Your phone may not be receiving calls because of five different issues. Some of these are very easy to fix; others will require help from your service provider, and still others can’t be fixed at all, but will have to be dealt with.
My phone isn’t receiving calls is a common issue and there are some things that could cause the issue.
How To Fix My phone isn’t receiving calls
Here are five reasons your phone might not be receiving calls, and what you can do about them.
- Is your phone turned on?
If your phone isn’t on, there’s no way for calls to get to it. Easy fix. Sometimes, especially in an office environment, we can leave our phones somewhere that is not within reach (like on a desk or charging station) and forget that they’re not actually turned on.
Make sure you know where your phone is at all times—if it isn’t with you or right next to you (and charging), turn it off or reboot until you can charge it. It could be as simple as having too many apps open: While most smartphones have enough memory to run more than one app at a time, sometimes having too many open will slow down your phone and cause problems.
Try closing out any unnecessary apps before attempting to make another call. Check your battery: Even if you have enough bars showing up on your screen, if your battery is running low, then it might not connect to a cell tower.
Charge up before trying again! Restart: Sometimes just turning it off and back on again will solve any issues that are causing trouble making calls to work properly. It’s worth a shot!
- Who do you have as a carrier?
This one might seem obvious, but in order to troubleshoot your phone not receiving calls, you’ll need to know what carrier you’re on. Maybe a network issue is preventing your phone from receiving calls and texts (and data).
If you have Verizon as a carrier, for example, make sure that your coverage area has zero issues (you can check out coverage maps here ). Also, be sure to check with your friends to see if they are experiencing any connectivity issues.
If everyone else seems fine, it’s possible that there’s an issue with your device. Is your phone switched on?: Most phones require that you power them up before placing or receiving calls.
Make sure yours is switched on and try again. You may also want to double-check whether airplane mode is activated—if so, turn it off before trying again.
- Is your phone on Airplane Mode?
When you’re on a flight, your phone is likely in airplane mode—which makes calls go directly to voicemail.
If your phone is in airplane mode and phone not receiving calls, it’s probably because you turned it on during a flight or forgot to turn it off once you landed. To fix that problem, simply slide open your notification bar and tap Airplane Mode so that all of those little arrows are pointing down; tap again to turn Airplane Mode off.
You should now be able to receive calls with no issues. (Just remember to switch it back on before takeoff!)
But what if you don’t need your phone while flying? Well, first things first: no matter what type of device you use, never put it in checked baggage! Devices can get damaged from things like liquid spills and x-rays.
If you can help it, take your device with you in carry-on baggage at all times so that someone else doesn’t call you while your device isn’t working correctly.
- Is there no SIM card inserted?
If you’re not sure whether your SIM card is inserted correctly, remove it and make sure it’s positioned correctly. If you’re still experiencing issues with your phone, try inserting a different SIM card to make sure your SIM card isn’t damaged.
Check for software problems: Software glitches can cause many issues—and losing service because of one is possible (though rare). If you recently installed a new app or updated an existing one, check to see if that played a role in reducing service quality.
Make sure Wi-Fi calling is enabled: In order to use Wi-Fi calling on certain phones like iPhones, you must first enable it through your carrier’s website. To ensure that Wi-Fi calling is enabled, go to Settings > Cellular > Enable LTE Calling.
If it isn’t already turned on, turn it on now. Restart your device: Sometimes restarting your device solves issues like these instantly. To restart your device, press and hold down both power buttons simultaneously until you see a slide to power off.
Once you’ve seen those words appear, release both buttons immediately. Wait about 30 seconds before turning back on again by pressing both buttons at once until you hear a beep and then releasing them again.
Contact support: You may need help from customer support if none of these solutions works for you.
- Does the right SIM card get inserted?
The most common reason your phone might not be receiving calls is because you’ve mistakenly put in an SIM card that isn’t meant for your phone. For example, if you live in France and bought a cheap, prepaid cell phone from Spain, it’s unlikely that you’ll have much luck getting any service on it unless you’re calling people in Spain.
Before assuming something’s wrong with your device or network provider, make sure that you have gotten all of your SIM card information correct (IMEI number etc.) first. If there is an issue with your SIM card, get it replaced immediately at no charge to ensure that nobody else has access to your private details.
Sometimes, you may need to visit your nearest carrier store to get a new one. For other, you can contact customer support online via chat or email.
Also, keep in mind that while some SIM cards are universal and work with multiple devices/networks, others are not compatible across borders. Always read up on how SIM cards work before purchasing one! Otherwise, you could end up like these poor folks who thought they were buying one SIM card but ended up buying two instead…
What mobile operator do I use? – Ask someone around you: It sounds simple enough, but sometimes we overlook obvious things.
It’s always a good idea to ask someone nearby which mobile operator their phone uses before blindly following the directions printed on the back of your SIM card package. Different countries have different carriers and networks, so double-check which ones are supported in yours!
READ MORE: Phone Can’t Hear Caller Unless on Speaker? Here’s the fix
Conclusion
My phone isn’t receiving calls? this article has shown you the causes and some troubleshooting tips to get rid of the issue. Which of them worked for you? Meanwhile, if you’re still facing the issue, please meet your phone engineer to look into it.