How do I get both my iPad and iPhone to ring when I get a call?

Hello techhead24,

We would like to see how we can help you with your iPhone that is not ringing as expected. If you turn this feature off, and only allow phone calls to your iPhone, does it ring as expected? If so, try adding the other devices back on and let us know your results. This link will let you know how to access those settings: Allow phone calls on your iPad, iPod touch, and Mac - Apple Support

"Allow phone calls on your other devices from iPhone

You first set up your iPhone, and then set up your other devices.

1. On your iPhone, go to Settings  > Cellular.
2. If your iPhone has Dual SIM, choose a line (below SIMs).
3. Do any of the following:

• Tap Calls on Other Devices, turn on Allow Calls on Other Devices, then choose the devices on which you’d like to make and receive calls.
  • This allows other devices where you’re signed in with the same Apple ID to make and receive calls when they’re nearby your iPhone and connected to Wi-Fi.
• Tap Wi-Fi Calling, then turn on Add Wi-Fi Calling For Other Devices.
  • This allows other devices where you’re signed in with the same Apple ID to make and receive calls even when your iPhone isn’t nearby.

4.On your other devices, do the following:

• On your iPad or iPod touch: Go to Settings > FaceTime, then turn on FaceTime and Calls from iPhone. If you’re asked, turn on Wi-Fi Calling.
• On your Mac: Open FaceTime, choose FaceTime > Preferences > Settings, then select Calls from iPhone. If an Upgrade to Wi-Fi Calling button appears, click it, then follow the instructions."

Cheers!

Thanks for confirming you've tried that.

The next thing we want to check for is whether or not you have a Focus enabled on any of your devices, the iPhone in particular. Focus is a feature intended to help you focus on what you're doing, so it stops calls and other notifications from appearing while it's enabled. And, since Focus can be shared across devices using the same Apple ID, you'll want to check every Apple product you're signed in with, even though the iPhone is the only affected device.

You can get details on checking for, and turning off, Focus in the resources below:

• Use Focus on your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support
• Use Focus on your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support
• Turn a Focus on or off on Mac - Apple Support

Should you still be unable to determine why the iPhone is ringing after that, please get in touch with Apple Support directly. They'll have the tools and resources needed to investigate this further, and you can reach them here: Get Support

Have a great day.

Mike,

I have T-Mobile as my carrier and went through the issue of receiving calls on my other devices and not on my iPhone unless I made an outgoing call from the iPhone first. After an hour or so, incoming calls will not ring the iPhone but will ring one or both of my other Apple devices signed on to the same Apple ID.

I went back and forth with T-Mobile and Apple Support including deleting and reinstalling the eSIM, signing out and back in to the Apple ID on the iPhone etc etc. I decided to reset my iPhone by Erasing all Contents and Settings (Left the eSIM active during the reset) and then restored my iPhone from the most recent backup. Once the restore was completed, then I made one outgoing call and things have been working normally ever since. I did this about a week ago and iPhone rings during incoming calls along with other devices (on Wi-Fi Calling).

Mike, do you use an Apple Watch connected to your iPhone with a cellular plan from T-Mobile? I do. Along with the above action, I also called T-Mobile to unpair my Apple Watch phone number with my iPhone’s phone number and then pair it back again at their end. Not sure whether this step was crucial to fixing the issue but thought that I’d mention.

Axel F.

LotusPilot wrote:

Axel, I've been battling with a similar issue for several months. I have consistent difficulties with the iPad making and receiving calls over WiFi Calling.

Hello LotusPilot, glad to have finally been able to converse with you, here in this forum. Your posts / responses have helped me during several occasions and especially related to iPads. Thanks for that.

In my case, I have difficulties with my M1 iPad Pro 12.9inch and M1 MacBook Pro 16in when Wi-Fi calling is activated through my iPhone 15 Pro Max (Make and Receive calls when iPhone is NOT NEARBY). Carrier T-Mobile. I have an Apple Watch Ultra Series 2 with Cell service through T-Mobile.

With both (a) Allow Calls on Other Devices enabled + explicitly enabling calls for the iPad - and (b) Add WiFi Calling for Other Devices enabled in iPhone settings:

Same in my case. The only other addition to the above is my MacBook Pro.

When attempting to initiate an outbound• call from the iPad, the called party's phone will ring - but no ring-tone is heard on the calling iPad. When the call is answered by the called party, they can hear audio from the calling iPad - but there is no audio heard from the called party on the iPad (i.e., one way audio). After ~20s, the incomplete call is automatically ended.

Everything for me started with the behavior noted above. In my case this happened on all devices including the iPhone. If the person called back immediately OR I called the person back right after disconnecting, then that resolved the issue most of the time. This issue was resolved by T-Mobile by issuing a new eSIM (deleted the old eSIM), however it created another issue that you have mentioned below.

Similarly, while the iPad is active, it will not necessarily ring for an incoming• call over Cellular - however, as expected, the paired iPhone will ring in response to the incoming call. When answered by the iPhone, two-way audio between called and calling parties is entirely normal.

In my case, most often, the iPhone did not ring while the iPad and/or the MacBook Pro rang during incoming calls. I had to make an outgoing call from my iPhone, periodically, to ensure that it rang when there was an incoming call. I would make an outgoing call every hour to keep receiving calls on the iPhone. If too much time went by, then the iPhone would stop ringing for incoming calls until I made an outgoing call. This went on for over 3 months.

If I disable WiFi Calling for Other Devices on the iPhone (calls now only being possible if the iPad is nearby on the same WiFi network), the iPad can make and receive calls normally.

Same here. With WiFi calling for other devices disabled, iPad, iPhone and MacBook Pro behaved normally as you mentioned above.

Enabling WiFi Calling for Other Devices should allow the iPad to make and receive calls completely independently of the iPhone - such that if the iPhone is elsewhere or turned off, calls can be still be made or received on the iPad. This feature has worked flawlessly for years - but in recent months, the issue of missed incoming calls and one-way audio has made WiFi Calling from the iPad unreliable at best. The workaround of disabling WiFi Calling for the iPad, requiring the iPhone to be nearby, loses previously enjoyed flexibility.

Exact same experience for me as mentioned above. It has worked for years for me as well. Recent months have been unreliable and inundated with endless troubleshooting between me, Apple and T-Mobile.

Also of note, if WiFi Calling for the iPad is enabled and the iPad is sleeping, the iPad will not ring in response to an incoming Cellular call. By contrast, if WiFi calling for the iPad is disabled in iPhone settings (i.e., calls can be made or received by iPad when nearby), the sleeping iPad will ring in response to an incoming Cellular call.

I have also noted same experience with iPad and MacBook Pro.

Strangely, if the iPad's ringtone is changed in iPad Sound settings while WiFi Calling for the iPad is enabled, the iPad will respond to an incoming Cellular call while sleeping - but only for the first incoming call.

Did not try the above. Never changed the ringtone on the iPhone or the iPad.

FaceTime Calls (i.e., not Cellular) will always cause the iPad to ring whether or not the iPad is sleeping.

Agreed on the above. Same for the iPad and the MacBook Pro.

Axel F.

Axel, I've been battling with a similar issue for several months. I have consistent difficulties with the iPad making and receiving calls over WiFi Calling.

With both (a) Allow Calls on Other Devices enabled + explicitly enabling calls for the iPad - and (b) Add WiFi Calling for Other Devices enabled in iPhone settings:

• When attempting to initiate an outbound call from the iPad, the called party's phone will ring - but no ring-tone is heard on the calling iPad. When the call is answered by the called party, they can hear audio from the calling iPad - but there is no audio heard from the called party on the iPad (i.e., one way audio). After ~20s, the incomplete call is automatically ended.

• Similarly, while the iPad is active, it will not necessarily ring for an incoming call over Cellular - however, as expected, the paired iPhone will ring in response to the incoming call. When answered by the iPhone, two-way audio between called and calling parties is entirely normal.

If I disable WiFi Calling for Other Devices on the iPhone (calls now only being possible if the iPad is nearby on the same WiFi network), the iPad can make and receive calls normally.

Enabling WiFi Calling for Other Devices should allow the iPad to make and receive calls completely independently of the iPhone - such that if the iPhone is elsewhere or turned off, calls can be still be made or received on the iPad. This feature has worked flawlessly for years - but in recent months, the issue of missed incoming calls and one-way audio has made WiFi Calling from the iPad unreliable at best. The workaround of disabling WiFi Calling for the iPad, requiring the iPhone to be nearby, loses previously enjoyed flexibility.

Also of note, if WiFi Calling for the iPad is enabled and the iPad is sleeping, the iPad will not ring in response to an incoming Cellular call. By contrast, if WiFi calling for the iPad is disabled in iPhone settings (i.e., calls can be made or received by iPad when nearby), the sleeping iPad will ring in response to an incoming Cellular call.

Strangely, if the iPad's ringtone is changed in iPad Sound settings while WiFi Calling for the iPad is enabled, the iPad will respond to an incoming Cellular call while sleeping - but only for the first incoming call.

FaceTime Calls (i.e., not Cellular) will always cause the iPad to ring whether or not the iPad is sleeping.

This problem has been repeated using an entirely different iPhone and iPad and using a different AppleID. As such, the issue does not appear to be iPad or iPhone related. The issue also appears to be independent of the WiFi network. The Cellular Carrier appears to be unaware of the problem. All devices are running the most recent versions of iOS/iPadOS - the problem being consistent across all recent versions of iOS/iPadOS.

Other than the conversation here, I've not encountered any discussion of this or similar issues with WiFi Calling from iPad. I've run out of ideas.

Are you seeing anything similar?

Hello LotusPilot:

The iPhone and iPad are working normally since the past 10 days or so.

This morning I just experienced the following on my MacBook Pro that has Wi-Fi Calling (when not nearby iPhone) activated. It is the exact same thing as you had experienced on your iPad.

• When attempting to initiate an outbound call from the MacBook Pro, the called party's phone will ring - but no ring-tone is heard on the calling MacBook Pro. When the call is answered by the called party, they can hear audio from the calling MacBook Pro - but there is no audio heard from the called party on the MacBook Pro (i.e., one way audio). After ~12s, the incomplete call is automatically ended.

Rebooting the MacBook Pro temporarily fixes the issue until it sleeps and then is awakened. The issue then repeats until the next reboot. Will troubleshoot this thing later on this week.

Axel F.

Were you able to resolve this issue? If YES, then which action resolved the issue?

Axel F.

I’ve had the same problem for a couple of weeks. Have had several extended calls and a visit to the Genius Bar at an Apple Store. Have reset, restored, powered off and on, etc. At Apple my phone was restored to factory settings and I told to reinstall every app. The problem persists. In my call yesterday the tech said my carrier (T- Mobile) is the problem and they need to conduct “an investigation.” I dealt with T-Mobile before I contacted Apple and nothing was found. Pretty sure the problem is Apple related, but they won’t admit it.

Axel, I really appreciate the information. I was unaware of the outgoing call importance and will give it and another restore a try the next time the phone doesn’t ring. Most recently I’ve shut off Wi-Fi Assist and letting calls go to the iPad. So far, so good, but it’s only been a day.

I do have a connected Apple Watch and if the phone doesn’t ring it doesn’t either. I’ve unpaired and paired it twice, but the phone device seems to be the problem.

Thanks for the benefit of your experience and taking the time.

Mike

You are welcome. I understand how frustrating this experience can be. I dealt with it for at least 3 months. I didn’t want to turn off Wi-Fi Calling for the iPad and my Mac because I needed those devices to work as intended.

When I referred to the Apple Watch, I meant to point to a cellular Apple Watch with cell service activated to it. If this is the case with your, then note that T-Mobile pairs the Apple Watch with your iPhone’s telephone number through a service called digits. T-Mobile can unpair and pair the cellular service to your Apple Watch if you ask them. If your Apple Watch does not have cellular service or is Wi-Fi only, then this will not apply to you.

Axel F.

PART II of my Response to LotusPilot

LotusPilot wrote:

This problem has been repeated using an entirely different iPhone and iPad and using a different AppleID. As such, the issue does not appear to be iPad or iPhone related. The issue also appears to be independent of the WiFi network. The Cellular Carrier appears to be unaware of the problem. All devices are running the most recent versions of iOS/iPadOS - the problem being consistent across all recent versions of iOS/iPadOS.

The issue in my case was also independent of the location and/or Wi-Fi /Cellular Network. I travel quite a bit and continued to experience the issue all over the US. One thing to note and that is that my Wife is also on my cellular account and has an iPad Air and M1 MacBook Pro with no issues related to Wi-Fi Calling. This baffled me then and continues to baffle me today. Some days I would wake up and blame T-Mobile and some days I would blame Apple (because iCloud is linked with this to inform the carrier that the devices are valid and belong to me). Both entities worked with me tirelessly for months.

Other than the conversation here, I've not encountered any discussion of this or similar issues with WiFi Calling from iPad. I've run out of ideas.

I have read about these issues in parts over the past few months. It appears that I had the whole gambit of issues, while some experienced portions of it. You are right that there is not much data out there on this issue(s).

Are you seeing anything similar?

I have tried signing in and out of my Apple ID on all devices. Did not resolve the issue.

 I finally decided to perform a complete Erase all Contents & Settings on my iPhone (without erasing the eSIM) and then resorting the iPhone from a backup that was created minutes before erasing to factory settings. I also called the carrier and asked them to refresh the cell service (eSIM) to my Apple Watch at the same time. This was about 7 days ago and things have been working normally since then. iPhone rings, iPad rings and MacBook Pro rings regardless of the location, connection or power status of the iPhone. Not sure whether the issue will return again, however, so far so good.

 Axel F.

Hi Axel

Curious. My end, two different users with fully independent AppleIDs and Cellular plans...

User1

iphone 13 Pro + iPad Pro 12.9" M1 & iPad Pro 10.5"

User2

iPhone 14 Pro + iPad Pro 12.9" M1 & iPad Pro 10.5"

The issues with iPad WiFi Calling appear to be independent of the related iPhone itself. When the iPhone is switched off, the iPhone plays no part at all in call routing - or signalling/data exchange between iPad and iPhone. Similarly, while the iPhone is not nearby on the same WiFi network, the iPhone plays no part in WiFi calling for the iPad (or Mac or your case).

Remember, with WiFi Calling active, the iPad communicates directly with the Cellular carrier over the available internet bearer connection via your ISP, WiFi hotspot or public WiFi connection.

As is, my own hypothesis is that something has changed in recent iPadOS point-updates that impacts WiFi Calling.

Notwithstanding the one-way audio issue (that inhibits successful connection between calling and called parties), a key behaviour appears to be that the iPad while always responding to incoming FaceTime calls whether the iPad is active or sleeping (and will therefore ring), the same device will not respond to an incoming WiFi Call (from the Cellular Carrier) while sleeping - but will ring if the iPad is powered-on and being actively used.

Posts seen and answered within the iPad Community might suggest that relatively few Users are aware of WiFi Calling support for iPads (and Mac?). Consequently, the relative population that use the feature might be similarly few - and of those that do use the feature with their iPhone and iPad, even fewer may even be aware of the problem.

The issue with WiFi Calling seeming only becomes apparent/noticeable if you regularly use the iPad and (a) have difficulty making calls, (b) notice a lot of expected calls have been missed, or (c) have both devices in close proximity and note strange/inconsistent behaviour.

It is also perhaps worthwhile to note the iPad's Attention Aware features can mask the "ring" issue - as the volume of system sounds is reduced to being nearly inaudible while the iPad is active and the User's attention is to the iPad screen.

Hello LotusPilot,

At my end, two different users with fully independent Apple IDs (Family Sharing invoked) and are on the same cellular plan and account with the carrier. Separate phone numbers, of course.

User1 (Me)

iPhone 15 Pro Max, M1 iPad Pro 12.9in, M1 MacBook Pro 16in, Apple Watch Ultra 2

Wi-Fi Calling enabled (when iPhone not nearby) on iPad and MacBook

User2 (Wife)

iPhone 14 Pro Max, M1 iPad Air, M1 MacBook Pro 13in, Apple Watch Ultra 2

Wi-Fi Calling enabled (when iPhone not nearby) on iPad and MacBook

The issue persists only with my team of devices. My wife’s bunch has always worked fine.

The issues with iPad WiFi Calling appear to be independent of the related iPhone itself. When the iPhone is switched off, the iPhone plays no part at all in call routing - or signalling/data exchange between iPad and iPhone. Similarly, while the iPhone is not nearby on the same WiFi network, the iPhone plays no part in WiFi calling for the iPad (or Mac or your case).

Remember, with WiFi Calling active, the iPad communicates directly with the Cellular carrier over the available internet bearer connection via your ISP, WiFi hotspot or public WiFi connection.

Acknowledged and understand all of the above. One thing to note (as you know) and that is that when an iPhone signs out of the Apple ID, then the other devices signed on to the same Apple ID lose the telephone number as a contact point in iMessages and FaceTime. This means that the user has to setup Upgrade to Wi-Fi Calling on the other devices once the iPhone signs back into the Apple ID. There is where the iPhone has a bearing on other devices and Wi-Fi calling for other devices.

As is, my own hypothesis is that something has changed in recent iPadOS point-updates that impacts WiFi Calling.

Highly possible.

Posts seen and answered within the iPad Community might suggest that relatively few Users are aware of WiFi Calling support for iPads (and Mac?). Consequently, the relative population that use the feature might be similarly few - and of those that do use the feature with their iPhone and iPad, even fewer may even be aware of the problem.

I am in agreement with you regarding the above paragraph. There is confusion out there between Wi-Fi calling when iPhone is not nearby and Wi-Fi calling while using your iPhone when it is nearby. This confusion is more prevalent in the Mac community. Macs work just as well as iPads do when it comes to Wi-Fi calling when iPhone is not nearby. (Upgraded to Wi-Fi Calling)

The issue with WiFi Calling seeming only becomes apparent/noticeable if you regularly use the iPad and (a) have difficulty making calls, (b) notice a lot of expected calls have been missed, or (c) have both devices in close proximity and note strange/inconsistent behaviour.

I have done the above diligently for the past few months. I agree that all of the above conditions must exist to observe the details to try and determine the cause.

It is also perhaps worthwhile to note the iPad's Attention Aware features can mask the "ring" issue - as the volume of system sounds is reduced to being nearly inaudible while the iPad is active and the User's attention is to the iPad screen.

Agreed. The Attention Aware Feature lowers the volume, however I have always been able to hear the ring tone. When I am looking at the devices, then I automatically expect the devices to ring with lower than set volume.

My studies showed that I had 3 devices signed on to the same Apple ID and those are the iPhone, iPad and a MacBook. Wi-Fi Calling when iPhone not nearby successfully setup on iPad and MacBook. Regardless of the location of the iPhone, sometimes all 3 devices will rings, sometimes only 2 and sometimes none will ring. When the iPhone missed a call, the call did not register in the recent calls list, however the missed call showed on the carriers website log. Once a device (including the iPhone) did not ring during an incoming call, then it would not ring during subsequent incoming calls until such time that I made an outgoing call from that device. Things would work until either the iPhone or another device changed networks from Wi-Fi to Cellular or From one Wi-Fi network to another Wi-Fi Network and vice versa. Very inconsistent results. I can, however, reproduce the issue on the iPhone by simply moving from Wi-Fi to Cellular (or reverse) and the iPhone would not ring for incoming calls until I make an outgoing call first.

Axel F.