How do I put my Android phone on silent or vibrate?
Press a volume button on the side of the phone, then tap the small bell or speaker icon on the volume bar and choose Vibrate or Mute (Silent on Motorola). You can also swipe down from the top of the screen and tap the sound icon. To hear rings again, choose Ring or Sound the same way.
Steps to check
Press a volume button
Press either volume button on the side of the phone once. A volume bar appears on the screen.
Tap the sound mode icon and pick vibrate or silent
Look for a small bell or speaker icon on or above the volume bar. Tap it and choose the mode you want. Vibrate means calls and messages buzz but make no sound. Silent or Mute means no sound and no buzz.
- Samsung Samsung recommends changing the mode in Settings → Sounds and vibration → Sound mode (Sound, Vibrate, or Mute), or from the Quick panel in the next step. Using the volume buttons can change the sound levels you set.
- Pixel Above the slider, tap Ring, then tap Vibrate or Mute.
- Motorola Tap the ring icon on the volume shortcut and choose on, silent, or vibration only.
Or use quick settings
Swipe down from the top of the screen to open quick settings, then tap the sound tile to switch modes.
- Samsung Swipe down to open the Quick panel and select Sound, Vibrate, or Mute.
- Pixel If there is no sound tile in quick settings, use the volume button method above.
- Motorola Open quick settings, tap the current mode, and select Ring, Silent, or Vibration only.
Turn the sound back on
Do the same steps and choose Ring (Pixel and Motorola) or Sound (Samsung). Then press the volume up button or open the volume bar to make sure the ring volume is not turned all the way down.
Optional: a shortcut for a ringing phone
To quiet a call that is ringing right now, press a volume button. Motorola says the Power button also works. Some Pixel phones can switch to vibrate when you press Power and Volume up together. You can turn that on or change it in Settings → Sound & vibration → Shortcut to prevent ringing.
Still not working?
- If one person's calls still ring on a Samsung phone, open Contacts, tap that person, tap More, then Change ringtones/vibration, tap Ringtone, and turn off Ring even when set to Vibrate or Mute.
- If calls ring while Do Not Disturb is on, check the exceptions. Starred contacts or repeat callers may be allowed through. See how to let certain contacts ring during Do Not Disturb.
- If the phone is on vibrate but does not buzz, check that vibration is turned on. On Pixel, go to Settings → Sound & vibration → Vibration & haptics and turn on Use vibration & haptics. On Samsung, go to Settings → Sounds and vibration → Vibrate and check Call vibration and Notification vibration.
- If alarms or videos still make noise, that is expected. Alarms and media have their own volume sliders. Press a volume button and open the full volume controls to turn them down.
- If you want silence at night but still want family to reach you, Do Not Disturb with exceptions may suit you better than silent mode.
Why this happens
Android keeps several separate volumes: ring and notifications, calls, media, and alarms. Silent and vibrate modes change only the ring and notification sounds. That is why an alarm or a video can still play sound when the phone is on silent.
Pressing a volume button when nothing is playing often changes the media volume, not the ringer. That is why tapping the mode icon is the most reliable way to switch.
Normal vs. not
Usually normal
A small vibrate or crossed-out bell icon appears at the top of the screen while the phone is on vibrate or silent.
Worth a closer look
The phone keeps switching back to ring or silent by itself. Check for a schedule in Do Not Disturb or Modes, or routines that change sound settings.
Common questions
- What is the difference between silent and Do Not Disturb?
- Silent turns off ring and notification sounds. Do Not Disturb can also hide notifications, run on a schedule, and let chosen people get through.
- Will my alarm still go off on silent?
- Alarms use their own volume, separate from the ringer. Check the alarm volume slider after you switch modes. If it still does not sound, see why an Android alarm may not go off.
- Can I make calls vibrate and ring at the same time?
- Yes on Pixel: press a volume button, tap the menu on the volume bar, and turn on Vibrate for calls. On Samsung, open Settings → Sounds and vibration → Vibrate and check Call vibration.
Related questions
Sources we checked
- Change volume, sound & vibrate settings on your Pixel phone or Pixel Tablet (Pixel Phone Help (Google))
- Sounds, vibrations, and notifications on your Galaxy phone or tablet (Samsung Support)
- Galaxy phone rings even when set to vibrate or mute (Samsung Support)
- Tips to mute phone (Samsung (Australia))
- Adjust volumes (motorola razr 2026) (Motorola Help)
Menu names can differ by phone brand and Android version. See our editorial policy for how we check steps.