iPhone & iOS

Apple gives you several ways to make a phone speak up, and they do not all work the same way. This section collects the iPhone questions: what Find My can and cannot do when the handset is offline, how an Apple Watch pings it, what Siri will do on request, and how critical alerts get past a muted ringer. It also covers Do Not Disturb and Focus, because those are usually the reason a phone stays quiet when you expect it to ring. Each answer is written for the settings screens as they exist today, with the exact taps where that helps. Where RingIt is relevant it is mentioned as one option among the built-in ones, not as a replacement for Find My.

• How do I allow calls during Do Not Disturb on iPhone?

  Go to Settings > Focus, pick the Focus, tap People and add the contacts you want to hear from. Turn on Allow Repeated Calls so a second call from the same person within three minutes gets through. Check Silence Unknown Callers in the Phone settings as well, because that silences anyone not in your contacts.

• What are critical alerts on iPhone?

  Critical alerts are a notification type Apple reserves for messages that must not be missed. They play a sound and show on screen even when the phone is muted or a Focus is on. An app needs Apple's permission to send them, and you approve each app separately under Settings > Notifications.