How to Fix an Android Phone Not Making or Receiving Calls

Last updated on March 19, 2023

Is your Android phone failing to make or receive calls? This can be a frustrating issue to deal with, especially if you rely on your phone for communication. Fortunately, there are several potential solutions to this problem.

In this article, we'll explore the possible causes of this issue and provide step-by-step instructions on how to troubleshoot and fix it. Whether it's a network problem, software glitch, or hardware issue, we've got you covered with effective solutions to get your Android phone back to making and receiving calls in no time

What To Do When You Can't Make or Receive Phone Calls on your Samsung or Android Phone?

Basic Troubleshooting

Let's start with the basics.

Ensure you have an active mobile plan with your carrier and your signal is not weak (Reception).
Check your contact blocked list. Consider placing a call to a different number.
Check the Airplane mode. Sometimes, we accidentally enable that feature. Open Settings > Connections > Airplane mode. Toggle the switch button.
Remove your SIM card and put it back in. If you have another phone around, place your SIM card on it and try to make a phone call.
Restart your phone.

Quick Check

Perhaps you accidentally enabled the Airplane mode on your phone, disabled WiFi, etc. Before we go further, perform these quick troubleshooting steps:

Make sure the Airplane mode is disabled. You can also toggle the Airplane mode on and off.
Toggle WiFi
Toggle Mobile Data

1: Call Your Carrier

Phone call issues do not always come from the phone itself, the WiFi, or the SIM card. It may come from the provider you are using. Perhaps their system is down or under maintenance.

Try to reach out to your carrier using another phone, email, live chat, etc.

2: Disable the Do Not Disturb

Do Not Disturb allows you to mute incoming calls, messages, and notifications. The point is to help you focus on your work without being distracted by your phone. Check if you have unintentionally enabled the feature.

To disable the Do Not Disturb, go to:

Settings > Notifications> Do not disturb.
Toggle the button to turn off the feature.

Alternatively, you can do it through Quick settings by swiping the screen from the top. Tap the Do not disturb icon until it turns gray.

3: Turn off Smart Call

When you activate the Smart Call feature on your Samsung Galaxy Phone, it will automatically block every number not listed on your contacts. Before disabling it, make sure the numbers exist on your contact list.

Steps to turn off the Smart Call feature

Launch the Phone app
Tap the More option (three dots) and select Settings
Tap the switch button next to the Call-ID and spam protection option until it turns green

While in Settings, you can also investigate the Block number option. By tapping on it, you will see a blocked list of blocked numbers, if any. Tap Delete to unblock the number.

4: Restart Your Phone

Press and hold the Power button and hold it until the Power off screen appears and tap Restart.

5: Disable Call forwarding

Some people have more than one phone for different purposes. For instance, one phone is for business and another for personal use. If you have two Android devices and want to forward the call from a personal phone to a business phone, enabling the Call forwarding feature will help.

The call-forwarding feature aims to redirect incoming phones from one phone to another. To disable the Call Forwarding feature, follow these steps:

Tap the Phone app from the home screen
Tap More (three dots)
On the drop-down menu, choose Settings
Scroll down to find the Supplementary Services option
Tap Call forwarding
Tap Always forward and choose Enable

While on the Supplementary Services screen, investigate the call barring feature. Make sure this feature is not active. Otherwise, this will stop all incoming and outgoing calls.

From the Supplementary Services screen:

Tap Call Barring instead of Call Forwarding.
Then, tap Voice call and turn off the All incoming calls option.

6: Inspect the Internet Connection

To make VoIP calls, you need an internet connection. Ensure you have a stable WiFi network and cellular data on your phone.

Toggle WiFi
Switch to mobile data or try a different WiFi network if available

7: Reset Network Settings

If the caller tries to reach you via WiFi or cellular data, Reset network settings can resolve the issue. To perform this method, open:

Settings > General Management
Reset > Reset network settings.

After that, you need to re-enter your WiFi password because the resetting process erases all the WiFi passwords you have entered before.

8: Inspect the Sim Card

The problem may not come from your phone but from the SIM card or provider. Check if the signal is full or weak. Also, make sure you are using an active SIM card. Check if your SIM Card is placed correctly.

If you see a "No Service" Error, consider reading this article or Not Registered on Network.

9: Reset Factory Settings

You may lose your data during the process. That is why you need to backup your phone before starting. First, go to Settings > General Management > Reset > Factory data reset.

Additional tips

Clear the Phone App Data and Cache: Over time, the data and cache stored by the phone app can accumulate and cause issues with making or receiving calls. Clearing this data can often help fix the problem. To do this, go to Settings > Apps > Phone > Storage > Clear Data and Clear Cache.
Disable Third-Party Apps: Sometimes, third-party apps installed on your phone can interfere with your phone's ability to make or receive calls. Try disabling these apps temporarily to see if it helps. To do this, go to Settings > Apps > [App Name] > Disable.
Check for System Updates: Just like with app updates, system updates can also fix bugs and issues that may be affecting your phone's ability to make or receive calls. Check for any available system updates and install them if they are available. To do this, go to Settings > Software Update > Download and Install.
Check for Call Restrictions: Some phones have call restrictions enabled that can block incoming or outgoing calls. Check your phone's settings to see if any restrictions are enabled. To do this, go to Settings > Privacy > Call Restrictions and disable any restrictions that may be turned on.
Reset the Phone Network: Resetting the network settings on your phone can help fix issues with making or receiving calls. To do this, go to Settings > General Management > Reset > Reset Network Settings. This will reset all the network settings on your phone, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and mobile data.
Contact Customer Support: If none of the above solutions work, it may be a hardware issue that requires professional assistance. Contact your phone manufacturer or carrier's customer support to get further assistance with the issue. They may be able to provide more specific solutions or repair options to help you get your phone working properly again.