How To Fix Call Reception Issues on Android Phones

Dealing with Android phones that suddenly refuse to accept incoming calls is frustrating, especially if everything was fine just yesterday. The cause can be anything from network glitches to app conflicts or misconfigured settings. Luckily, there are some straightforward fixes that actually work sometimes, even if they feel like basic troubleshooting. This guide covers some common (and not-so-common) tricks to get that call-answering issue sorted out, so you can get back to answering without missing calls or worrying about missed connections.

How to Fix Android Phone Not Answering Incoming Calls

Fix 1: Reboot Your Phone

This might sound like the classic move, but rebooting often helps reset network connections and kill any background glitches messing with your call functionality. It applies when your network seems unstable or calls just won’t come through—kind of weird, but sometimes a quick restart kicks things back into gear. On some setups, a reboot needs to be done twice — once to free up the system, and again after network reconnection attempts.

• Hold the power button on your Android device.
• Select Restart or Reboot.
• Wait for the device to come back up and test incoming calls.

Fix 2: Remove and Re-Insert Your SIM Card

This one is oddly effective when the issue is caused by SIM card glitches or poor contact. Why it works? Because the SIM card can sometimes get misaligned or clogged with dirt. Removing it forces the phone to re-establish connection to the carrier, which can fix minor bugs.

1. Power down your phone completely. You don’t want to mess with the SIM while it’s live.
2. Carefully eject the SIM card tray (most phones have a small hole for the ejector tool).If you’re unsure, check how your model does this.
3. Take out the SIM card. Inspect it for dust or scratches. Wipe gently if needed.
4. Re-insert the SIM card into the tray, making sure it’s seated correctly.
5. Power on your device and see if the issue persists.

Fix 3: Toggle Airplane Mode

Good ol’ airplane mode. Turn it on, wait a few seconds, then turn it off again. This kicks your phone into re-establishing all connections to cellular networks. On some days, doing this “refresh” clears up weird call issues. Usually, it’s a quick fix, but if you’re lucky, it unblocks incoming calls almost instantly.

1. Swipe down from the top of the screen to access quick settings.
2. Tap the Airplane icon to enable airplane mode.
3. Hold tight for about 10 seconds—waiting feels weird, but it’s necessary.
4. Tap the airplane icon again to disable airplane mode.
5. Check if calls come through now. Sometimes, on certain setups, this helps recover network communication faster.

Fix 4: Clear Phone App Cache

If your call app is acting buggy, clearing its cache might be the fix. It forces the app to rebuild temporary data, which can eliminate glitches that prevent calls from being answered. Not sure why, but on some devices, leftover cache files can cause weird errors like this.

1. Open Settings on your device.
2. Go to Apps & notifications → All apps or App info.
3. Scroll down and locate the Phone or Dialer app.
4. Tap on it, then select Storage & cache.
5. Tap Clear Cache. On some models, you might also see Clear Storage/Data, but be careful as that resets app preferences and might delete call logs.
6. Reboot your phone and see if calls are working now.

Fix 5: Reset App Preferences

This resets all app permissions—like notification, background activity, and defaults—back to factory settings for all apps, not just the phone app. Sometimes, a setting might block incoming calls. Be warned — this resets so many things that you might have to redo some app permissions later, but it’s worth a shot if nothing else works.

1. Open Settings.
2. Navigate to Apps & notifications → See all apps.
3. Tap the three-dot menu in the corner, then select Reset app preferences.
4. Confirm when prompted, and reboot just to be safe.

Fix 6: Disable or Uninstall TrueCaller

On many devices, TrueCaller or similar caller ID apps can interfere with incoming calls—especially if they’re set to block unknown callers or have permissions in conflict. Disabling or even uninstalling it might solve the problem. Because of course, Android has to make it harder than necessary sometimes.

Path: Hold the TrueCaller icon → tap App info → choose Uninstall or Force Stop.

Fix 7: Update or Reinstall the Phone App

If all else fails, your phone’s dialer app might be outdated or corrupt. Reinstall it by first uninstalling or force stopping, then rebooting your device. After that, head to the Google Play Store, look for the latest version of your Phone/Dialer app, and update. Sometimes, a fresh app version solves tricky issues like not answering calls, especially after OS updates or tweaks.

• Hold the Phone app.
• Tap Uninstall or Force Stop.
• Reboot the device.
• Go to Google Play Store, search for “Phone” or “Dialer, ” and install/update the app.
• Test incoming calls again.

Summary

• Reboot the phone to fix network hiccups.
• Remove and re-insert the SIM card for proper contact and connection.
• Try toggling airplane mode to reset network links.
• Clear cache of the dialer app to fix glitches.
• Reset app preferences if settings are misconfigured.
• Disable/uninstall apps like TrueCaller that might interfere.
• Reinstall or update the Phone app if needed.

Wrap-up

Honestly, most of the time, it’s something simple like a reboot or toggling airplane mode that solves these call answering issues. Not sure why, but maybe some apps or network weirdness get stuck, and a reset clears the path. Remember, if you’re on a carrier like T-Mobile, network stability can be flaky, so don’t forget to check if your service is active or try a SIM swap if nothing else works.

Hopefully, this shaves off a few hours for someone. Keep in mind, sometimes, these problems go away after a system update or network reset, so keep your device updated too. Fingers crossed this helps!