Although VoIP services reduced the usage of regular GSM calls in many countries worldwide, making and receiving calls over cellular networks is still the main purpose of all these super-advanced devices. And when they don’t work, all other capabilities are not as viable alternatives. Some users report that their phone is not receiving calls at all. Don’t worry, we have a few solutions to recommend before you take your device for a repair.
Table of contents:
- Restart your phone
- Disable Airplane mode
- Make sure you have network coverage
- Check the SIM card
- Reset your phone to factory settings
Why Incoming calls are not coming through?
There are a few possible reasons for this occurrence. Some concern hardware issues, some software errors, and some are carrier-related. Make sure to restart your phone first. If that doesn’t help, check if the Airplane mode is enabled and confirm that you have good network coverage.
Finally, check the physical state of the SIM card and its placement. The only remaining thing that you can do on your own (that we are aware of) is to go for the factory reset. That hopefully fixes the problem.
1. Restart your phone
The first thing you should do is restart your device and look if the problem is addressed. If the issue persists, try restarting your device in the Safe Mode and call yourself from a different number to see if there are some changes.
If the Safe Mode doesn’t make a difference, continue troubleshooting by moving to the next step.
2. Disable Airplane mode
The next thing to check is the Airplane mode. This mode, when enabled, automatically disables all cellular and Wi-Fi reception to avoid possible interference with airplane comms. Thus the name. You might’ve toggled it by accident from the Quick Access menu tile and that’s where you can disable it. You should look for an Airplane icon and you might need to expand the Quick Access menu as it’s usually somewhere below the essential tiles like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc.
Once you disable the Airplane mode, wait until you get the cellular reception again and check if you can make and receive calls.
3. Make sure you have network coverage
This is probably the most important single thing that you need to confirm. Without the cellular network coverage, you won’t be able to receive calls and they’ll either be forwarded towards carrier services (so they can automatically inform the caller that you are not available) or voicemail. So, make sure that you have a stable GSM signal.
In addition, while we are on the subject of redirections, make sure that all calls are not redirected to an alternative number. This is handled by carriers and contacting them is a good idea.
4. Check the SIM card
Now, if you don’t have a cellular signal but you are certain that neither your carrier nor bad area coverage is the problem, let’s check the hardware. Remove the SIM card from the tray and place it back again. If you have a dual SIM device, try switching slots. Also, make sure to navigate to Settings > Network & internet and check if the SIM card is not disabled by accident.
If the issue persists and your phone is not receiving calls, we have only one solution to offer. Of course, you can always take your device to service because there’s a possibility that the hardware is the problem here.
5. Reset your phone to factory settings
Finally, the only remaining step an end-user can take in these matters is to go for the factory reset. You can learn everything about the factory reset on Android in this dedicated article we prepared for you. In the meanwhile, here are the steps you should take:
- First, navigate to Settings > System > Backup and back up all your settings and app data. Besides that, make sure to connect your device to a PC and back up all your media. You can also use Google Photos to back up all your photos from the device. You’ll need your Google Account password later.
- Once you are certain that everything can be safely deleted, in Settings > System > Advanced, choose Reset options.
- Select Erase all data (factory reset).
- Wait until the procedure is finished and set up your device again.
If your phone is still not receiving calls, take it for repair as this is almost certainly a hardware issue.
That should do it. Thank you for reading and feel free to share your thoughts, questions, or suggestions with us in the comments section below. We look forward to hearing from you.
