Key Takeaways
The way to turn off Silent mode and bring your iPhone back to audible life depends on whether your iPhone has a Ring/Silent switch or an Action button on the side. Either way, we'll show you what to do below, along with what your options are if the physical button isn't working.
Does Your iPhone Have an Action Button or a Ring/Silent Switch?
Once upon a time, every iPhone had a Ring/Silent switch on the side that you could easily flick forward to turn off Silent mode. But that changed in 2023 when the iPhone 15 Pro replaced that switch with an Action button, which is now present on the entire iPhone 16 lineup as well.
If you don't know what model iPhone you have, take a look at the left side of the phone, above the volume buttons. If there's a small switch that you can move backwards and forwards, that's the Ring/Silent switch. If instead of a switch you just have another small button, that's the Action button.
How to Turn Off Silent Mode With an Action Button
By default, the Action button is set to control Silent mode on your iPhone. So you can just press and hold it to toggle Silent mode on or off.
If that isn't the case, you might have changed the Action button to do something more exciting. You can change it back by going to Settings > Action Button and swiping to the Silent Mode option. Then press and hold the Action button to use it.
Or you can keep your new Action button function and simply swipe down from the top-right corner to open Control Center instead. From there, you should see a Silent mode toggle beneath the Wi-Fi options. If it isn't there, you can add it by tapping the plus (+) icon in the top-left corner to customize the Control Center, choosing "Add a Control," and searching for "Silent."
If none of that works, or you don't want to fiddle with the Control Center, you can always ask Siri to "Turn Silent mode off" or go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics and toggle the big "Silent Mode" option at the top of the page.
How to Turn Off Silent Mode With a Ring/Silent Switch
If your iPhone has a Ring/Silent switch instead of an Action button, you should be able to flip it to toggle between Silent and Ring mode. You'll see a notification appear onscreen to confirm which mode you're in, but it should be that pulling the switch towards the screen puts it in Ring mode. You should also be able to see an orange indicator when the phone is in Silent mode.
If the Ring/Silent switch isn't working, you can also use an option in the Accessibility settings to turn off Silent mode on your iPhone. To do so, go to Settings > Accessibility then scroll down to select the "Touch" option. Open the "AssistiveTouch" page and hit the toggle to enable "AssistiveTouch."
You'll see a white circle appear on your iPhone screen. Tap it to open the AssistiveTouch menu, then go to Device > Unmute to turn off Silent mode. You can then tap outside of the AssistiveTouch menu to close it.
If you want to keep AssistiveTouch enabled all the time, you can drag and drop to move the circle out of the way while you're reading things. Alternatively, you can set up a shortcut to easily enable or disable AssistiveTouch when you need it.