Why does my phone ring without showing the incoming call screen?

Start by checking the calling app’s notifications, then check which app is set as the default Phone app. Avoid changing several unrelated settings at once; that makes it harder to tell which change mattered.

On Android, notification controls and their labels differ across devices. Look in Settings for Notifications, find the Phone or calling app, and inspect its notification types. If a type is set to silent, check whether it can be changed to alerting and allowed to pop on screen. Also inspect lock-screen notification visibility: it may be restricted. [S1]

Next, check whether the intended dialer is the default. Google’s Phone app requires being accepted as the default to use it; other dialers may have their own setup and behavior. [S2] These are checks, not proof that notifications are the cause. If you tell me whether the problem happens with the phone unlocked, locked, or both, that can help narrow what to inspect next.

You do not need to enable every notification. Open your phone’s Settings and search for “Notifications” if the menu names are unfamiliar. Find the entry for the app that receives calls, then review its available notification types and how each is presented. Some Android phones let you choose whether a notification is alerting or silent and whether an alerting notification can pop on screen; the exact controls vary. [S1]

Check lock-screen visibility separately if the issue happens while the phone is locked. A restricted lock-screen setting could affect what is shown there, but that alone does not establish the cause of a missing call screen. [S1] Note the original setting before changing it, adjust only the relevant option, and test with an expected call. If a setting does not exist on your device, do not assume it is hidden under the same name as on another phone.

It could affect calls or notifications, depending on the mode and its interruption filters. Android’s Do Not Disturb and other modes can be configured to block or allow calls and notifications, and the options vary by device. [S3] Review whether a mode is active, including any mode you deliberately turned on, and inspect its call and visual-interruption settings before changing them.

Do Not Disturb is worth checking if the issue happens only at certain times or under certain conditions, but it does not by itself diagnose a missing incoming-call screen. [S3] Keep track of what you find—for example, “screen missing only while a mode is active”—rather than concluding that the mode is definitely the cause. Do not disable every mode permanently just to test; make a targeted, reversible change if appropriate and check what happens.

Use this sequence, testing after each relevant change:

1. Record whether the phone is locked or unlocked when the screen fails to appear.
2. Check notification presentation for the app that handles calls, including whether its call-related notifications are silent and whether lock-screen visibility is restricted. Android controls vary. [S1]
3. Confirm the intended Phone app is the default; if using Google Phone, check that it has been accepted as the default. [S2]
4. Review Do Not Disturb or other active modes and their call and visual-interruption filters. [S3]
5. Place or arrange an expected test call, then note what changed and what did not.

Example notes: “Phone model: [model]. Calling app: [app]. Default app: [name or unsure]. Screen missing: [locked/unlocked/both]. Active mode: [name/none/unsure]. Notification setting changed: [setting]. Test result: [what appeared].”

If those checks do not help, use the notes when asking the phone maker or app provider for device-specific guidance. The cited Android help covers notification controls, Google Phone, and modes; it does not establish a universal full-screen setting or explain every dialer’s behavior. [S1] [S2] [S3]