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How to Turn On Silent Mode and Do Not Disturb on Your Galaxy

Edith is seventy-five. She loves her grandson. She does not love his phone calls at midnight. One night her phone rang loudly at one in the morning. It was a wrong number. Edith woke up with her heart beating fast. She could not sleep again for an hour. The next day she asked her neighbour, Can I make the phone quiet at night, but still hear my alarm in the morning?

Yes, you can. Your Galaxy phone has two quiet tools. The first is silent mode. It turns off the ring and the notification sounds. The second is Do Not Disturb. It is stronger. It can block calls and alerts for a set time, while still letting chosen people through. This guide explains both tools in plain words. It shows how to turn each one on, how to turn it off again, and how to let important calls through at night.

Do not be afraid of these settings. Nothing here deletes anything. You can turn silent mode off in seconds. You can turn Do Not Disturb off in seconds. Once you learn the two tools, nights become calmer. Appointments, church services, and doctor visits become quieter too. You stay in control of when your phone makes a sound.

The difference in simple words

Think of silent mode as turning the volume down to zero. Calls still come in. Messages still arrive. The phone just does not make a sound. The screen still lights up. The phone may still vibrate if vibration is on. You can see who called when you look at the phone.

Think of Do Not Disturb as putting a polite guard on the door. The guard holds back most calls and alerts. The phone stays dark and quiet. Some calls can still get through if you choose them, such as calls from a favourite contact or repeated calls from the same number. Your morning alarm can still ring. Do Not Disturb is best for sleep, for a long rest, or for a time when you must not be disturbed.

Use silent mode for a short quiet time, such as an hour in a waiting room. Use Do Not Disturb for the night, or for a few hours when you need real quiet. Many people use Do Not Disturb every night on a schedule. The phone turns quiet at bedtime and turns sound back on in the morning by itself. We will show you how to set that up.

How to turn on silent mode quickly

Silent mode is the fastest quiet tool. You can turn it on from the Quick settings panel. That panel is the set of buttons you see when you swipe down from the top of the screen.

1. Swipe down from the top of the screen with two fingers. This opens the Quick settings panel. You will see a row of round or square buttons for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and other settings.
2. Look for the sound button. It often shows a speaker icon or a bell icon. It may say Sound, Vibrate, or Mute, depending on your phone. Tap it once.
3. Tap it again if needed to reach Mute. The button often cycles through Sound, then Vibrate, then Mute. Stop when it shows Mute or a speaker with a line through it. Your phone is now silent. Calls and messages will not make a ring sound.
4. To turn sound back on, swipe down again with two fingers. Tap the same sound button until it shows Sound again. Test it by asking someone to call you, or by playing a short video at low volume.

You can also use the volume buttons on the side of the phone. Press the volume down button again and again until the volume bar reaches the bottom. The phone will show a mute icon. Press volume up to bring the sound back. The side buttons are quick, but they are easy to press by mistake in a pocket. The Quick settings panel gives you a clearer view of what is on and what is off.

How to turn on Do Not Disturb

Do Not Disturb lives in Settings. The verified path is Settings, then Notifications, then Do not disturb. You can also turn it on from the Quick settings panel. Both ways work. The Settings way gives you more choices, such as a schedule and exceptions. The Quick panel way is faster for a single evening.

1. Open Settings. Find the Settings app. Its icon looks like a gear or cog wheel. Tap it once. The Settings screen opens with a long list.
2. Tap Notifications. Scroll slowly until you see the word Notifications. Tap it. A new list opens.
3. Tap Do not disturb. You will see a screen with a switch at the top and choices below it. This is the main Do Not Disturb screen.
4. Turn on the switch. Tap the switch beside Do not disturb. When it is on, it usually shows colour. Your phone is now in Do Not Disturb. Most calls and alerts will be held back.
5. To turn it off, go back to the same screen and tap the switch again. Or swipe down with two fingers to open the Quick settings panel, find the Do not disturb button, and tap it to turn it off. Check that the button no longer shows as active.

Do Not Disturb from the Quick panel is even simpler. Swipe down with two fingers. Look for a button that says Do not disturb. It may show a moon icon or a circle with a line through it. Tap it once to turn it on. Tap it again to turn it off. If you do not see the button at first, swipe the panel to the side or tap a small edit or pencil icon to see more buttons. The button may be on the second page of the panel.

How to let important calls through

Many people worry that Do Not Disturb will block an urgent call from family. You can choose exceptions. Exceptions are people or types of call that still ring through. Setting an exception takes a few minutes, but it gives you peace of mind for months.

1. Go to Settings, then Notifications, then Do not disturb, as above.
2. Look for a section about calls, messages, or exceptions. The wording can differ a little by phone. Look for words such as Calls, Messages, or Exceptions. Tap that section.
3. Choose who can reach you. You may see choices such as Anyone, Contacts only, Favourite contacts only, or None. For most people, Favourite contacts only is a good choice. Only the people you marked as favourites can ring through.
4. Check the option for repeated callers if you see it. This lets a number ring through if the same person calls twice within a short time. It helps in a real emergency, when someone calls again at once because the first call did not get through.
5. Check that alarms are allowed. Look for a choice about alarms and sounds. Many phones let alarms ring during Do Not Disturb. If you see an alarms option, leave it on, so your morning alarm still wakes you.
6. Go back and check the switch is on. Leave Do Not Disturb on for the night. In the morning, turn it off, or let a schedule turn it off for you.

To mark a person as a favourite, open Contacts, tap the person, and look for a star icon or the word Favourite. Tap the star. The star fills in. That person is now a favourite. Do this for one or two people only, such as your son, your daughter, or a neighbour who checks on you. Keep the list short, or the guard will let too many calls through.

How to set a nightly schedule

A schedule turns Do Not Disturb on and off at the same times each day. You set it once. Your phone remembers it. This is the easiest way to have quiet nights without remembering to tap a button every evening.

1. Go to Settings, then Notifications, then Do not disturb.
2. Look for a schedule option. It may say Schedule, Sleeping, or Add schedule. Tap it.
3. Set the start time. For example, set ten o clock at night. Set the end time, such as seven o clock in the morning. Choose the days. For every night, choose all seven days.
4. Save the schedule. Look for Save or Done. Tap it. Your phone will now go quiet at ten each night and return to normal sound at seven each morning.
5. Test it once in the day if you can. Set a short schedule for ten minutes in the future, wait, and see that the Do Not Disturb icon appears at the top of the screen. Then turn the schedule off or change it back to night times.

If the schedule screen looks different on your phone, do not worry. Look for times and days. The idea is the same on every Galaxy phone. Start time, end time, and days. If you cannot find the schedule option, you can still turn Do Not Disturb on by hand each night from the Quick panel. That works just as well. It only takes two taps.

Try it slowly: Edith sets up a quiet night

Edith practised on a Tuesday afternoon with her neighbour, Joan, beside her. Joan read the steps out loud. Edith tapped. First they turned on silent mode from the Quick panel. Edith saw the mute icon. Joan called Edith from her own phone. The phone lit up, but it made no sound. Edith smiled. Then they turned sound back on.

Next they set up Do Not Disturb. Edith went to Settings, then Notifications, then Do not disturb. She turned the switch on. She chose Favourite contacts only for calls. She had already marked her daughter, Helen, as a favourite. She left alarms on. Then she set a schedule from ten at night to seven in the morning, every day. Joan called again. The phone stayed quiet. Helen called from the next room. Her call rang through. Edith said, Now I can sleep, and Helen can still reach me. That is exactly right.

Try the same practice with a family member. Test silent mode first. Test Do Not Disturb second. Ask two people to call you, one favourite and one not. See the difference. Practice turning Do Not Disturb off again. After one practice, the night schedule feels safe, not scary.

Common mistakes

These mistakes leave people thinking the phone is broken. In truth, a quiet setting was left on.

• Forgetting Do Not Disturb is on in the morning. You miss calls all day and wonder why the phone is silent. Check the top of the screen each morning for a moon or Do Not Disturb icon. Turn it off, or check that your schedule ended at the right time.
• Turning on silent mode and expecting no vibration. Silent mode stops sound, but the phone may still vibrate. If you want no vibration either, check the vibration setting in the sound button. Tap until it shows Mute, not Vibrate, if you want full quiet.
• Blocking everyone, including family, with no exceptions. An emergency call from a daughter then goes quiet too. Set Favourite contacts only, and mark one or two trusted people as favourites before you rely on Do Not Disturb at night.
• Looking for Do Not Disturb in the wrong place and giving up. It lives under Notifications in Settings, and also in the Quick settings panel. If you cannot find it in one place, try the other. Use the search box at the top of Settings and type Do not disturb.
• Setting a schedule with the start and end times reversed. A schedule from seven in the morning to ten at night keeps the phone quiet all day. Check that the start time is night and the end time is morning. Read both times out loud before you save.
• Thinking the alarm will not ring in Do Not Disturb and staying awake to check. Alarms usually ring through. Test your alarm in the afternoon with Do Not Disturb on, so you trust it at night.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between silent mode and Do Not Disturb?

Silent mode turns off sounds. The screen still lights up for calls and messages. Do Not Disturb goes further. It holds back most calls and alerts and keeps the phone quiet and dark, except for the exceptions you choose. Use silent mode for a short quiet spell. Use Do Not Disturb for sleep or for a long quiet time.

Will my alarm still ring if Do Not Disturb is on?

In most cases, yes. Alarms are usually allowed through Do Not Disturb. Check the alarms choice on the Do Not Disturb screen and leave it on. Test it once in the afternoon. Set an alarm five minutes ahead, turn on Do Not Disturb, and listen. That test gives you confidence for the night.

How do I know Do Not Disturb is on?

Look at the top of your screen. You may see a small moon icon or a circle with a line through it. The Quick settings panel will also show the Do Not Disturb button as active, often with colour. If you are unsure, swipe down with two fingers and look at the button. If it looks active, Do Not Disturb is on.

Can one person still call me during Do Not Disturb?

Yes, if you set that person as a favourite and choose Favourite contacts only for calls. Mark the person as a favourite in Contacts by tapping the star. Then choose that option in Do Not Disturb. That person can ring through. Other callers will be held back until Do Not Disturb ends.

What if I turn on Do Not Disturb and miss an important call?

Check the Recents list in the Phone app when Do Not Disturb ends. Missed calls are listed there. You can call back. To reduce missed urgent calls, set a favourite exception and turn on repeated callers if your phone offers it. A second call from the same number within a short time can then ring through.

Does Do Not Disturb block text messages too?

Most messages will be held back quietly during Do Not Disturb. They still arrive. They just do not make a sound or light up the screen in the same way. You can read them when you next look at the phone. Messages from favourite contacts may still come through if you set messages exceptions in the same way as calls.

If the words on your screen look different

Galaxy phones do not all use the same labels for quiet settings. One phone may say Mute. Another may show only a speaker icon with a line through it. The Do Not Disturb button in the Quick panel may show a moon on one phone and a circle with a line on another. The Settings path in this guide, Settings, then Notifications, then Do not disturb, is the path Samsung support pages show, but small words around it can vary by model, region, and phone company.

Your One UI version also plays a part. In October 2026, some phones run One UI 8, some run One UI 8.5, and some run One UI 9. Menus move a little between versions. If you open Settings and cannot find Notifications, use the search box at the top of Settings. Type Do not disturb. Tap the result. Your phone will take you straight to the right screen. If a choice you want, such as repeated callers, is not on your phone, your model may not offer it. Use the choices you can see. Silent mode, Do Not Disturb, and a night schedule cover the needs of most people without any extra options.