Silent switch randomly turns on - iPhone 12 Pro Max

Having the same problem with Apple silicon case causing the mechanical switch to silence calls and missing them. Is there a way to override the switch in settings, or change the function of this switch so that in either position the ringer is not silenced?

I replaced my Apple silicone case with an Otterbox Symmetry Plus and so far, no more problems with the switch. The MagSafe seems slightly weaker than on my Apple case so my MagSafe wallet doesn't stay on quite as firmly but it isn't a big problem. It might even be that the silicone is slightly tacky and the Otterbox back side is slightly slippery compared to silicone, but not enough to easily slip out of the hand. I saw another poster switched to a Nomad case and is happy. The Otterbox case wraps over the glass very slightly so it doesn't slip off the corner and flip the switch like the Apple case. It does not interfere with viewing the screen.

I got so frustrated missing many important calls on my iPhone only to find the top left mechanical mute switch had accidentally been activated. I tried taping over it but the tape came off relatively quickly. Out of pure frustration I used a small file to file down the protruding switch until lit was flush. I am still able to operate it with my finger nail and have had no problems since. I hope this helps others. I suspect a combination of the switch protruding a little further than necessary and having not enough resistance to movement may be the cause of the problem to an otherwise faultless product.

Davina7216 wrote:

It has happened to me many times. I found that the default setting for back triple tap is mute. That gives me the trouble. When the triple back tap is checked as mute, then the silent on/off function will be turned on/off when you triple tap the back. For some reason the phone is too sensitive to the back taps. If you change triple tap to some other function, the silent on /off will not turn on unexpectedly.

This!! ^^ Thank you so much, I've missed so many phone calls over the last couple months and couldn't figure out why.

That makes sense. I just tried it and the toggle moved. Never had that happen on my iphone 7 plus. But I too had a larger Otter box case. Couldnt use it cause of the magnet. Convenient, yes when driving, maybe, but I'm very grateful they left the plug til they get all the accessories working.... I'll be going back to Otterbox and plug in.... Shame... Bad Design flaw...

I had the same problem with the Apple silicone case. It was happening every day, all the time. My solution was very simple - take the case off then cut away the small bridge of silicone material that was causing the problem. Two months later, I have not had a single problem - and the case still works fine.

My iPhone 12 Pro Max keeps switching to silent because the corner of the leather case keeps sliding out and the case switches the phone to silent. Really annoying. I thought Apple was better at designing accessories.

I am having the same issue. As illogical as it may seem, the manual switch will change itself lying there untouched on the table. The strangest thing I have ever seen, and it is a BIG problem - I have missed critical work calls. I wonder if it has a manufacturing defect such that the internal portion of the switch is under pressure from the case and "springs" back to the do not disturb position after a while or after a jostle.

I started having this problem as soon as I bought an OtterBox for my iPhone 11. Storing the phone in my pocket inevitably ended in the switch being manipulated by the case until I finally took a scalpel and cut some of the plastic out of the access hole. Unfortunately, this week in the box, and eventually it cracked. Time to buy something other than an OtterBox I guess-or at least a new model! (No, it isn’t the iPhone that is shutting itself off.) No complaints about the phone!

My iphone 12 pro max does exactly the same thing, It has got to the point where I check it regularly. I have the apple watch which puts it in silent mode as well. I have the magnetic silicon cover. Maybe the magnet drags it down after a few hours. It cant be me just accidently bumping it surely. Is ther a fix??

I would have thought this was a safety issue especially when needing to stay in contact with elderly/ sick or vulnerable family and friends. We don’t carry around these very expensive pieces of technology just to stream music or play games etc. If Apple can’t fix this remotely then the phones should be recalled as they are not fit for purpose.

I agree that the magnet might cause a problem, but we KNOW that the silcone cover does push the switch to silent (the small bridge of silcone catches on the switch when the case flexes in your pocket for example).

I removed that bridge of silicone material from the case, and my iPhone 12 pro instantly stopped going into silent mode without warning. If you haven't already done the same, perhaps that's the next step.

Problem solved.

Changed case without MagSafe.

As mentioned in my previous reply, I had an assumption that

It has some thing to do with MagSafe cases with the built-in magnet mechanism that affects the button position.

Since I changed the case to a “regular” one without the MagSafe magnet mechanism, the silent switch is still. It’s a pity though - I really like MagSafe case and wallet and they costed a lot of money.

Yes, it was the silicone bridge that kept turning my switch off and when I finally trimmed it away, the problem right away. Unfortunately, I think that we can do the case a bit, since we now have a big crack in the case. That being the case, I am off to buy a case for my iPhone 11 that is more rigid and therefore unlikely to bend when it gets put in my pocket.

In my case, the problem is caused by the Apple MagSafe leather case that is slightly moving out on the left side of the phone when it's squeezed in my pockets. The case slip out and activate the switch...

When the phone is taken out of the pocket, everything go back in place except that the switch is activates... So, this case is nice but can be a real problem...

Using the "Accessibility" option from the menu followed by "Touch" to activate "AssistiveTouch" will allow to mute and activate the ringer from the "Phone icon" when using "AssistiveTouch icon"...

When using this trick, the switch must remain on the mute position to keep full control from the screen. Flipping the switch back and forth will mute the phone!