How to make certain contacts ring on silent Android (2022)

Everyone needs some downtime and there are situations where we can’t be disturbed by countless notifications, being busy, or just not available (sure you can use Digital Wellbeing, but sometimes it’s not enough). But there are still some contacts that we have on a shortlist and need to be always available for them. So, some users were wondering if there is a way to make only certain contacts ring on Silent on their Android while the rest of the calls, messages, and notifications stay silent. It’s possible. But you need to use DND. Learn how below.

Can I set my phone to ring for one person?

You can set your phone to ring for one person but you can do it only with the Do Not Disturb mode. If you just switch to the Mute/Silent mode, you won’t be able to change settings for individual contacts. At least with the built-in options. On the other hand, if you do use Do Not Disturb, there is a way to make certain contacts ring while incoming calls and messages from other contacts remain silent on Android.

The best thing about the Do Not Disturb mode in this day and age is the plethora of available options. You can tweak it to closely fit your preferences without too much effort. This, of course, includes a list of Favorites (starred contacts). Here, you can put contacts that you want to be notified about (including incoming calls and messages). However, it’s important to use the stock Contacts app provided by the OEM. Even if you have Google Contacts available along with, say, Samsung Contacts. This is important.

Here’s how to make incoming calls from certain contacts ring on Silent on your Android:

1. Open Contacts or Phone > Contacts. Make sure to use the system default Contacts app if you have a few of them. An example is Samsung devices in some regions that have both Samsung’s and Google’s apps (Messages, Phone, etc.).
2. Select contacts one by one and add them to Favorites. Look for the star icon and just tap it, although this might differ based on the Android skin your smartphone has.
3. Open Settings.
4. Tap Sounds or Notifications on some devices.
5. Tap Do not disturb.
6. Enable Do not disturb or set a schedule and open Exceptions.
7. Set all settings to Favorite contacts only.

After that, with DND enabled, you will get only notifications from your favorite contacts. Also, there are options like repeating calls that will let calls come through if the caller calls repeatedly. This can be particularly handy if someone is in dire need to reach you.

And, with that, we can conclude this article. Thank you for reading and tell us if this was helpful or not in the comments section below. Or reach us on Twitter or Facebook.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published in January 2022. We made sure to revamp it for freshness and accuracy.

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