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bluetooth earbuds

How do I get incoming calls to only go to my earbuds and not to the iPhone

iPhone XR, iOS 13

Posted on Oct 30, 2019 1:06 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Nov 4, 2019 8:19 PM

Hello haroldfromthePark,


Thank you for visiting Apple Support Communities. It sounds like you'd like your phone calls to be routed to your Bluetooth earbuds. I'd be happy to provide information that may help.


This information may help:

  • Call audio should route to the accessory that answered a call. If you answer the call from the iPhone display, the phone call audio may not route to the Bluetooth accessory.
  • You can manually route audio to the intended source using the Audio button in the Phone app.
  • Check under Settings > General > Accessibility > Call Audio Routing should be set to Automatic.


If the phone call is still not routed through your earbuds, try these steps:

  1. Be sure to have completed all incremental iOS 13 updates: Update your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. You'll want to have a current backup prior to updating.
  2. Navigate to Settings > Bluetooth. Turn off Bluetooth, wait a few seconds, then enable it again.
  3. Restart your iPhone and your Bluetooth accessory.


I hope that helps. Take care!



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5 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Nov 4, 2019 8:19 PM in response to haroldfromthePark

Hello haroldfromthePark,


Thank you for visiting Apple Support Communities. It sounds like you'd like your phone calls to be routed to your Bluetooth earbuds. I'd be happy to provide information that may help.


This information may help:

  • Call audio should route to the accessory that answered a call. If you answer the call from the iPhone display, the phone call audio may not route to the Bluetooth accessory.
  • You can manually route audio to the intended source using the Audio button in the Phone app.
  • Check under Settings > General > Accessibility > Call Audio Routing should be set to Automatic.


If the phone call is still not routed through your earbuds, try these steps:

  1. Be sure to have completed all incremental iOS 13 updates: Update your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. You'll want to have a current backup prior to updating.
  2. Navigate to Settings > Bluetooth. Turn off Bluetooth, wait a few seconds, then enable it again.
  3. Restart your iPhone and your Bluetooth accessory.


I hope that helps. Take care!



Nov 6, 2019 5:05 PM in response to chuck_3rd

I have an iPhone XR. There is no Settings>General>Accessibility and no Settings>General>Call Audio Routing. There is a Settings>Accessibility and a Settings>Phone but no Call Audio Routing in either of those. I do believe I remember seeing Call Audio Routing when I was trying to set up the Bluetooth but don’t remember where I saw it.

Nov 7, 2019 6:16 AM in response to haroldfromthePark

Hello haroldfromthePark,


Thank you for your reply. Let's keep working on this.


Try Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Call Audio Routing (it's at the bottom of the page.) You should find the options Automatic, Bluetooth Headset, and Speaker.


Also, did you have a chance to try the other troubleshooting steps? If not, give those a try, and report back with the results.


Have a great day.

bluetooth earbuds

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