Fix Silent Calls and App Permissions on iPhone

WorkZen turns your iPhone into your business phone, and iOS guards the hardware it needs with per-app permissions. If a permission is off, the symptom is often confusing: calls connect but stay silent, or your phone never rings at all. This guide shows you how to check every permission in one place and fix the ones that are off.

The quick check: App Permissions in WorkZen

1. Open the WorkZen app.
2. Tap More (bottom-right tab), then Settings, then App Permissions.
3. You'll see one row per permission with its current state:
   • On (green): working, nothing to do.
   • Enable (orange): iOS hasn't asked yet. Tap the row and allow the permission when the popup appears.
   • Off (red): the permission was denied. Tap the row and WorkZen takes you straight to its page in iOS Settings, where you can turn it on.

The screen refreshes automatically when you come back from iOS Settings, so you can confirm every row is green before leaving.

What each permission does

• Microphone: required to be heard on calls. If this is off, calls connect normally but the other side hears silence.
• Notifications: how you get alerts for new messages, leads, and missed calls. Incoming calls ring even without it, but you'll miss everything else.
• Location: used by the time clock and the live team map.
• Camera: used for taking job and visit photos in the app.

Fixing it directly in iOS Settings

If you prefer the manual route, or someone on your team is on an older app version without the App Permissions screen:

1. Open the iPhone Settings app.
2. Tap Apps, then WorkZen. (On iOS 17, WorkZen is in the main Settings list instead.)
3. Turn on Microphone and Location, and open Notifications to make sure Allow Notifications is on.

One iOS quirk to know: a permission switch only appears in iOS Settings after the app has asked for it at least once. If you don't see a Microphone switch there, open the WorkZen app first. It asks for microphone access as soon as it opens for phone users, and you can always trigger any missing prompt from More > Settings > App Permissions inside the app.

Why calls answered from the lock screen matter

iOS can only show a permission popup while the app is open on an unlocked phone. If the first thing you ever do is answer a call from the lock screen, there's no chance for the microphone prompt to appear, and the call will connect without your audio. That's why WorkZen asks for the microphone up front when you open the app. If your calls are silent today, one visit to More > Settings > App Permissions fixes it for good.

Still silent after enabling everything?

1. Make a test call to your own business number and answer it on the iPhone.
2. If the other side still can't hear you, restart the iPhone. iOS occasionally needs a restart to apply a changed microphone permission to an active app.
3. If the problem continues, contact support from More > Settings > Help & Support in the app and mention the exact time of your test call. Our team can trace what happened on that specific call.