Video call is not working on Android? Check these tips

Why video call is not Working on Android?

Although available for years, video calling was never used in such a high volume as it is these days. And, Android OEMs went as far as incorporating it within the system, to make it easier and to compete with Apple’s FaceTime. Of course, the default option comes from Google and it’s called Google Duo. However, some users report that video call is not working on Android for them.

If you are among those users, we encourage you to check the steps we provided below. The basic troubleshooting steps we can suggest to you in case you are in a rush are:

• Check the network
• Restart your device
• Clear app data or uninstall updates (from video calling service and phone app)
• Just switch to another app since there are so many alternatives.

These apply to Google Duo primarily, but you can use most of them on apps like WhatsApp or Telegram.

Table of contents:

1. Check the network connection
2. Set up the Google Duo
3. Uninstall Google Duo updates
4. Uninstall updates from the Phone app
5. Change the default dialer app
6. Try some other third-party app

How to fix sound and video issues on Google Duo?

If video calling is not working, make sure that you are connected to a stable network and that you’ve set up Google Duo. The same goes for all call recipients. If they don’t have Duo, video or voice calls won’t work for obvious reasons.

• Fix: Google Duo not working on Android

If that doesn’t help, uninstall updates from Google Duo and the Phone app. Finally, try WhatsApp, Viber, Telegram, or some other third-party solution that offers video calls and VoIP. Also, if you prefer reading about solutions from the official source, you can find Google’s Google Duo Support post.

1. Check the network connection

The first thing you need to do is check the network connection. Video or VoIP calls require a network connection, whether that’s Wi-Fi or mobile data. So, make sure that you are connected to stable Wi-Fi. If you are on the move, make sure that Google Duo (the default video-calling app on many Android devices) is allowed to use the data.

• Some apps not working on mobile data? Try these fixes

Here’s how to allow Google Duo to use mobile data in the background:

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Apps.
3. Expand all apps.
4. Open Google Duo from the list of available apps.
5. Select Mobile data & Wi-Fi or Mobile data.
6. Allow Google Duo to access mobile data in the background.

Also, make sure that the Data saver is disabled in Settings > Network & internet > Data saver.

In case you are experiencing Wi-Fi connectivity issues, we can recommend some troubleshooting steps. On the other hand, if you have issues with mobile data, check our article on Mobile Data Android issues.

2. Set up the Google Duo

To use Google Duo you first need to provide your phone number and log in with your Google Account. This can be done from the Phone (Dialer) or by simply opening the Google Duo app from App Drawer.

Once you open the app, provide your phone number and sign in. Make sure to grant all permissions required by Google Duo. If you’ve missed some permissions, you can navigate to Settings > Apps > All apps > Google Duo > Permissions and grant everything there.

Try making a call directly from the Google Duo app instead of going through Contacts or Phone apps. If this doesn’t help and the video call is still not working on Android, check the next step.

3. Uninstall Google Duo updates

The next thing you can try to fix the problem is to reinstall Google Duo. On many Android skins, Google Duo comes as a system app. The go-to video calling service. This means that you can’t completely uninstall the app. What you can do is uninstall Google Duo updates and reset the app that way.

Here’s how to uninstall Google Duo updates on your Android:

1. Open Play Store.
2. Search for Google Duo.
3. Tap Uninstall (and confirm) to restore Google Duo to the factory version.
4. Restart your device and open the Play Store again.
5. Update Google Duo and check for improvements.

4. Uninstall updates from the Phone app

If the previous step didn’t help, you can do the same for the Phone app. However, instead of going through Play Store, this time you’ll need to navigate through System settings to uninstall updates from the Phone app.

Here’s how to uninstall updates from the Phone app:

1. Again, navigate to Settings > Apps (Apps & notifications) > All apps (Manage apps).
2. Open the Phone app from the list of available apps.
3. Tap on the 3-dot menu and select Uninstall updates.
4. Restart your device, connect to Wi-Fi, and wait for the app to update.

5. Change the default dialer app

The majority of users that reported issues with video calls use Samsung’s native Phone app that integrates Google Duo for video calls. So, you can choose to make a video call instead of a regular call right from the dialer app.

Although Samsung integrates video calling via Google Duo in their default app, you can try switching to Google Phone. Maybe that’s not your initial choice, but there’s a chance that Google Duo will work better with Google’s app instead with the Samsung Phone dialer app.

Here’s how to change the default dialer app on Samsung:

1. Open Play Store and install the Phone by Google app from Play Store.
2. Open Settings.
3. Tap Apps.
4. From the top, select Choose default apps.
5. As the Phone app, select Phone by Google.
6. Open Google’s Phone, grant all permissions and try making video calls.

6. Try some other third-party app

Finally, if none of the previous solutions worked, we can only suggest temporarily moving to an alternative service. Many apps allow video calls, most of them instant messengers like WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber, Facebook Messenger, or Signal.

There are specialized apps like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Google’s own Google Meet. These apps focus on conferencing and work with invitations (links) so you don’t have to provide your phone number.

Which one you choose depends on your preference and how many people you are in touch with use it. We can recommend Signal as a privacy-oriented instant messenger and Zoom if you prefer a conference-oriented video calling solution. Although, there’s a good chance that the majority of people you know use WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger rather than Signal.

That should do it. Report the problem to Google or to Samsung (don’t forget to switch to your region) so they can fix it in the next update.

Thank you for reading and we hope this article helped you address the issues. If you have anything to add or take, feel free to do so in the comments section below. We always look forward to hearing from you.

Editor’s note: This article was initially published in November 2021. We made sure to revamp it for freshness and accuracy.