In the age of constant connectivity, it can be overwhelming to receive an incessant barrage of phone calls, disrupting productivity, social interactions, and even sleep. Fortunately, for iPhone users, there exists a solution to this dilemma—the ability to turn off phone calls, providing respite from the incessant digital interruptions. Whether you’re seeking a temporary reprieve from the relentless ringing or a complete cessation of incoming calls, this guide will empower you with the knowledge to control your phone’s calling functionality.
Depending on your specific needs, there are multiple approaches to turning off phone calls on an iPhone. For a temporary solution, activating the “Do Not Disturb” mode silences all incoming calls, with the exception of those from designated contacts or apps. Alternatively, for a more permanent solution, you can disable the “Phone” app altogether, effectively preventing any incoming calls from reaching your device. Additionally, if you’re only interested in blocking calls from specific numbers, you can utilize the “Block Contact” feature, which will prevent calls and messages from designated individuals from reaching your phone.
Silencing Calls with Focus Modes
Do Not Disturb
Do Not Disturb mode silences all incoming calls, notifications, and alerts. To activate it, swipe down from the top-right corner of your screen to access the Control Center. Tap the moon icon to turn on Do Not Disturb. You can also schedule Do Not Disturb to turn on automatically at certain times or locations.
Sleep Focus
Sleep Focus is a more customizable version of Do Not Disturb that is designed to help you get a good night’s sleep. It silences all incoming calls, notifications, and alerts, but you can choose to allow certain people or apps to break through. To activate Sleep Focus, go to Settings > Focus > Sleep.
Custom Focuses
You can also create custom Focuses that allow you to control which calls, notifications, and alerts are silenced. For example, you could create a “Work Focus” that silences all non-work-related calls and notifications. To create a custom Focus, go to Settings > Focus > Add Focus.
| Focus Mode | Description |
|---|---|
| Do Not Disturb | Silences all incoming calls, notifications, and alerts |
| Sleep Focus | Silences all incoming calls, notifications, and alerts, but allows certain people or apps to break through |
| Custom Focuses | Allow you to control which calls, notifications, and alerts are silenced |
Adjusting Call Forwarding to Redirect Calls
Call forwarding is a convenient feature that allows you to reroute incoming calls to another phone number. This can be useful if you’re on vacation, in a different time zone, or otherwise unable to take calls on your primary device. To adjust call forwarding on your iPhone:
- Open the “Settings” app.
- Tap “Phone”.
- Select “Call Forwarding”.
- Toggle the “Call Forwarding” switch to the “On” position.
- Enter the phone number you want calls to be forwarded to.
Note that call forwarding may incur additional charges from your carrier, especially if you’re forwarding calls to a different phone number or international destination. It’s always recommended to check with your carrier before activating call forwarding to avoid unexpected charges.
Here’s a simplified table summarizing the steps to adjust call forwarding:
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Open “Settings”. |
| 2 | Tap “Phone”. |
| 3 | Select “Call Forwarding”. |
| 4 | Toggle “Call Forwarding” to “On”. |
| 5 | Enter the forwarding phone number. |
Enabling Quiet Mode for Temporary Call Suppression
Quiet Mode is a feature on iPhones that temporarily silences incoming calls, notifications, and alarms. This mode is ideal for situations where you need to focus or rest without being interrupted.
To enable Quiet Mode:
- Swipe down from the top right corner of your iPhone screen to open Control Center.
- Tap the bell icon in the upper left corner to mute all incoming calls. The icon will turn red when Quiet Mode is enabled.
- Tap the crescent moon icon next to the bell icon to mute notifications. The icon will turn white when notifications are silenced.
- Tap the alarm clock icon to mute all alarms. The icon will turn gray when alarms are silenced.
- To disable Quiet Mode, simply tap any of the muted icons again. The icons will revert to their original colors and all notifications, calls, and alarms will be restored.
Customizing Quiet Mode Settings
You can customize Quiet Mode settings to suit your preferences. To do this:
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Tap "Do Not Disturb".
- Under "Quiet Mode, you can adjust the following settings:**
- Scheduled: Set Quiet Mode to automatically turn on and off at specific times of day.
- Manual: Enable Quiet Mode manually using the steps outlined above.
- Allowed Notifications: Choose which notifications are allowed to bypass Quiet Mode, such as messages from specific contacts or emergency alerts.
- Phone: Choose whether to silence incoming calls or allow them to ring through.
Customizing Ringtone Settings to Mute Calls
To customize ringtone settings and effectively mute phone calls on your iPhone, follow these detailed instructions:
- Open the “Settings” app on your iPhone.
- Tap on “Sounds & Haptics.”
- Under “Ringtone,” select “None” to disable the ringtone for incoming calls.
- Alternatively, you can choose a silent ringtone from the available options.
- Tap on “Message Tone” and select “None” to disable the ringtone for incoming messages.
- If you wish to keep the ringtone for certain contacts, tap on “Ringtone” and then select “Contacts.”
- Choose the specific contact you want to mute and tap on their name.
- Under “Ringtone,” select “None” or a silent ringtone to disable the ringtone for that contact. Repeat this step for any other contacts you want to mute.
Note: Alternatively, you can use the Do Not Disturb mode to silence all incoming calls and messages. To enable Do Not Disturb, follow these steps:
- Swipe down from the top-right corner of your screen to access the Control Center.
- Tap on the crescent moon icon to turn on Do Not Disturb.
- You can customize Do Not Disturb settings by tapping on the “Options” button.
Unregistering the Phone from Cellular Service
In some cases, unregistering the phone from cellular service completely may be necessary. This will prevent any calls from being received on the device. Here are the steps on how to unregister the phone:
1. Contact Your Carrier
You will need to contact your cellular carrier to initiate the unregistration process. They will provide you with instructions on how to complete the unregistration.
2. Remove SIM Card
Once the unregistration process is complete, remove the SIM card from the phone. This will prevent the phone from being able to access the cellular network.
3. Factory Reset
To ensure that all traces of the cellular network are removed from the phone, perform a factory reset. This will erase all data from the phone, so be sure to back up any important files before proceeding.
4. Confirm Unregistration
Once the factory reset is complete, insert the SIM card back into the phone. If the phone does not connect to the cellular network, the unregistration process was successful.
5. Re-register (Optional)
If you decide you want to re-register the phone to the cellular network, contact your carrier and follow their instructions.
6. Other Considerations
Keep in mind that unregistering the phone will also disable data services, such as internet access and MMS messaging. If you need to use these services, you may want to consider other options, such as using Wi-Fi or a data-only device.
7. For Emergency Calls
Even if the phone is unregistered from cellular service, emergency calls can still be made. Simply dial 911 or your local emergency number.
8. Temporary Solution
If you only need to block calls temporarily, you can use the Do Not Disturb feature on your iPhone. This will silence all incoming calls.
9. Blocking Specific Numbers
To block specific numbers from calling you, go to the Phone app, tap the “Contacts” tab, select the contact you want to block, tap the “info” button, and then tap “Block this Caller.” You can also block numbers from the Recent Calls list by tapping the “i” button next to the number and selecting “Block this Caller.” The table below summarizes the steps for blocking specific numbers:
| Steps | Details |
|---|---|
| Open the Phone app | Locate the Phone app from your Home screen or App Library. |
| Tap the “Contacts” tab | Switch to the Contacts tab at the bottom of the screen. |
| Select the contact to block | Find the contact you want to block from the list of contacts. |
| Tap the “info” button | In the contact’s profile, tap the “info” button in the top-right corner. |
| Tap “Block this Caller” | Scroll down and tap on the “Block this Caller” option. |
How To Turn Off Phone Calls On iPhone
If you’re looking to temporarily disable phone calls on your iPhone, there are a few different ways to do so. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to turn off phone calls on your iPhone:
1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap on “Phone”.
3. Tap on the “Silence Unknown Callers” toggle switch.
This will silence all calls from numbers that are not in your contacts. If you want to completely disable all phone calls, you can follow these steps:
1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap on “Screen Time”.
3. Tap on “App Limits”.
4. Tap on “Add Limit”.
5. Tap on “Phone”.
6. Tap on “Time Limit”.
7. Set the time limit to “0 minutes”.
This will completely disable phone calls on your iPhone. You can re-enable phone calls by following the same steps and setting the time limit to “None”.
People Also Ask About How To Turn Off Phone Calls On iPhone
How do I turn off phone calls on iPhone without silencing them?
You can disable phone calls on your iPhone without silencing them by using the Screen Time feature. Follow the steps outlined in the guide above to set a time limit for the Phone app.
How do I stop spam calls on my iPhone?
You can stop spam calls on your iPhone by turning on the “Silence Unknown Callers” feature in the Settings app. You can also use a third-party call blocking app to further reduce the number of spam calls you receive.
What is the best call blocking app for iPhone?
There are a number of different call blocking apps available for iPhone. Some of the most popular options include Truecaller, RoboKiller, and Hiya. These apps use a variety of methods to identify and block spam calls, so you can choose the one that best fits your needs.
