Turn On or Off Silent Mode on iPhone Without Switch or Action Button 

Quick Tips

• If you’re using an iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max, you can enable Silent mode from the Control Center. You can also go to Settings → Sounds & Haptics → turn Silent mode on or off.
• You can also use AssistiveTouch, go to Settings → Accessibility → Touch → turn on AssistiveTouch → select the action that’ll mute. Use it to mute/unmute as and when needed.
• Back Tap is another neat option. Go to Settings → Accessibility → Touch → Back Tap → select the action that’ll mute.

How to Enable & Disable Silent Mode on iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max

iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max not only have an Action Button instead of the ringer switch, but they also have some exclusive ways to silence their device. So if you’re Action Button isn’t working or you’ve set other shortcuts to it, you can use the following methods to turn on and off the Silent mode.

Method 1. Mute Unmute iPhone Via Control Center

Open the Control Center → tap the Silent mode (bell) icon to enable it. When enabled, tap it again to disable it.

Sadly, even with the very customizable Control Center in iOS 18, other devices did not get a Silent mode icon. Only the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max have that privilege.

Method 2. Turn Silent Mode On or Off via Settings

Go to iPhone Settings app → Sounds & Haptics → toggle on/off Silent mode.

Method 3. Silence iPhone Without Switch via AssistiveTouch

You can program the floating AssistiveTouch to turn on or off the Silent mode with just some taps.

Step 1: Launch Settings. Go to Accessibility and select Touch.

Step 2: Tap AssistiveTouch and toggle on AssitiveTouch.

Step 3: Here, you can select the method to mute/unmute iPhone. Either select,

• ‘Customize Top Level Menu‘ → select any action and replace it with Mute → Tap Done.

• Single-Tap/ Double-Tap/ Long Press under Custom Actions → select Mute → return to the main menu.

Step 4: Now, depending on your choice above, you can tap the AssistiveTouch button to select Mute.

Contrary to its usefulness, most users (including us) don’t like the floating AssistiveTouch on their screen all the time. It especially interrupts our viewing experience. Thankfully, you can enable/disable AssistiveTouch as and when you need it.

Tip: While Siri can’t help you turn on/off the silent mode on an iPhone, it can enable and disable AssistiveTouch with just one command.

Method 4. Use Back Tap to Enable or Disable Silent Mode on iPhone

Introduced with iOS 14, Back Tap is another great accessibility feature to trigger a predefined task, including putting your iPhone on silent mode without a button.

However, before we proceed, do note that the feature is only available for iPhone 8 and later.

Step 1: Launch Settings → Accessibility → Touch. Scroll down and select Back Tap.

Step 2: Select either Double Tap or Triple Tap.

Step 4: From the options choose Mute.

Once the action is set, double or triple tap at the back of your iPhone (around the Apple icon).

Markedly, you can even use Back Tap as a trigger for Accessibility Shortcut and turn on/off the iPhone ringer using AssistiveTouch. If for some reason, your Back Tap isn’t performing as it is supposed to, check out our guide to fixing Back Tap.

Method 5. Use Focus to Put iPhone On Silent Mode

Although Focus doesn’t directly mute the iPhone, it can mute all notifications. So for all instances and purposes, you can invoke a mute-like mode with a custom Focus.

However, Focus will silence all notifications, i.e., your iPhone won’t vibrate. So, there’s a chance you’ll miss the notifications. Overall, it might be great for a meeting or me-time, but not suitable for an all-day scenario.

Set up a Mute Focus Mode

Step 1: Launch Settings → Focus.

Step 2: Tap + and then any Focus. We’re choosing Custom for this tutorial.

Step 3: Follow the onscreen instructions to set up the focus. (Type in the Focus name → tap Customize Focus.)

Step 4: In the next window, select Allow Notification From → deselect all existing contacts → tap Next. Choose Allowed People Only and then Done.

Step 5: In the apps section, check Allow Notification From, deselect all existing apps, and tap Done.

Step 6: On the Focus Page, ensure that the People and Apps sections say None Allowed.

Step 7: To completely silence the phone using Focus,

• Tap People and toggle off Allow Repeated Calls.
• Tap Apps and toggle off Time-Sensitive Notifications.

Turn on the Mute Focus Mode

Launch Control Center and long-press Focus to open the Focus menu. Select the Silent mode Focus you have created.

To Unmute your iPhone, repeat the above steps to turn off the Focus mode. Remember, as long as the Focus is active, you won’t be able to unmute notifications and in turn the iPhone with any other method.

And while there are some cons to using Focus to mute your iPhone, there are some pros as well. For instance, you can auto-enable a Focus, depending on time, location, and app.

Moreover, you can also use Focus Status to keep your friends, family and other callers informed that you’ve silenced all notifications.

Frequently Asked Questions