If your iPhone XR isn’t ringing right away or calls are showing up late—or worse, not at all—it’s not something to ignore. Incoming call delays can be frustrating, especially if you rely on your phone for important contacts. The issue could be tied to weak signal, carrier settings, software bugs, or even hardware damage. Luckily, you’ve got plenty of options to fix it.
Here’s how to troubleshoot delayed or failed incoming calls on your iPhone XR.
1. Check Your Signal Strength First
Before diving into software tweaks, make sure your phone is getting a decent signal.
- Look at the signal bars in the upper-right of the screen.
- If you’re in an area with one bar or no service, move to a more open space.
- If other phones on the same carrier work fine nearby, skip to the next fix.
2. Force Close the Phone App and Restart Your iPhone
App or system hiccups can cause call delays.
- Swipe up from the bottom of the screen and pause.
- Swipe up on the Phone app preview to close it.
- Then restart your iPhone XR:
- Press and hold the Side + Volume button until the slider appears.
- Drag to power off, wait 30 seconds, then turn it back on.
3. Toggle Airplane Mode
This trick quickly resets your wireless radios (cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth).
- Go to Settings > Airplane Mode.
- Turn it ON, wait 10 seconds, then turn it OFF.
- Wait for signal to come back and test incoming calls again.
4. Install Carrier and iOS Updates
Outdated settings or software might be the culprit.
- Go to Settings > General > About and wait a few seconds.
- If a carrier update is available, you’ll see a prompt.
- To check for an iOS update:
- Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install if available.
After updating, restart your phone and see if the issue persists.
5. Reset All Settings
If a settings misconfiguration is interfering with calls, this can help.
- Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset All Settings.
- Enter your passcode and confirm.
- This won’t delete your data but will reset things like Wi-Fi passwords and network settings.
6. Do a Factory Reset (Only If Nothing Else Works)
Back up your iPhone first—this will wipe everything.
- Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase All Content and Settings.
- Follow the prompts to reset.
- Set your iPhone up as new and test the call issue.
7. Check or Reseat the SIM Card
If the SIM is loose or damaged, it could mess with your connection.
- Power off your iPhone.
- Use a SIM eject tool or paperclip to pop out the SIM tray.
- Remove and reinsert the SIM.
- Power your phone back on and try a test call.
8. Use Recovery Mode or DFU Restore (Advanced Users Only)
Still not fixed? A recovery mode or DFU restore using iTunes can wipe deep bugs:
- Put your iPhone into Recovery Mode or DFU Mode (you’ll need a computer).
- Use iTunes (or Finder on macOS Catalina and later) to Update or Restore.
- Only try this if you’ve backed up your data.
9. Contact Your Carrier or Apple Support
If your iPhone still can’t handle incoming calls reliably:
- Call your carrier to check for network issues or account problems.
- Contact Apple Support for further troubleshooting or hardware inspection.