While notifications are useful when it comes to giving a heads up on new updates, they can likewise be annoying at certain circumstances especially when you’re asleep or in a job session with your bosses. Normally, notifications can be turned off at any time you want but there are some cases when your phone acts up and notifications still play in silent mode. Such problem is a bit odd but it can happen due to random software glitches. In fact, a similar issue has bothered some iPhone XR users after updating to iOS 13. If you’re one of the affected users, I’ve prepared a simple guide that highlights a few simple yet effective solutions to address the same problem on your iPhone. Read further to find out what to do if your iPhone XR iOS 13 notifications play while in silent mode.
Troubleshooting a problem on the iPhone XR iOS 13 notifications that play in silent mode
Apparently, it’s a system flaw and therefore requires a few system tweaks in order to be fixed. The following procedures can help eliminate the common triggers so try each of them until the problem is fixed. You can test your iPhone’s notification functions after performing each method by making a test call, sending text, or email to your own number/device. You may begin troubleshooting whenever you’re ready.
First solution: Toggle the ring/silent button then reboot your iPhone XR
You can find the ringer button at the upper-left corner of your iPhone. The switch in red position indicates that your phone is in silent mode. Otherwise, it means that your phone is currently set to Ring mode and therefore sounds should play for incoming calls, message alerts and other notifications. In this case, simply flip the switch downwards to enable silent mode and silence all notification alerts.
Once your phone is in Silent mode, perform either a soft reset or force restart on your device. This should help remove any junk files including corrupt data that might have caused errors to your phone’s notification system.
Here’s how a soft reset is done on your iPhone XR:
- Press and hold the Power/Side button and either of the Volume buttons simultaneously for a few seconds.
- Release both buttons once you see the Power to Off command on your screen.
- Drag the Power to Off slider to the right to turn off your phone.
- Wait for about 30 seconds then press and hold the Power/Side button to turn on your phone again.
Another way to reboot your phone is through a force restart. This will force all suspended apps to end, including errant cache that might have caused conflicts with your phone’s audio system. Here are the steps:
- Press and release the Volume Up button quickly.
- Press and release the Volume Down button quickly.
- Finally, press and hold the Power/Side button until you see the Apple logo.
Allow your phone to complete the reboot process and as soon as it’s up, check if the notification issue has been fixed.
ALSO READ: How to fix an iPhone XR with no sound in iOS 13, no sound bug fixes
Second solution: Check Do Not Disturb feature on your iPhone XR
Do Not Disturb (DND) feature can be configured based on your personal preferences. If there are incorrect configurations set on DND, problems may arise and that may likewise cause notifications to play in silent mode. To ensure that everything is properly set, check and manage your iPhone XR’s DND settings and apply the necessary changes. Here’s how to do it:
- Access Settings from the Home screen.
- Tap Do Not Disturb.
- To enable Do Not Disturb feature completely, simply toggle the switch to turn it on. Notifications for incoming calls, messages and some apps are now muted.
Some exceptions on DND settings can be set if you don’t want all alert sounds to be muted. Setting your date and time correctly can also help in resolving the problem as this will ensure that DND settings will take effect and work as intended. You can change and set your date and time settings to automatic so that your phone will use date and time information based on your current time zone and location, if necessary.
Third solution: Reset all settings to fix your iPhone XR iOS 13 notifications that play in silent mode
Your phone’s notification system can also be affected by incorrect or invalid settings and may be the main reason why notifications still play even when your iPhone is in silent mode. Settings override from major updates can also inflict similar errors that resulted in such a bizarre notification error. To address the problem, performing a reset on all your phone settings can help. This reset will wipe out all customized settings and personal preferences, including settings that have been automatically modified by the recent iOS 13 update. Settings are then reverted to the original values. If you want to try this out, simply refer to the steps below:
- Access Settings from the Home screen.
- Tap General.
- Scroll down to and then select Reset.
- Tap the Reset All Settings option.
- Enter your device passcode once prompted.
- Then tap to confirm all settings reset.
After the reset process, your phone will restart automatically. Once its back up and running, check and make sure that the Silent mode or DND mode is activated. Then check if your iPhone XR notifications still play or not anymore.
ALSO READ: How To Fix Ghost Touch Bug On iPhone XS After iOS 13 Update
Fourth solution: Factory reset (master reset) your iPhone XR
Complex system errors might have been triggering your iPhone XR to keep playing notifications even when in silent mode. If none of the previous methods is able to fix the problem, then you can troubleshoot further and eliminate complex system errors through a factory reset. Performing a factory reset will delete everything from your iPhone system including all saved data on the phone storage and then restores the factory defaults. Given that all data will be wiped out, it is highly recommended to create backups via iTunes or iCloud beforehand. Once your backups are secured, follow these steps to start resetting and restoring your iPhone XR to its factory defaults:
- Access Settings from the Home screen.
- Tap General.
- Scroll down to and then select Reset.
- Tap the Erase all contents and settings option.
- Enter your passcode once prompted.
- Then tap to confirm factory reset.
Your iPhone will reboot automatically after the master reset is completed and then apply default factory settings. Set it up like a new one in order to use it again. After setting it up, put your device in silent mode and check if the problem has been rectified.
Fifth solution: Put your iPhone XR in recovery mode and restore iOS in iTunes
This is deemed among the most advanced solutions and a last resort to deal with major system issues among iOS devices. Symptoms that continue to occur after performing the initial procedures are indications of possible fatal system errors caused by the recent iOS update and likely the main reason why notifications play in silent mode. Performing a recovery mode restore deletes all data including stubborn system glitches that can’t be fixed by basic procedures. In order to do this, you’ll need to have a Mac or Windows computer with the latest version of iTunes installed. Once you got everything ready, follow these steps to put your iPhone XR in recovery mode and then restore iOS with iTunes:
- Using the Apple-supplied USB/Lightning cable, connect your iPhone to the computer.
- Once connected, press and release quickly the Volume Up button.
- Then press and release quickly the Volume Down button.
- Press and hold the Power/Side button and keep on holding as it restarts. Do not release the Power/Side button if you’ll see the Apple logo as you’ll need to put the device on recovery state.
- Release the Power/Side button once you see the Connect to iTunes logo on the screen.
- Then, navigate to iTunes on your computer. You should see a message saying that your connected iOS device is in recovery mode and prompts options to update or restore.
- Select Restore on the option to wipe everything from the phone system and then restore iOS through iTunes.
Keep your phone connected to the computer unless the restore process is complete. It usually takes 10 to 15 minutes for a recovery mode restore process to complete. You should see iTunes prompt a message saying that restore is finished. If you see a prompt that the process has been completed, then that’s when it’s safe to disconnect your iOS device. To exit recovery mode and get back to normal mode, just reboot your iPhone.
ALSO READ: How to fix iPhone XR iOS 13 delayed touchscreen response issue
Still bothered with the same problem on your iPhone XR iOS notifications that play in silent mode
Software glitches inflicted by the recent software update should be fixed with the steps mentioned above. If ever you’re still getting the notifications play in silent mode on your iPhone XR after performing the steps, you might need to contact Apple support. They can provide you some additional recommendations on how to deal with the issue.
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