[8 Ways] Fix iPhone Silent Switch not Working

The physical iPhone silent switch, a convenient feature on the iPhone, allows for quick silencing of the device. Nevertheless, this switch can sometimes experience unknown functionality issues. If you're encountering this problem, find ways in this passage to fix it.

How to fix iPhone silent switch not working

Firstly, you can try these two methods to make sure that the silent button is not broken on your iPhone.

Method 1. Clean the area around the button

If there is dust or particles around your mute switch, it will lead to iPhone silent switch getting stuck. To address this issue, try to gently clean the area using a soft cloth. After that, you can push it again to check if this method works.

Method 2. Restart your iPhone

Besides, you can try to restart your iPhone.

For iPhone 8 Plus/8/X or later: Press and release the Volume Up button > Press and release the Volume Down button > Press and hold the side button until the Apple logo appears on the screen.

For iPhone 7 Plus or 7: Press and hold the Sleep/Wake and Volume Down buttons simultaneously until the Apple logo appears on your screen.

For iPhone 6 or earlier: Press and hold the Home button and Sleep/Wake button at the same time until the Apple logo is displayed on your screen.

If neither of these methods works, it's likely that the iPhone silent button is not working. You can either take your iPhone for repairs or explore the remaining options to mute or unmute your iPhone.

How to turn iPhone on/off silent mode without switch

Now you can try these 7 ways to enable or disable silent mode without using the switch.

Method 3. Turn the Ringer Volume Down

Except for silent switch, you can also adjust the iPhone’s volume up or down manually: Go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Under Ringers and Alters or Ringtone and Alert Volume section, turn the volume down to the lowest value. Then your iPhone would be similar to a silent mode. 

If the silent mode isn't functioning as expected, it may be caused by the text tone settings. you can find the Text Tone option located under Sound and Vibration Patterns, and set it to None.

Method 4. Enable Assistive Touch

You can also use the Assistive Touch feature to achieve the process. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Turn on the Assistive Touch feature.

Then a circular floating icon will appear on your screen. You can tap on the Assistive Touch icon and navigate to Device features > Click Mute button to activate the silent mode. Or follow the same process to disable the mode.

Method 5. Enable Focus to mute iPhone

The Focus feature can help you mute all notifications, then your iPhone will not vibrate. However, you will also miss some important notifications, so it might be suitable for a meeting or some me-time.

Set up a Mute Focus Mode

Go to Settings > Focus > Click the + icon located in the top-right corner > Custom > Create a Focus name such as Silent Mode and tap Next > Select Customise Focus to continue > Select Allow Notification From > Deselect all existing contacts > Click Allowed People Only and tap on Done to confirm.

Then choose Allow Notification From under the apps section > deselect all existing apps and click Done > On the Focus screen, make sure that the People and Apps sections show as None allowed > Click People and disable Allow Repeated Calls > Tap Apps and turn off Time-Sensitive Notifications.

Activate the Mute Focus Mode

Step 1. Open the Control Center by either swiping down from the top-right corner of the screen (on iPhone with Face ID) or swiping up from the bottom edge of any screen (on iPhone with Touch ID).

Step 2. Press and hold the Focus option to access the Focus menu > From the Focus menu, choose the silent mode that you have previously created.

Method 6. Use Back Tap (iOS 14 & iPhone 8 or later)

Back Tap is a feature introduced in iOS 14 and later versions that enables you to perform various actions by quickly tapping the back of your iPhone. And it’s only available for iPhone 8 or later.

Now you can activate the function: Go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Find and click Back Tap > Choose Double Tap or Triple Tap > And select Mute under the option. Then you can double or triple tap at the back of your iPhone to turn on the silent mode.

Method 7. Turn on the Airplane Mode

When you find that iPhone silent switch not working, you can enable Airplane Mode to mute your iPhone. Then your iPhone will disconnect from Wi-Fi networks, cellular networks, Bluetooth connections, and GPS services.

You can open the Control Center and tap the Airplane Mode icon which looks like an airplane shape to enable it. Or go to Settings > Airplane Mode > Tap the option to turn it on.

Method 8. Set up a silent ringtone

To turn off silent mode on iPhone, you can set a silent ringtone as the default option.

Set up ringtone on iPhone: Go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Ringtones. Access the Tone Store from here and find a silent ringtone to set it as a default ringtone.

Set up ringtone on iTunes: Download a silent ringtone and open iTunes with your computer > Navigate to Tones within the iTunes library and import the downloaded silent ringtone > Connect your iPhone to the computer > Select the Device icon and sync the iTunes library with your iPhone.

Bonus: One-stop iPhone data backup/transfer and management tool

The iPhone data security data has always been a significant concern for Apple users. As an all-in-one iPhone data management, FoneTool has gained popularity among a large number of users. With its excellent functions, you can get unprecedented experience while backing up, transferring and erasing the iPhone data.

Super-fast transfer/backup transfer: With its fast speed, you can transfer or back up all your iPhone data in just a few minutes. For example, 100 photos can be moved in 3 seconds.
Full or selective backup: FoneTool can help you fully back up iPhone or selectively back up photos, videos, music, contacts and messages.
No Apple ID limitations: FoneTool can assist you in efficiently transferring data from one Apple ID to another. And transferring WhatsApp between two Apple IDs can be simple.
Wide compatibility: FoneTool works well with various iOS devices, including iPhone 4 to iPhone 15, as well as iPad/Pro/Air/mini, iPod Touch, and the latest iOS 16/17.

Now you can download it to explore how to back up or transfer iPhone data. Here we take moving photos from iPhone to PC as an example.

Step 1. Connect your iPhone to computer > Launch FoneTool > Go to Phone Transfer > iPhone to PC and click Get Started.

Step 2. Click the Photos and uncheck the others > Select the targeted photos and click OK.

Step 3. Change the destination from Transfer Settings > Click Start Transfer to begin.

Final words

There are 8 ways for you to fix iPhone silent switch not working issue. Hope this detailed guide can help you. If you need to manage your iPhone data, it’s recommended to use FoneTool to transfer, back up and erase your iPhone data. With its rich feature, you can also view iPhone photos on iPad easily.