James Harper
How To Fix WhatsApp Call Not Ringing When Phone Is Locked on Android
If WhatsApp calls aren’t ringing when your phone’s locked, it’s kinda frustrating, right? Sometimes it’s just settings, other times a permissions thing. Here’s a breakdown of what usually helps to fix this, based on real-world tinkering.
Step 1: Check WhatsApp Notification Settings
This step helps because if notifications aren’t properly set up, your phone just ignores incoming calls, especially when locked. On some setups, a missed call notification might show, but the phone doesn’t ring at all.
- Tap and hold the WhatsApp icon on your home screen or app drawer.
- Choose App Info (or the i button on some devices).
- Tap on Notifications.
- Make sure all toggles are ON — especially Call Notifications and Lock Screen Notifications. Sometimes, these get turned off by accident after a system update.
- If your phone supports notification categories, check each one to make sure nothing’s muted.
Why it helps: Without notifications enabled, the phone ignores incoming calls from WhatsApp when locked. When this isn’t set, the ringtone never has a shot.
Step 2: Verify WhatsApp Permissions
On many phones, apps need explicit permissions to work correctly, especially for calls and background activity. If WhatsApp doesn’t have permissions for microphone, phone, or contacts, calls might not ring or even connect properly.
- Tap and hold the WhatsApp icon.
- Tap the i button or App Info.
- Select Permissions.
- Ensure permissions are enabled for Microphone, Phone, and Contacts. If any are off, turn them on.
Why it helps: Missing permissions can block critical parts of WhatsApp’s call functionality, especially on newer Android versions that tighten security.
Step 3: Disable Battery Optimization for WhatsApp
This is a sneaky one — battery savers often restrict background activity, which can silently kill call notifications. On some phones, this causes WhatsApp calls to ring only if the app is actively open or if you get lucky.
- Tap and hold the WhatsApp icon.
- Tap the i button or App Info.
- Scroll down to find and tap Battery (on some devices, it’s under Battery Usage or a dedicated battery menu).
- Look for an option like Unrestricted or Background activity and toggle it ON or set WhatsApp as an exception (sometimes called “Not optimized”).
- On Android 12+ devices, you might have to go into Settings > Apps > Special app access > Battery optimization and set WhatsApp to “Don’t optimize”.
Why it helps: This basically forces WhatsApp to stay alive in the background, so your calls can ring even if you’re doing something else or the screen is off. On some devices, you’ll need to disable battery optimization each time after an update — because of course, Android has to make it harder than necessary.
Step 4: Clear WhatsApp Cache
If notifications are still flaky, clearing the cache often helps. It’s like sweeping out some digital cobwebs in the app’s temporary files.
- Tap and hold WhatsApp icon.
- Tap the i button or App Info.
- Go to Storage & Cache or just Storage.
- Tap Clear Cache.
- Close WhatsApp from recent apps, reopen it, and test if calls now ring when your phone’s locked.
The hope here is that it cleans out some corrupted temporary data that might interfere with notifications or ringtone triggers. Sometimes, a fresh cache helps fix weird bugs that just pop up without warning.
Extra Tips & Common Issues
Here’s a couple more things that might help if the above didn’t do the trick:
- Look for app updates — new versions often fix bugs related to notifications.
- Reboot the device — sounds basic but often fixes minor glitchy behavior.
- Unlike some apps, reinstalling WhatsApp isn’t always necessary unless it’s truly broken, but make sure to back up chats first if you want to keep them.
Conclusion
Fixing WhatsApp calls not ringing when locked is mostly about tweaking those notification and background settings. Sometimes it’s permissions, other times battery optimization gets in the way. Not sure why, but these steps usually hammer it home.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are my WhatsApp calls not ringing?
This can happen if notification permissions aren’t set right, or background restrictions prevent the app from alerting you. Sometimes, just a setting got flipped after a system update.
How do I ensure I get notifications from WhatsApp?
Make sure notifications are turned ON in the app settings, and that the app has all the permissions it needs like Microphone, Phone, and Contacts. Also, keep background activity enabled for WhatsApp.
Will clearing the cache delete my chats?
Nope, clearing cache only wipes temporary files. Your chats stay safe, but if you do a full app data reset or reinstall, that’s when chats could be affected.
Summary
- Check notification settings and ensure WhatsApp can notify when screen is locked.
- Verify app permissions for calls and contacts.
- Disable battery optimizations that may block background activity.
- Clear app cache if issues persist.
Hopefully this shaves off a few hours for someone. Fixing this usually just takes a couple of tweaks — after that, you’ll actually hear those calls ring again even when your screen’s off.