iPhone "Default" Ring Tone for People NOT in my Address Book?

[JavierB]

The inclusion of settings for Facebook and Twitter don't change the fact that the OP's use case is atypical. Their data probably showed that custom ringtones for contacts are what most people need/want so that's what they built out.

Atypical? This is something I've wanted for years. Its just the ability to "Set Ringtone for all Contacts to..." its not that hard an implementation. OR alternately, a special ringtone for "unknown callers" or "Not in Contacts." Right now every call gets a default ringtone, its stored for All Callers. If its a call from someone in your contacts with a special ringtone, that gets played. NOT THAT DIFFERENT to store one where Anybody in your contacts gets one and anyone not gets another.

I would LOVE this feature. I have a couple of hundred business contacts and countless useless calls and a few special family and friends. Family & friends have a special ringtone, but useless strangers and my real contacts have to share, unless I manually change every single one.

 

[bendc2000]

Maybe a use-case would help here. I doubt I'm in the minority.

Say you're working on an important project, in the car, or wherever. Your phone rings. Do you need to get up and answer it? Or, do you need to even worry about it if you're working on something else?

Unfortunately, you have my posting exactly backwards. I don't care about spending hours or days assigning ringtones (that I'd then have to .. remember) to my hundreds of contacts. Just the opposite. I want to assign a ring tone for all the hundreds of people who call me I might not need to talk to right now (not in my address book).

Thinking of the address book as a "database", which it is, this type of query could be done like this (simply, but pseudo code here):

SELECT COUNT(*) FROM CONTACTS WHERE CONTACT_PHONE WHERE != <PHONE_NUMBER_CURRENTLY_CALLING>

If this returns zero, viola, the caller is not in the contact list and then please play a custom ring tone.

Had Apple thought of this, I'm sure everyone would think it's great.

Why this obvious use-case is not handled remains a mystery.

Appreciate your reply.

- m

I work as a volunteer firefighter and my dispatch agency texts me information. Being able to assign a ringtone to unknown number

 

[cmmk13]

I can't seem to find how to do this and I find it hard to believe something so basic isn't in iOS, but I would like to have a "default ring tone" for anyone who calls who is not in my iPhone's address book.

The only "solution" I've seen (not) is to manually assign ring tones to the hundreds of people in my address book (one at a time....seriously?).

Am I the only one who would like to know based on the ring tone if it's someone who is in my address book? Seems like a simple thing.

I would upgrade to a new iPhone for just this feature (but not a huge new display).

A "default" ring tone for people not in my address book. Simple, right?

Thanks in advance,

- m

[doublepost=1513783000][/doublepost]I am looking for the same solution. It's hard to believe they do not have this option.

 

[joeebel]

I can't seem to find how to do this and I find it hard to believe something so basic isn't in iOS, but I would like to have a "default ring tone" for anyone who calls who is not in my iPhone's address book.

The only "solution" I've seen (not) is to manually assign ring tones to the hundreds of people in my address book (one at a time....seriously?).

Am I the only one who would like to know based on the ring tone if it's someone who is in my address book? Seems like a simple thing.

I would upgrade to a new iPhone for just this feature (but not a huge new display).

A "default" ring tone for people not in my address book. Simple, right?

Thanks in advance,

- m

I can’t believe this isn’t a feature already! I receive about 6-12 calls a day from unknown numbers or “No caller ID”. Assigning ringtones to a couple hundred contacts is not a viable solution.

 

[Thomas_J]

That's what I'm saying. Where do you store a custom ringtone for someone who doesn't exist?

The way it works now iOS cross checks a caller's number with your contacts and will play a custom ringtone if that contact record has one assigned. There is no "no contact" contact record so not sure how that would be implemented.

Yes there is. If someone is not on my contact list, the phone rings the default ring. We want a ring assign to the entire contact list that is not ‘set to defaul’.

 

[Mechniki]

Seems no one has a solution for this
I would like to assign a single ringtone for ALL unknown callers
I have just received another call from an unknown caller, in the call log you cannot assign it a ringtone
I have added in my contact list "unknown" 1st name + "caller" as surname, with no assigned number, and set a bought ringtone 'A **** is on the phone' for it's ringtone. Haven't tried it yet, as any other phones in my possession already have assigned ringtones

 

[Mork]

Seems no one has a solution for this
I would like to assign a single ringtone for ALL unknown callers
I have just received another call from an unknown caller, in the call log you cannot assign it a ringtone
I have added in my contact list "unknown" 1st name + "caller" as surname, with no assigned number, and set a bought ringtone 'A **** is on the phone' for it's ringtone. Haven't tried it yet, as any other phones in my possession already have assigned ringtones

That sounds like a neat idea.

Please post back if it works.

Thanks
[doublepost=1554828273][/doublepost]Sounded so promising....I just tried this, but it did not work for me.

Here's what I tried:

First Attempt: First name "Unknown", Last name: "Caller"

Second Attempt: First Name: "Unknown" (all other fields blank)

Third Attempt: Last name: "Unknown" (all other fields blank)

Final Attempt: Company Name: "Unknown" (all other fields blank).

Calls come in as simply "Unknown", but the iPhone doesn't seem to apply the same rules as with regular calls.

This is the latest version of IOS, I think that's 12.2.

 

[Mechniki]

That sounds like a neat idea.

Please post back if it works.

Thanks
[doublepost=1554828273][/doublepost]Sounded so promising....I just tried this, but it did not work for me.

Here's what I tried:

First Attempt: First name "Unknown", Last name: "Caller"

Second Attempt: First Name: "Unknown" (all other fields blank)

Third Attempt: Last name: "Unknown" (all other fields blank)

Final Attempt: Company Name: "Unknown" (all other fields blank).

Calls come in as simply "Unknown", but the iPhone doesn't seem to apply the same rules as with regular calls.

This is the latest version of IOS, I think that's 12.2.

Didn't work for me either

 

[reknoz]

I understand what you are asking but if a contact is NOT in your address book where exactly is iOS supposed to store that Ringtone? Ringtones are stored as data for a contact when you assign one.

Ringtones are *not* just stored as contact data. Before a (custom) ringtone can be assigned to a contact, it must first be transferred to the phone, at which point, it's not associated with *any* contact.

Furthermore, a brand new iPhone user has no contacts saved, and yet when someone calls, the iPhone *does* play a ring tone, be it a built-in one or a custom one.

So, there is no technological reason why an incoming call from a number that's *not* in the list of contacts couldn't be played.

I'm with OP. And here we are three years later, and still no progress. <sigh>
[doublepost=1560201435][/doublepost]

Am I the only one who would like to know based on the ring tone if it's someone who is in my address book? Seems like a simple thing.

Nope. Not the only one. Still looking for that feature.

 

[Armen]

Ringtones are *not* just stored as contact data. Before a (custom) ringtone can be assigned to a contact, it must first be transferred to the phone, at which point, it's not associated with *any* contact.

Furthermore, a brand new iPhone user has no contacts saved, and yet when someone calls, the iPhone *does* play a ring tone, be it a built-in one or a custom one.

So, there is no technological reason why an incoming call from a number that's *not* in the list of contacts couldn't be played.

I'm with OP. And here we are three years later, and still no progress. <sigh>
[doublepost=1560201435][/doublepost]

Nope. Not the only one. Still looking for that feature.

Apple will need to create a new setting under settings > phone for something like "unknown caller" where you can assign the same ringtone for callers "not in address book". With this I'm sure a flock of users will come crying on these forums about how they missed important calls because of this feature.

 

[Apple_Robert]

I use a silent ringtone for those not in my contact list. I don't want my phone ringing at all, if the person is not already known to me. Since the phone notifies me a call has been received via the red badge, I can check to see if a voicemail has been left. If one isn't left, I don't worry about it.

 

[reknoz]

I use a silent ringtone for those not in my contact list. I don't want my phone ringing at all, if the person is not already known to me. Since the phone notifies me a call has been received via the red badge, I can check to see if a voicemail has been left. If one isn't left, I don't worry about it.

How do you accomplish this? Does everyone in your contact list have their own ringtone? And your default ringtone is a custom silent ringtone? I have over 4800 contacts. Assigning ringtones to everyone one-by-one is not a reasonable option. Especially on the iPhone.

 

[Apple_Robert]

How do you accomplish this? Does everyone in your contact list have their own ringtone? And your default ringtone is a custom silent ringtone? I have over 4800 contacts. Assigning ringtones to everyone one-by-one is not a reasonable option. Especially on the iPhone.

The answer to your question is yes. That is how I have my phone configured. It took a while to go through each contact. Now, it is no big deal to add a special ringtone to each contact of importance.

Add ringtones to 50 contacts a day and you will be done in 96 days. Afterwards, backup your phone and then adding new contacts will not be a hassle.

It is a shame that Apple doesn't allow us to add a ringtone to an entire group at one time. Don't understand why they haven't done that.

 

[reknoz]

Add ringtones to 50 contacts a day and you will be done in 96 days.

Ugh. While I have been known to do things like that, even for me that seems like one of the most torturous things I could think of.

 

[dk001]

Ugh. While I have been known to do things like that, even for me that seems like one of the most torturous things I could think of.

Especially if it varies.
My Contact list is dynamic as part of it is controlled from my work (Exchange).

 

[chrstlhll]

I can't seem to find how to do this and I find it hard to believe something so basic isn't in iOS, but I would like to have a "default ring tone" for anyone who calls who is not in my iPhone's address book.

The only "solution" I've seen (not) is to manually assign ring tones to the hundreds of people in my address book (one at a time....seriously?).

Am I the only one who would like to know based on the ring tone if it's someone who is in my address book? Seems like a simple thing.

I would upgrade to a new iPhone for just this feature (but not a huge new display).

A "default" ring tone for people not in my address book. Simple, right?

Thanks in advance,

- m

I know this was posted years ago, but I would LOVE this feature. I want a separate tone for texts/calls not in my contact list, without having to go in and assign tones to everyone already IN my contact list.

 

[rambo47]

I just stumbled on this discussion while searching for exactly what the OP wanted. I get so many spam calls that this would be a killer feature. Yes, KILLER.

Looks like I'll be assigning a custom ringtone to everyone in my address book and using a general silent or muted ringtone for the default.

Hey Apple - we NEED this feature!!

 

[NoBoMac]

Or can just turn on "Silence Unknown Callers". Works like a charm for me.

Detect and block spam phone calls - Apple Support

You can use Silence Unknown Callers or a third-party app to block spam calls on your iPhone.

support.apple.com

 

[Ropy]

The nearest I got to a solution was to activate ’Announce Calls’ in Settings, Phone, Announce Calls > Always. This will only speak the name you have in Contacts before ringing commences. You can have fun with what you enter in the Contact details!
I am on ios 14.8 at the moment.