Always Ring for Certain Contacts
Pick your phone type below. Follow the steps exactly, and those callers will ring through
Silent / Do Not Disturb / Focus (with the Samsung note explained).
Quick truth: iPhone has a true “override.” Samsung can override Do Not Disturb,
but a full ringer mute can still silence calls.
Best practice on Samsung: keep ringer volume on, and use Do Not Disturb to silence everyone except your allowed contacts.
Choose your phone
Tap the phone you’re using to see the correct steps.
📱 iPhone
13 Pro Max • 14 Pro • 17 Pro
📲 Samsung Galaxy
S22 • S24 Ultra
iPhone (13 Pro Max / 14 Pro / 17 Pro): Use “Emergency Bypass”
Works even if Silent switch is on
1
Open the Contacts app (or Phone → Contacts), then tap the person you want to always ring.
Tip: If they have multiple numbers, make sure the correct number is saved on the contact.
2
Tap Edit (top-right), then tap Ringtone.
You may need to scroll a little to find “Ringtone.”
3
Turn Emergency Bypass ON, then tap Done.
Emergency Bypass lets calls ring even in Silent and Focus / Do Not Disturb.
4
(Optional) Also set Text Tone → turn Emergency Bypass ON for texts from that contact.
This is separate from ringtone — you can do calls only, texts only, or both.
✅ iPhone will ring even if the side Silent switch is on.
⚠️ Doesn’t override Airplane mode, power off, no service, or dead battery.
Easy “test” to confirm it works
30 seconds
A
Flip the side switch to Silent and turn on Focus (or Do Not Disturb).
This simulates “ringer off” + “do not disturb.”
B
Have that contact call you. It should still ring audibly.
If it doesn’t ring: confirm Emergency Bypass is ON for the correct number on that contact.
Samsung Galaxy (S22 / S24 Ultra): Use ⭐ Favorites to let only selected callers ring
Rings through Do Not Disturb
1
Star the caller as a Favorite ⭐
Open Contacts → open the person → tap the ⭐ (Star/Favorite).
Only people you star will be allowed to ring through.
2
Turn on Do Not Disturb (or set a schedule).
Settings → Notifications → Do not disturb
3
Tap Calls and messages, then set Calls to Favorite contacts only.
This makes your phone ring only for your ⭐ Favorites while DND is on.
4
Turn Repeat callers ON (backup safety net).
If the same number calls twice within 15 minutes, the second call can ring.
✅ Rings through Do Not Disturb for ⭐ Favorites.
❌ Hard mute can still silence everything (ringer volume at 0 / Silent from volume buttons).
Best practice: use Do Not Disturb for “quiet mode,” and keep ringer volume above 0.
Advanced (Samsung): Automatically turn the ringer ON for certain callers
Galaxy S22 • S24 Ultra
1
Open Settings, then tap the Search (🔍) icon.
Type Routines and tap Routines in the results.
2
Tap the + (top-right) to create a new routine.
This lets your phone react automatically to events.
3
Under If, tap + → Incoming call → From specific callers.
Select the callers you want to always ring, then tap Done.
4
Review the condition and tap Done.
This confirms who triggers the routine.
5
Under Then, tap + → Sounds and vibration → Sound mode and volume.
This controls how loud the phone becomes.
6
Select Sound, then set Ringtone volume to 100%.
You can leave Notifications and System at 0% if you want the phone otherwise quiet.
7
Review the routine and tap Save.
Your phone will now raise the ringer automatically for those callers.
✅ What this does:
If your ringer was accidentally set to 0, Samsung will automatically switch it back to Sound and raise the ringtone to full volume when those callers ring.
⚠ Important:
This happens as the call arrives. In rare cases, the very first ring may be quiet — but the phone will quickly correct itself and ring loudly.
Optional: Make that caller unmistakable
Recommended
A
Set a custom ringtone for that contact.
Contacts → contact → Edit → Ringtone
B
If you use a nightly schedule, confirm DND is using the same Favorite contacts only setting.
(Samsung sometimes has separate “schedule” settings — quick check keeps it bulletproof.)