Why is my phone not allowing me to make calls?

Why is my phone not allowing me to make calls? It’s a very common problem with smartphones, sometimes it just refuses to make a call for no apparent reason. Not only making calls but also receiving calls, which is the last thing we want. Nowadays, we get important calls related to work or personal life which we can not miss. So it’s not an option to leave your phone and expect it starts making/receiving calls magically.

See how you can fix the problem of your phone not being able to make calls. Learn how you can identify and fix the problem within 5 minutes. See what are the things you should do and not do for avoiding getting scammed. If you want to read more useful articles then check out our page. And to take a shortcut to check out the video on our Youtube channel.

If this happens to you then you should not worry since the fix is relatively easy. In this article, we are going to see how we can fix the problem of Android or iPhone not being able to make calls. We have covered some of the reasons and solutions why your phone is not able to make/receive calls. If you are an iPhone user then skip the Android section entirely and move to the iPhone section.

We have covered:

• com.samsung.android.incallui
• 3 Way call on android
• Call Log Recovery

Why is my phone not allowing me to make calls? (Android)

There are many several reasons of my phone not allowing me to make calls or receive too:

Check for signal

This is very common since sometimes we lose signal for a split second and it may not connect properly. And we will never think of thinking to check the signal strength if we are in an urban area. Now if the signal is not available, you should see a cross on the signal status.

If you are using more than one SIM, then make sure the SIM you want to use is working. You can try to switch the SIMs so the primary SIM can establish the connection again, but it’s not likely. Sometimes the network may get affected by the weak network coverage in the area. You are aware of it since remote areas are the only place where your network will drop. But sometimes underground tunnels may also cause the network to disconnect.

To check the signal status, look at the top right corner of the screen. Make sure it has the full signal and if not then move to the next section.

Turn off Airplane Mode

This should be your first instinct whenever your network is not working properly. When we turn on and off the Airplane mode, we force the network to reset and find the strongest connection. Also using this method is quick since turning the Airplane mode on & off takes only 5-10 seconds. However, remember to not leave your phone on Airplane mode because then you will not receive any call or message.

Now to turn the Flight mode on & off, follow the steps mentioned below:

1. Wake up your phone and swipe down from the top of the screen to open the “Quick Access” menu.
2. In the menu, you should be able to see the “Airplane mode” with the icon of aircraft.
3. Tap on the icon and it should change color to indicate that it’s active. Once the Airplane is activated, the network will be disabled along with Wifi, location, internet turning off.
4. Now after the Airplane mode is turned on (should take 1-2 seconds), tap on the icon again to disable it.
5. After the airplane mode is turned off, you should see the network return back with full strength. But if not, then move to the next section.

OR (the long way)

1. Wake up your device and open the “Settings” app.
2. From the Settings app, look for “Wireless & Network” and tap on it.
3. Once the new page opens, tap on “Airplane Mode”, from here you can turn it on and off.

Check for blocked numbers

This can be a reason for your calls not going through, however, this is the case only if you are not able to call one or two people. Along with not being able to call particular people, you will also not be able to message them. Now before we can be sure about them blocking us, we need to check for all the signs. Below are the signs you should look out for:

1. You are not able to make calls to the person and when you attempt to call there’s no ring and it cuts immediately.
2. You will not be able to send messages via the phone’s message app. The message status will be shown as “Failed” and it will show the same status even after retrying.

Now if you see both of these things then, unfortunately, are blocked from their end. And we can not do anything from our end to solve this. However, you may have blocked their number on accident or blocked and forgotten. To unblock any contact number, follow the steps mentioned below:

1. Wake up your smartphone and open the default “Phone” app.
2. From the phone app, tap on “More” and then on “Settings”.
3. Now you should be able to see the list of blocked numbers, choose the one which you want to unblock. Once you select the number, tap on “Clear” or “Unblock”.
   NOTE: Once you unblock the number, that person will not receive any notification but will be able to call you. But you can block their number again anytime you want.

But if this is not your issue of phone not allowing me to make calls, then move to the next section.

Turn off Do Not Disturb mode

This can be the reason you are not getting calls and messages since it’s really easy to put the phone in DND and forget. However, this will not stop you from making calls on your phone. So if you are not able to make phone calls, then you should move to the next section.

DND (Do Not Disturb) mode doesn’t let any type of notification through so you don’t get distracted. And in some devices, we can set the duration or “till when” so the DND will turn off automatically. But accidentally we can put the DND until dismissed, so here we will see how we can turn off the DND. Follow the steps mentioned below to turn off the DND mode:

1. Wake up your phone and swipe down from the top of the screen to open the “Quick Access” menu.
2. In the menu, you should be able to see the “Do Not Disturb” with the icon of the minus symbol.
3. If the icon is not grey/white, then it will mean that the DND mode is active. Along with the icon color, you should see the DND icon in the notification bar.
4. Tap on the icon in the quick access menu, and once DND is disabled you will start receiving all notifications and missed calls.

Remove and reactivate SIM card

Once you have tried all the previous methods and none of them are working, Then we will try the serious method of removing and inserting the SIM. This can help if the SIM is not aligned properly or there’s anything between the SIM and the SIM reader.

However, if the SIM is not inserted properly then you will not get any signal at all. And if there’s a low signal, then this is not a problem with your SIM and you should move to the next section.

Now power off your phone and open the SIM tray, pull out the SIM and clean the contact pins (golden back part of the SIM) with a microfiber cloth. Once cleaned, clean the SIM tray as well and then insert the SIM back again. Now turn on your phone and check if the signal is back, but if not then. Follow the steps mentioned below to deactivate and reactive your SIM:

1. Open the “Settings” app and tap on “Network & Internet”.
2. Once the new menu opens, tap on “SIM cards” and then tap on the sliders beside the name of your SIM.
3. After you deactivate your SIM, tap on the slider again to reactivate it.

This should fix your problem, but if not then move to the next section.

Software update

If the issue is not solved and there’s a new software update available. Then it’s highly likely that this will solve your issue. Software issues generally have any bug which might be causing this issue. Follow the steps mentioned below to check for software updates:

1. Wake up your device and head over to “System” and then tap on “System updates”.
2. Once you open the software update window, if it says “Your system is up to date” then there’s no new update available. But if there’s an update available then install it.

Reset network settings

This has a high chance of fixing your issue if it’s related to your network carrier. In any case, it’s worth trying since mostly the issue is related to the network carrier.

Follow the steps mentioned below to reset your network settings:

1. Wake up your device and go to the “Settings” app.
2. In the settings app, look for “System” or “General Management” and open it.
3. Then tap on “Reset” or “Reset options” and then tap on “Reset Network Settings” or “Reset Wi-Fi, mobile & Bluetooth”.
4. From here you can change the network settings.

Check your phone contract/contact your carrier

If none of the methods are working for you then you can either try solving it on your own by moving to the next section. Or you can try contacting your network carrier who will help you solve the problem.

However, this process is very time-consuming since they will ask you to follow the same methods we saw here. Along with the long resolving time, the response time for your request will vary from one network and service provider to another.

Factory resets and manufacturer fixes

This should be your last option since this will delete all your data and settings. We would recommend following this method if your network carries is not able to help you. In that case, the problem might be on your end, and resetting your device should solve the problem of the phone not allowing me to make calls.

Follow the steps mentioned below to reset your device:

1. Wake up your device and go to “Settings” or “General Management”.
2. Once the settings app opens, tap on “Reset” or “Reset options”. If you are not able to find it then search for it in the settings.
3. Now tap on “Erase All Data” or “Factory Reset” and give confirmation. This process will take some time and your device will  restart several times.
   NOTE: Doing a factory reset will remove all your data and remove all the settings. Your phone will be like how it came in the box, reverted to the original Android OS version.

Why is my iPhone not making or receiving calls?

There are multiple causes of my phone not allowing me to make calls or receive also:

Does Your iPhone Say “No Service”?

This is the first thing you should check if your network quality has gone down or not working at all. If the network status at the upper left corner of the screen says “No service”, then it means there’s a problem with the network.

A simple solution would be to power off and on your iPhone and check if the network is back. Turning on and off the iPhone will cause the network to reset and find the strongest connection.

If the network is still not proper even after turning the power on & off, and still the phone not allowing me to make calls, then move to the first method below.

Check For A Carrier Settings Update

This may solve your problem since Apple releases new carries settings updates that allow your iPhone to connect better. It’s worth giving a try before checking other solutions for the problem. You will know whenever any update is available since you will get a popup saying “Carrier settings update”.

Follow the steps mentioned below to check for Carrier settings updates:

1. Wake up your iPhone and go to the “Settings” app, then tap on “General”.
2. Once the general settings open, tap on “About” and a popup should appear within ten sounds for a new carrier update.
3. Click on the popup and it will redirect you to the update page.

Update Your iPhone

This mostly solves the problem if the network is not what’s causing it, Apple frequently releases updates that have bug fixes. However, it’s not likely that any bug is causing this issue since bugs in iOS are rare. But it’s still worth giving a shot.

Follow the steps mentioned below to check for available updates:

1. Wake up your iPhone and head over to “Settings”, once inside the app tap on “General”.
2. Now tap on “Software Update”, there you should be able to see if a new update is available or not. If the update is available, then install it and restart your iPhone. But if not then move to the next section.

Diagnosing A SIM Card Issue

If the software update and restarting didn’t work, then the problem may be with the SIM itself. We can perform SIM diagnostics to check if it’s damaged or dislodged. The simplest way to check is by removing the SIM and inserting it back again. Remember to pull out the SIM and clean the contact pins (golden back part of the SIM) with a microfiber cloth. Once cleaned, clean the SIM tray as well and then insert the SIM back again.

If your problem is solved then it means the SIM got dislodged, otherwise move to the next section.

Reset Network Settings

If the SIM was not the source of the problem then it’s highly likely that the network itself is causing it. However, remember that if you reset the network settings then all the VPN, cellular, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth settings will be reset.

NOTE: Save all the WiFi passwords since after resting all of your WiFi passwords and settings will be gone.

Follow the steps mentioned below to reset the network settings:

1. Wake up your iPhone and go to “Settings”, then tap on “General”.
2. From there, tap on “Transfer” or “Reset iPhone” and then tap on “Reset Network Settings”.
3. Now once you tap on reset network settings, it will ask you for confirmation. Provide the confirmation and your iPhone will reset the network settings.

Contact Your Wireless Carrier

If none of the previous solutions are working for you then you can try contacting your carrier and service provider. However, this is very time-consuming and does not guarantee that your problem will be solved.

If you want to resolve the problem yourself then you can move to the next section.

DFU Restore Your iPhone

This should be your last resort since this will remove all your data and settings. DFU restore will make your iPhone just the way it came in the box.

If you decide to go ahead with the DFU restore, then backup all your data and contact information. This will fix the issue of the iPhone not allowing me to make calls.

Visit The Apple Store

If nothing is working then you can take your iPhone to the Apple store or third-party repair shop. Your problem will be identified and solved there instantly. However, keep in mind that the problem will be software related mostly. And chances of the physical problem are very rare and should not cost too much, so don’t get scammed.

Summary

In the article, we see the reasons for my phone not allowing me to make calls, also saw how we can solve the problem of our Android and iOS phones not being able to make calls. Keep in mind that the problem will be more likely related to the software rather than hardware. And if you go to any third-party repair or Apple Store. Chances are they will try to pass it as a hardware problem and charge you way more.

We would recommend trying all the solutions first and then only opting for repair. And if are stuck in any of the solutions, then feel free to drop down your query in the comment section below.