Level 1 (12 points)

iPhone 18 Pro incoming call ringtone not playing through Samsung Galaxy Buds3

Hi everyone,

I'm new to using an iPhone and recently bought an iPhone 18 Pro.

I'm using Samsung Galaxy Buds3, and I've noticed an issue with incoming calls:

Normal mode (Silent Mode off): When I receive a call, the ringtone plays through the iPhone's built-in speaker instead of my earbuds. However, other notifications play through the earbuds as expected.
Silent Mode on: The incoming call ringtone plays through my earbuds, which is actually what I want when Silent Mode is off. However, other notifications don't make any sound through the earbuds, which I understand is normal in Silent Mode.

Is there any setting I can change to make incoming call ringtones play through my Samsung earbuds when Silent Mode is off, without the iPhone's speaker ringing?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Posted on Oct 15, 2026 8:40 PM

2 replies

poonam_kumawat

Level 4 (1,080 points)

Oct 16, 2026 2:23 AM in response to MrIncognito

This appears to be a limitation of how iPhone handles incoming ringtones with some third-party Bluetooth earbuds. Unfortunately, iOS doesn’t provide a separate setting to force the ringtone to play only through Bluetooth earbuds while Silent Mode is off.

You can check Settings -> Accessibility -> Touch -> Call Audio Routing ->Bluetooth Headset, but this setting primarily controls audio after a call is answered, not where the ringtone plays.

More Info: Route call audio on iPhone

MrIncognito Author

Level 1 (12 points)

Oct 18, 2026 10:36 PM in response to poonam_kumawat

Hi poonam_kumawat

Thanks for the reply.

I did this but the ringtone still come out from builtin speaker.

I tried using older iphone (Iphone 14, IOS 18).

it works and doesnt have this issue.

Originally posted at discussions.apple.com/thread/256377005