Notifications From.
- Tap Add People (+) and select the contact.
- Ensure Allow Calls From Silenced People is off if that option appears.
- Activate the Focus when you want their calls silenced.
You can also choose Allow Notifications From to create a list of people permitted to interrupt you while other callers are silenced.
Send a Caller to Voicemail
If you want to avoid answering a particular call, you can send it to voicemail instead.
- Decline the call: Press the Side Button twice quickly or tap Decline.
- Use the voicemail option: Open the incoming call banner and tap Voicemail when available.
- Let the call end: Silence the ringtone and wait for the call to reach voicemail.
Keep in mind that these are call-by-call actions. iPhone doesn’t offer a standard built-in rule that automatically sends every call from one selected contact directly to voicemail without blocking them.
Voicemail availability also depends on your carrier and region.
3. How to Mute Yourself During a Phone Call
Sometimes, you need to mute your microphone while being on a call with someone or some people. Fortunately, the iPhone includes a built-in Mute button for active phone calls.
As you are in the midst of a phone call, here’s the way to mute yourself:
- Open the active call screen.
- Find the Mute button, represented by a microphone icon.
- Tap Mute to temporarily disable your microphone.
- Tap it again when you’re ready to speak.
If you’ve switched to another app, return to the call using the active call indicator.
When your microphone is muted, the other person cannot hear what you say through that microphone, but you can still hear them. The call remains connected.
This is especially helpful during conference calls, in noisy environments, or when you need to speak privately to someone nearby.
Note: Muting your microphone is different from lowering the call volume. Volume buttons adjust what you hear, while the Mute button controls what the other person hears.
4. Ways to Mute Unknown and Spam Calls on iPhone
Americans received approximately 4.4 billion robocalls in only one month. Unwanted calls can become a daily distraction.
If you’re wondering how to mute calls on iPhone, fortunately, iPhone includes several features that help manage calls from unfamiliar numbers.
1. Silence unknown callers
On supported iOS versions:
- Open Settings > Apps > Phone.
- Find Screen Unknown Callers.
- Select Silence.
Calls from unsaved numbers are silenced and sent to voicemail.
2. Use Call Screening
Under the same settings, choose Ask Reason for Calling. Your iPhone asks an unknown caller to identify themselves and explain their reason for calling before your phone rings. Availability may vary by region and software version.
3. Enable spam-call filtering
Go to Settings > Apps > Phone > Call Filtering and enable Spam when available.
Calls your carrier identifies as spam or potential fraud can be silenced and directed to voicemail.
You can also enable the Unknown Callers filter to organize unfamiliar numbers separately in your call history. However, filtering the call list is different from silencing the ringtone.
Tip: Save important numbers, such as your doctor’s office or workplace, in Contacts before enabling broad unknown-caller silencing.
>>> Read more: How to Block Spam Calls on iPhone Permanently
5. Why Your iPhone Still Makes Sounds When Muted
Muting incoming calls doesn’t silence every sound your iPhone produces. That’s because Silent Mode, call muting, and Focus control different types of audio and notifications.
Alarms, Media, and Emergency Alerts Can Still Sound:
Even when Silent Mode or Do Not Disturb is enabled, some sounds may continue:
- Alarms: Clock alarms generally sound regardless of Silent Mode or Focus.
- Media playback: Music, videos, and games can still play audio.
- Emergency alerts: Certain government or emergency notifications may bypass ordinary sound restrictions.
- Camera sounds: Some countries require camera shutter sounds even when Silent Mode is active.
If you’re trying to silence your device completely, review these settings individually rather than relying only on Silent Mode.
Check Vibration and Focus Exceptions:
Your iPhone may also continue vibrating or ringing because of its existing settings.
- Go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Haptics to adjust vibration behavior.
- Check Settings > Focus > People for contacts allowed to interrupt you.
- Review Repeated Calls settings where available.
- Check whether important contacts have Emergency Bypass enabled.
Emergency Bypass can allow specific contacts to produce sounds and vibrations even when normal notifications are silenced.
Reviewing these options can help you keep your iPhone quieter without accidentally missing important calls.
6. FAQs about How to Mute Calls on iPhone
How do I mute an incoming call on my iPhone without rejecting it?
Press either the Volume Button or the Side Button once while your iPhone is ringing. The ringtone stops, but you can still answer the call until it ends or goes to voicemail.
If you regularly need to mute calls on iPhone, Silent Mode or Do Not Disturb is more convenient than pressing a button for every call.
Can I send someone’s calls straight to voicemail without blocking them?
You can decline an individual incoming call or let it go unanswered. A properly configured Focus can also silence calls from a particular contact.
However, Focus doesn’t provide a dedicated permanent rule for routing every call from one person straight to voicemail. For automatic caller-specific routing, ask your carrier whether it offers that capability.
Will calls still come through when my iPhone is on Silent Mode?
Yes. Silent Mode stops the ordinary ringtone, but incoming calls can still reach your iPhone. You can answer them, view missed calls, or receive voicemail if the service is available. If you also want to control who can interrupt you, use Focus settings alongside Silent Mode.
7. Conclusion
Now that you figured out how to mute calls on iPhone, you can enjoy fewer interruptions without missing important conversations. For everyday convenience, consider using Silent Mode for general quiet or Focus settings when you want more control over who can reach you. These simple features can help you manage incoming calls without blocking people or turning off your phone.
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