How to Fix an Android That Can't Make or Receive Calls

Molly K. McLaughlin has been a technology editor and writer for over a dozen years. She runs product reviews for Lifewire, overseeing the process from hands-on testing to publishing.

Michael Heine is a CompTIA-certified writer, editor, and Network Engineer with 25+ years' experience working in the television, defense, ISP, telecommunications, and education industries.

When you can neither make nor receive calls on an Android smartphone, the cause might be any number of issues. But before you go out and order a new phone, take a look at our list of proven solutions; they are simple enough for anyone to follow.

If you can make outgoing calls, but your phone isn't ringing when you get an incoming call, that's a separate issue.

What to Do When Phone Calls Don't Work

Try these troubleshooting steps in order. Even if you don't find out precisely what's wrong, these tactics can resolve an array of Android smartphone problems.

1. Verify that you're in network. While rare, dead spots do exist. You might encounter this when underground (in a basement or on mass transit) or in a rural area. Reception issues can also happen if you're near another country's border and your phone thinks you're roaming.

Need to make an important call but have no service? One option is to turn on Wi-Fi calling. If you have a solid Wi-Fi connection, there are also free internet phone call apps that can serve as a good substitute until you get mobile service.

Even if airplane mode is off, switch it on for 5-10 seconds, then shut it back off. We've seen this fix problems with calls and mobile data, so it's a worth a shot while you're checking the setting.

Causes of an Android that Stops Making (or Receiving) Calls

The causes are usually pretty simple. You might be in a dead zone, airplane mode could be turned on, your bill might not be paid up, malware could be wreaking havoc on your phone, or a software issue could be at play. Because there are so many things that could be happening, just step through the listed solutions below to see which one fixes your particular issue.

If you recently switched from iPhone to Android, your phone number may still be linked to iMessage. You can deregister and turn off iMessage on Apple's website.

If you can't receive texts or calls from one specific person, then the problem probably lies on their end. They will need to troubleshoot their own device.

If Gmail is not syncing on Android, go to Menu > Settings > your account and check Sync Gmail. Make sure the device is online and not in airplane mode. If you still have trouble, update the app, clear the app data, and restart your device.

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