Phone will not ring

Question

Level 1

15 points

Phone will not ring

OK - This is a well worn, unaddressed issue with the iPhone. Basically, after the phone goes to "sleep" for a while, it does not wake up to receive an incoming call. I did a search on this forum for "does not ring" and got 10+ pages of results. I have version 1.1.1 of the software. The "silent" button is not the issue. The "ring volume" is not the issue. Mail is on manual refresh. The phone refuses to wake up for an incoming call. As soon as I wake it up manually, it shows the "missed call" message. If the phone is awake and I call it - it rings fine.

I have experimented a while trying to see if anything might stop the problem. Powering off and on does not affect it. Changing ringtone does not affect it. However, two things I noticed did seem to work.

1 - Set the wireless network ON i.e. Edge OFF - phone seems to work OK
2 - Do a Network Reset from the Settings section.

Will keep testing and report back.

Sony, Windows XP

Posted on Oct 30, 2007 12:30 PM

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Answer 1

MontePix Author

Level 1

15 points

Oct 31, 2007 4:37 AM in response to MontePix

Further results of testing:
Seems like a "network reset" may have helped. The phone is still receiving calls and ringing today. Fingers are crossed.

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Answer 2

MontePix Author

Level 1

15 points

Oct 31, 2007 12:20 PM in response to MontePix

Nope - no matter what I do - phone will not wake up for an incoming call. Pretty much tried everything. I'm heading for an Apple store.

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Answer 3

t!agO

Level 1

0 points

Nov 1, 2007 4:46 AM in response to MontePix

Same thing happened to me, everytime I use the phones ipod and then take off the earplug it does not ring...I tried these tips before but none of them worked:
+"1. Verify there is nothing plugged into the headset jack.+
+2. If you have paired with a Bluetooth headset that is nearby, either+
+use the headset or turn Bluetooth off (Settings > General >+
Bluetooth).
+3. If that doesn't work, try connecting a pair of headphones into the+
+headset jack and then remove the headphones. Repeat this several+
times.
+4. If that doesn't work, try turning iPhone on and off. Press and hold+
+the Sleep/Wake button on top of iPhone for a few seconds until a red+
+slider appears, and then slide the slider. Then press and hold the+
+Sleep/Wake button until the Apple logo appears.+
+5. If turning the iPhone on and off doesn't work, try resetting+
+iPhone. Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button and the Home button at+
+the same time for at least ten seconds, until the Apple logo appears."+

I tried the network reset and for now it worked...
I tested it but it took a wile for the fone to start ringing...lets wait for a better solution from apple..

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Answer 4

MontePix Author

Level 1

15 points

Nov 1, 2007 6:17 AM in response to MontePix

Well - the saga continues. Our nearest Apple store is closed for renovations, so my experimentation continued. I have found that having the phone plugged into the base and tethered to the PC USB port allows it to wake up on being called - even after being asleep for some time and being fully charged. I remove the phone from the base, let it "sleep" for a while, and call it -- does not wake up. Put it back in the base, let it sleep, call it, wakes up. Leave it in the base, disconnect the cable from the USB port, let it sleep, call it, does NOT wake up.

So in summary so far - none of the actions below have had any effect:
1 - Full restore of OS and firmware (1.1.1)
2 - Resetting phone (power button and home button together)
3 - Turning off Edge (going to WiFi)
4 - Turning off Email (disabling email account)
5 - Reset Network
6 - Reset All Settings

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Answer 5

Nathan C

Level 5

6,260 points

Nov 1, 2007 6:24 AM in response to MontePix

MontePix,

If EDGE is being actively used, for example by an instant messaging web app, the iPhone may not ring, and calls may go to voicemail. This is discussed in this article:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=305711

As well as on Page 21 in the User Guide which can be downloaded here:
http://manuals.info.apple.com/en/iPhoneUserGuide.pdf

Hope this helps,

Nathan C.

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Answer 6

MontePix Author

Level 1

15 points

Nov 1, 2007 6:47 AM in response to Nathan C

Did you see above where I deactivated Edge by switching to WiFi? You can monitor if Edge is off by looking at the Usage statistics for Edge transfer bytes. It was showing zero.

Also, why would plugging the phone (no other changes) into the base and USB port suddenly affect Edge? No - its not an Edge problem.

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Answer 7

Nathan C

Level 5

6,260 points

Nov 1, 2007 7:40 AM in response to MontePix

MontePix,

EDGE is not disabled by enabling WiFi.

Some features such as Yahoo Push IMAP and Visual Voicemail will continue to use EDGE.

Thank you,

Nathan C.

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Answer 8

MontePix Author

Level 1

15 points

Nov 1, 2007 11:26 AM in response to Nathan C

Nathan:
Interesting idea that VVM still keeps Edge running when phone on WiFi. I hadn't thought of that. Anyway, as I said, plugging it into the base and USB port without changing anything else should not affect the problem if it was caused by Edge. I don't use Yahoo mail. If VVM does use Edge, it doesn't register on the usage statistics.

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Answer 9

t!agO

Level 1

0 points

Nov 1, 2007 5:52 PM in response to MontePix

Yeah, I tryed everything, from pluging in and out the eaplug to network config, nothing worked, so I had an idea,
Seems the iPhone, when it goes to "sleep" it wont "wake up" to ring, so the only thing I figured out was to force it to keep awake but with the screen turnet off, so I leave itunes playing my songs with volume zero...worked just fine, I didn't loose a call today, althoug I must admit it's a rather dumb solution, and my battery will last a day or so...but it's the only thing that worked for me.

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Answer 10

Nathan C

Level 5

6,260 points

Nov 2, 2007 7:15 AM in response to MontePix

MontePix,

As long as we have tried the restore, and made sure nothing is using EDGE when it should be ringing, I would recomend seeing about having your iPhone repaired.

Hope this helps,

Nathan C.

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Answer 11

MontePix Author

Level 1

15 points

Nov 2, 2007 1:09 PM in response to t!agO

Actually - this seems to be the only thing that worked. As long as it is playing music, it will always wake up to a call. Anyway, I returned the phone to an Apple store and it was replaced. New phone seems OK.

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Answer 12

MontePix Author

Level 1

15 points

Nov 5, 2007 5:49 AM in response to MontePix

Replaced the iPhone at the local Genius bar - no questions asked. New phone works perfectly (i.e. wakes up on incoming call). Same SIM card, so it was a hardware issue. Also, as an added bonus, the new phone lasts waaaaay longer on a battery charge. Same setup (restored from iTunes) - but now goes for "days" and then is only down to half battery! Old phone used to use one battery charge per day.

Thank you Apple.

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Answer 13

Dec 29, 2007 9:16 AM in response to MontePix

I just got my iPhone on the 27th, and since I activated it, every time it is in "sleep" mode, I don't recieve text messages or phone calls. I've tried letting the phone fall asleep on it's own and also manually putting it into sleep mode, and both ways, I recieve no calls/texts. After looking at all the other users having the same exact problem, I gather that getting a replacement phone is the best bet? I mean, what good is a phone that doesn't ring?

Exasperated.

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Answer 14

Nathan C

Level 5

6,260 points

Dec 29, 2007 9:22 AM in response to aschwee17

aschwee17,

If you have restored the iPhone to verify it is not a software issue, then repair is the remaining option.

Hope this helps,

Nathan C.

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Answer 15

Dec 29, 2007 9:31 AM in response to Nathan C

Yes, actually I did a restore yesterday and it fixed another issue I was having with the phone...When I was using the browser, I would be on a web site for a minute or two, and it would kick me off and direct me back to the home screen. The restore fixed that and I've got no issues with the browser, but the sleep mode issue did not resolve. So replacement is the road to take then. Thanks 🙂

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