Missing calls on your Nothing Phone (3) can be incredibly frustrating, especially when you're expecting something important. You might see the notification pop up or a missed call alert, but never hear the ring. This usually comes down to a setting that got changed or a small software hiccup.
I'd start with the quickest fixes first. The most common reasons are the phone being in silent mode, a Focus mode being active, or the ringer volume simply being too low.
Check the Alert Slider and Volume
First, look at the left side of your Nothing Phone (3). The three-stage alert slider is your quickest control. Slide it all the way up to the top position, which is the ring mode. You should feel a haptic buzz and see a ring icon on your screen.
Next, press the volume up button on the right side of the phone a few times. Make sure you're not in an app when you do this, as that adjusts media volume. From your home screen, pressing volume up should increase your ring and notification volume.
You can also check this in your settings. Go to Settings > Sound & vibration and adjust the "Ring & notification volume" slider to the right.
Review Your Focus Modes
Nothing OS includes Focus modes, which are designed to silence distractions. If you have one enabled, it might be blocking call sounds. Swipe down from the top of your screen to open the Quick Settings panel.
Look for a tile that says "Focus" or shows a moon icon. If it's highlighted or active, tap it to turn it off. You can also go to Settings > Digital Wellbeing & parental controls > Focus modes to see all your profiles.
Make sure any schedules, like one for Work or Sleep, aren't automatically turning on and silencing your calls during the day. Toggle off "Turn on automatically" for any profile you don't want active.
Disconnect Bluetooth Accessories
If your Phone (3) is connected to a pair of Nothing Ear earbuds, a speaker, or a car stereo via Bluetooth, incoming call audio might be routing there instead of your phone's speaker. This is a very common reason for missing rings.
Swipe down from the top twice to open your full Quick Settings, then tap the Bluetooth icon to turn it off temporarily. Try having someone call you again. If the ring now works, you know the issue was a connected device.
You can manage this per device later. Go to Settings > Connected devices, tap the gear icon next to a device, and look for call audio settings.
Verify Your Ringtone and Contact-Specific Tones
Sometimes the specific sound file chosen for your ringtone can cause issues. Try switching to a different default ringtone to test. Head to Settings > Sound & vibration > Phone ringtone and pick another option like "Nothing Tune" or "Ethereal."
Also, check if you've assigned a silent or custom ringtone to a specific contact by accident. Open the Phone app, go to your Contacts, tap on a person, then tap "Edit." Look at the ringtone option to make sure it's not set to "None."
Check for Blocked Numbers and Call Settings
Go to your Phone app and tap the three-dot menu in the top right, then select Settings > Blocked numbers. If a number is on this list, calls from it will be silenced automatically.
Another setting to review is "Silence unknown callers." You can find this at Settings > Sound & vibration > Silence unknown callers. When this is on, any number not in your contacts will go straight to voicemail without ringing.
Make sure call forwarding isn't active, which would send calls to another number. Open the Phone app, tap the menu, go to Settings > Calling accounts > [Your Carrier] > Call forwarding and ensure all options are set to "Never" or are turned off.
Restart Your Nothing Phone (3)
A simple restart can clear out temporary glitches in the system that might be interfering with the ringer. Press and hold the power button until the power menu appears, then tap "Restart."
If the screen is unresponsive, you can force a restart. Press and hold the Power button for about 15 seconds, or until the phone restarts. Release when you see the Nothing logo appear on the screen.
Update Nothing OS
Software updates often include bug fixes for audio and notification issues. Connecting to Wi-Fi and checking for an update is a good step. Go to Settings > System > System update and tap "Check for update."
If an update is available, it's best to install it while your phone is plugged into its official 65W charger and has over 50% battery. Regular updates are key for keeping the Glyph Interface and system sounds working optimally.
Review App-Specific Permissions
If you're missing calls from apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, or Skype, the issue might be with those apps, not your phone dialer. First, open the Google Play Store, tap your profile icon, and go to "Manage apps & device" to check for any pending updates for your calling apps.
Then, go to Settings > Apps, select the problematic app, and tap "Permissions." Make sure "Microphone" and "Phone" permissions are allowed. Also, tap "Notifications" and ensure all notification categories, especially for incoming calls, are turned on and set to "Make sound."
Reset App Preferences or Network Settings
Resetting app preferences can fix issues where an app's notification settings have become corrupted without deleting any of your data. Go to Settings > System > Reset options > Reset app preferences and tap "Reset."
If you're having issues with carrier calls or VoIP app calls over mobile data, resetting network settings can help. This will erase all Wi-Fi passwords and paired Bluetooth devices, so be prepared for that. Go to Settings > System > Reset options > Reset Wi-Fi, mobile & Bluetooth and confirm.
Check Do Not Disturb Rules and Schedules
Beyond the main Focus modes, there are other Do Not Disturb rules that could be silencing your phone. Go to Settings > Sound & vibration > Do Not Disturb.
Look at the "Schedules" section. Make sure no automatic schedule, like "During events" or a custom time, is active when you're missing calls. Also, check the "Exceptions" menu to confirm "Calls" or "Messages" are allowed to break through the silence.
Perform a Soft Reset on Your Device
If the basic restart didn't help, a slightly more thorough reset can clear system cache. Turn off your Phone (3). Once it's off, press and hold the Power button and Volume Up button together until the Nothing logo appears, then release.
This will boot you into recovery mode. Use the volume buttons to navigate to "Wipe cache partition" and select it with the power button. After it completes, select "Reboot system now." This doesn't delete any personal data.
Ensure No Accessibility Settings Are Interfering
Certain accessibility features can alter sound behavior. Go to Settings > Accessibility. Check the "Audio & on-screen text" section.
Make sure "Mono audio" is turned off. Also, look at "Touch & vibration" and ensure "Vibration & haptic strength" is turned up for calls if you're missing haptic alerts along with the sound.
Reset All System Settings
This will revert all your sound, network, and system settings back to their factory defaults without touching your photos, apps, or messages. On OnePlus, go to Settings > Additional settings > Back up and reset > Reset phone > Reset all settings; Pixel, Motorola, Nothing, and ASUS phones have no Reset all settings option, so go to Settings > System > Reset options and use Reset app preferences or Reset Bluetooth & Wi-Fi instead.
You'll need to enter your PIN or password. After the reset, you'll have to reconfigure things like Wi-Fi, ringtones, and volume levels, but it often resolves persistent sound glitches.
Consider a Factory Reset
If you've tried everything else and the phone still won't ring, a factory reset is the final software step. This will erase everything on your phone, so you must back up your data first using Google One or your preferred method.
Go to Settings > System > Reset options > Erase all data (factory reset). Follow the prompts to confirm. After the phone reboots, set it up as new to test if the ringing works before restoring your backup, in case the backup contains a corrupted setting.