Smartphone connectivity has continued to improve over the years. People can now send instant messages, make video calls, send emails, etc., using their smartphones. Even with all these, phone calls remains an indispensable feature used to connect with people as it can be accessed on any phone. However, one of the problems users usually encounter is the phone is not making or receiving calls sometimes. By reading this post, you'll know about the reasons why this problem persists and how to fix phone calls not working and reconnect with your loved ones.
Remove TPU cover or any decorative item from the device battery cover
Firstly, if you're unable to make calls or receive calls on your phone, it might be because your phone case is interfering with the phone signal. Of course, it happens mostly with metallic or magnetic cases. So, if you recently attached any cover or decorative item to the phone, endeavor to remove them to have a good network signal.
Is Flight mode enabled?
Flight Mode, also known as Airplane mode automatically turns off all device connections like Bluetooth, WiFi, and Mobile network. So, if your phone is not making or receiving calls, it might be as a result that Airplane mode is on.
Normally, most smartphones will pop-up a notification that you're on Airplane mode when you try to make a call. But if yours is different, you can swipe down the notification panel twice on Android to check if the mode is toggled on. Also, you can navigate to Setting >> Network & Internet >> Airplane mode, to turn it off.
Make sure the network is available.
In order to make/receive calls or even connect to the internet with mobile data, there must be network coverage. Yes, it's possible to lose network coverage. It occurs most times when you're in a location far from the network mast, or when you're in a basement, or when on a flight.
You will automatically detect this if the signal indicator bar on your status bar is empty or the network name is not showing up.
To be sure there's network coverage and the problem is not from your phone, try asking people near you if they have network coverage on their phone, and if they can make calls.
SIM settings
Every setting on your phone has its own usage and may cause problems if you mistakenly turn on an unknown. An example is the SIM card deactivator. When you turn off the SIM card, it disconnects it from the network - just as if you turn off your phone.
If you cannot make or receive calls, you could have mistakenly turned off the SIM card from Setting. Kindly open the Settings app, click on "Network & Internet", tap "SIM cards" and make sure both SIM cards are toggled on. Now try making a call to see if it works or try other solutions below.
Is "Call forwarding" enabled?
Call forwarding, or Call diverting is also a useful feature on smartphones as it helps forward incoming calls to another number or Voicemail. However, it may cause your phone not to receive calls if you're unaware of its presence. To check if you're forwarding your calls or not, kindly check for call forwarding icon or notification on your phone by swiping down the notification panel. If you can find such notification, kindly click on it, tap "Call forwarding" and disable it.
Better still, you can double-check if it's turned on by following the guides below.
- Open your Phone (Dialer) app.
- Tap the 3-dot menu on the top-right corner and select Settings
- Select "Calling accounts" and select your SIM card.
- Select "Call forwarding"
- Disable all active forwarding options.
If you're using TECNO's HiOS 7 or Infinix's XOS 7, the settings are a bit different.
- Open the Phone app
- Tap the settings icon in the top-right corner,
- Tap "SIM card settings",
- Tap "Carrier features" and select your SIM card.
- Tap "Call forwarding" and disable all active settings.
Restart your phone.
If the phone is still not making or receiving calls after following the above solutions, try restarting the phone. Especially if you've been using your phone for a couple of days, restarting it can help fix a lot of software-related issues.
Kindly press and hold the power button and select restart, or hold down the power button for about 8-10 seconds to restart the phone automatically.
Check whether the phone is damaged
When the call failure happens, try checking if the phone is really working. Your phone may be damaged after a heavy drop or by liquid. If any of these happened earlier, a visit to the service center might help.
Check/switch network mode.
Normally, most smartphones make calls with a 2G mobile network. While some supports Volte calls, not every phone or SIM supports it.
So, try to switch network mode to 2G to check if calls can be received. If Ok, switch on the internet and change mode to automatic or 4G. Avoid 4G only mode.
To switch network mode, kindly follow the steps below.
- Open Settings app
- Tap Network & Internet
- Tap Mobile Network
- Choose your SIM card (SIM 1 or 2)
- Tap preferred network mode, set it to 2G first, and make calls. You can switch back to 4G (recommended) after.
Use another SIM card
If you have a dual SIM card on your phone, you can try calling with the other SIM instead. If you are unable to make or receive calls with both SIM cards, ask people if there's network coverage and insert another SIM card. If it works, try visiting your service provider. If not, visit a repair center.
Check if the battery is not swollen or reshaped
If your battery is swollen, it affects the SIM card placement and other components of the phone, including the network. If you notice your phone has an unusual shape, kindly visit the service center and get it replaced. Do not try to disassemble the inbuilt battery yourself as it may cause further damage.
Visit the nearest service center.
Following the solutions above, you should be able to get the problem solved on your own. If not, a visit to a service center is the last thing to resort to as the problem is likely a hardware issue that can be fixed by a technician.
For all TECNO, Infinix, or iTel smartphones, Carlcare is the exclusive after-sales service provider to repair your phone. We are capable of diagnosing and fixing your phone not able to make or receive calls. You can fix issues like this at no cost if your phone is still under warranty. We also help replace your swollen battery with the original one at a fair price.
