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WhatsApp Calls Not Ringing? 6 Fixes (2026)

October 13, 2026

You're staring at your phone and someone says they called — but your phone never rang. Not once. Then you open WhatsApp and see the dreaded red "Missed voice call" staring back at you. When WhatsApp calls are not ringing on Android, it usually isn't a WhatsApp bug at all — it's your phone quietly silencing the call before it can reach you. This guide walks you through 6 fixes for WhatsApp calls not ringing, ordered from the quickest checks to the deeper settings that cause most missed calls.

Android phone missing a WhatsApp incoming call because calls are not ringing

Quick Answer: WhatsApp calls not ringing? First check Do Not Disturb is off and your ringtone volume is up — these two settings cause most missed WhatsApp calls. Then open Settings → Apps → WhatsApp → Notifications and make sure every notification toggle is on. If calls still don't ring, check WhatsApp's call notification settings inside the app and make sure the app is allowed to run in the background.

Why WhatsApp Calls Don't Ring

Regular phone calls ring through your carrier network, but WhatsApp calls arrive as internet push notifications — and that makes them vulnerable to every setting that silences notifications or restricts background apps:

  • Do Not Disturb or Silent mode → the call notification arrives but makes no sound, so you miss it entirely.
  • WhatsApp notifications disabled → Android blocks the call alert before it can appear.
  • Call notification settings inside WhatsApp → a silent ringtone selected here mutes only WhatsApp calls.
  • Battery optimization or restricted background data → WhatsApp never receives the incoming call signal in time, especially when the screen is off.
  • Unstable connection → the call data can't reach your phone reliably enough to ring.

Work through the fixes below in order and you'll find which link is broken. Covers Android 10 through 14.

Fix 1: Check Do Not Disturb and Ringtone Volume

Before touching any app settings, rule out the two most common culprits. Both silence WhatsApp calls completely, and both are easy to switch on by accident:

  1. Swipe down twice from the top of the screen to open the full Quick Settings panel and look for the Do Not Disturb tile. If it's highlighted, tap it to turn it off.
  2. Check for a DND schedule: Settings → Sound & vibration → Do Not Disturb (Samsung: Settings → Notifications → Do Not Disturb; Xiaomi: Settings → Sound & vibration → Do Not Disturb) and make sure no automatic schedule is muting your evenings or nights.
  3. Press a volume button and tap the three dots to expand the volume panel. Drag the ringtone slider up to an audible level — some phones separate ringtone and notification volume, and WhatsApp calls follow the ringtone channel.
  4. Make sure the phone isn't in Vibrate or Silent mode: check the volume panel for a bell icon (not a crossed-out or vibrating bell).

Brand note: on Xiaomi (HyperOS), the silent-mode toggle also lives in the Control Center's Sound tile. On Samsung (One UI), check Settings → Sounds and vibration → Sound mode and choose Sound.

Fix 2: Turn On WhatsApp Notifications

If the phone's sound settings are fine, the block may be at the system level — Android might not be letting WhatsApp show call alerts at all. When WhatsApp calls are not ringing, the notification permission is the first place to look:

Enabling WhatsApp notification permissions in Android app settings so incoming calls ring

  1. Long-press the WhatsApp icon and tap App info (the ⓘ icon).
  2. Tap Notifications and make sure the main All WhatsApp notifications toggle is on.
  3. Open the Call notifications category and set Show notifications to on, Sound to a proper ringtone (not "Silent"), and Pop on screen to on so calls appear even when you're using another app.
  4. Make sure Message notifications and Group notifications are also enabled — message alerts that don't arrive often point to the same blocked notification channel.
  5. Go back to App info → Permissions and confirm Notifications permission shows as Allowed.

On Samsung (One UI), also open Settings → Notifications → App notifications → WhatsApp and verify every toggle there. On Pixel phones, check Settings → Apps → WhatsApp → Notifications and tap each category to confirm none is set to Silent.

Fix 3: Check WhatsApp Call Notification Settings

WhatsApp has its own call notification settings inside the app, separate from Android's system settings. If someone set the WhatsApp call ringtone to "None" — or picked a silent tone by mistake — WhatsApp calls will come through silently even with system notifications fully on:

  1. Open WhatsApp and tap the three dots ⋮ in the top-right corner, then tap Settings.
  2. Tap Notifications and scroll down to the Calls section.
  3. Tap Ringtone and choose an audible ringtone — confirm it isn't set to None or a silent tone.
  4. Leave Vibrate on Default so the phone vibrates along with the ringtone.
  5. While you're here, check the Conversation tones setting and the individual notification tones at the top of this screen for the same reason.

This is a common cause of "my messages make sounds but WhatsApp calls don't ring" — the in-app call ringtone is separate from the message tone, and people sometimes mute one without touching the other.

Fix 4: Allow WhatsApp to Run in the Background

WhatsApp can only ring for an incoming call if it's awake to receive it. When the screen is off, Android's battery tools can freeze or kill WhatsApp — the call signal arrives at the phone but the app never wakes up to ring it:

  1. Long-press the WhatsApp icon → App info → Battery (on some phones: Battery usage) and set it to Unrestricted or Allow background activity. Avoid Restricted or Optimized for WhatsApp.
  2. Go to App info → Mobile data & Wi-Fi (Pixel: Network & internet → Background data) and make sure Background data and Unrestricted data usage are both turned on.
  3. Turn off Data Saver while testing: Settings → Network & internet → Data Saver (Samsung: Settings → Connections → Data usage → Data saver).
  4. Check your lock-screen settings: Settings → Notifications → Lock screen notifications (Samsung: Settings → Notifications → Notifications on lock screen) and set it to Show content so the incoming call appears when the phone is locked.

Brand notes: on Xiaomi (HyperOS), go to Settings → Battery → App battery saver → WhatsApp → No restrictions. On Samsung (One UI), also check Settings → Battery and device care → Battery → Background usage limits — if WhatsApp is listed under Sleeping or Deep sleeping apps, remove it from the list.

If WhatsApp calls are not ringing only when the phone is locked or idle, Fix 4 is almost certainly your answer — the screen-off state is when battery restrictions bite hardest.

Fix 5: Check Your Connection and Airplane Mode

WhatsApp calls need a steady internet connection at the moment the call arrives. If your connection drops in and out, calls may reach the phone too late to ring — showing as missed calls instead:

Toggling airplane mode off and on to reset the connection so WhatsApp incoming calls ring properly

  1. Confirm Airplane mode is off: swipe down the Quick Settings panel and check the airplane icon is greyed out.
  2. Toggle Airplane mode on, wait 10 seconds, then turn it off — this forces the phone to reconnect to the network and refresh its data session.
  3. Switch between Wi-Fi and mobile data to see which connection the calls ring on. If calls ring on one but not the other, the problem is in that network, not WhatsApp.
  4. Open a browser and load a website, or open YouTube and play a video — if other apps struggle too, the connection is the problem, not WhatsApp.
  5. On very weak signals (1–2 bars), move near a window or step outside and ask someone to call you as a test.

If calls come through late or show as missed only when you're on a specific Wi-Fi network, try forgetting that network (Settings → Network & internet → Wi-Fi → saved network → Forget) and reconnecting fresh.

Fix 6: Update WhatsApp and Clear Its Cache

When settings look right but calls still won't ring, corrupted temporary files or an outdated WhatsApp build can be the cause. Both are quick to address:

  1. Open the Google Play Store, search for WhatsApp, and tap Update if one is available. Call-notification bugs get patched in app updates.
  2. Restart your phone: hold Power (Samsung: Side + Volume Down) and tap Restart. This clears stuck notification processes.
  3. Clear WhatsApp's cache: App info → Storage & cache → Clear cache. Do NOT tap Clear data / Clear storage — that logs you out and can remove your downloaded media.
  4. Open WhatsApp and ask a friend to call you as a test while the app is open, then again with the phone locked, to confirm both cases ring.

Warning: only clear the cache, never the data, unless you have a fresh, verified chat backup (WhatsApp → Settings → Chats → Chat backup). Cache clearing removes temporary files only; your chats stay untouched.

Covers Android 10 through 14.

What If Nothing Works?

  • Check Bluetooth: if WhatsApp rings through a connected Bluetooth earbud or speaker instead of the phone speaker, disconnect the Bluetooth device and test again — calls may have been "ringing" to an accessory you weren't wearing.
  • Try a clean reinstall: back up your chats (Settings → Chats → Chat backup → Back up), then uninstall and reinstall WhatsApp from the Play Store. Reinstalling resets every notification channel to defaults.
  • Test with another contact: ask a different person to call you. If one caller's calls never ring but everyone else's do, the issue is on their end.
  • Check for account bans: if you used unofficial WhatsApp mods (GBWhatsApp, WhatsApp Plus) or saw a "temporarily banned" message, notifications can behave oddly — stick to the official app.
  • Reset app preferences: Settings → System → Reset options → Reset app preferences restores all app notification and permission settings to defaults without deleting any data.

In most cases, Fix 1 (Do Not Disturb and ringtone volume) or Fix 4 (background restrictions) restores WhatsApp call ringing within minutes.

Watch: WhatsApp Calls Not Ringing Fixed Step by Step

Prefer a walkthrough? This video covers WhatsApp calls not ringing on Android step by step:

Video by Sky Tech Studio — full credit to the creator.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do WhatsApp calls not ring but show as missed calls?

A "missed call" entry with no ring almost always means the call notification arrived but was silenced — check Do Not Disturb and ringtone volume (Fix 1), the call notification ringtone inside WhatsApp (Fix 3), or battery restrictions that kept the app asleep when the screen was off (Fix 4).

Why do WhatsApp calls only ring when the app is open?

If calls ring only with WhatsApp open, the app is being put to sleep in the background. Set WhatsApp's battery setting to Unrestricted, enable Background data, and remove it from Samsung's sleeping-apps list or Xiaomi's app battery saver restrictions (Fix 4).

Will clearing WhatsApp's cache delete my chats?

No — Clear cache only removes temporary files and leaves your chats, contacts, and media untouched. Avoid Clear data / Clear storage, which signs you out and removes local data; only do that after a verified chat backup.

By Sameer Zehri | App Fix Guru Editor | Last updated: October 2026