Galaxy phone is unable to make or receive calls

If you are unable to make calls from your phone, there could be a problem with your phone's SIM card, damage to your phone, or an issue with your account or carrier. You can follow our steps to solve the problem.

A young woman with long brown hair, wearing a blue shirt, smiling while holding a Galaxy phone to her ear. She appears to be in a well-lit room with white curtains in the background.

Galaxy phone is unable to make or receive calls

Checkpoint

Inspect phone to identify connection problems

Note

Try to make a phone call after each step in this process to test your phone’s ability to make calls.

Check if the phone is blocking calls.

Disable Do not disturb mode to be sure that calls can reach you, and then make certain that the number or contact is not blocked.

Verify your account and services.

Verify your account is in good standing and service is active.

Inspect the phone for physical or liquid damage.

Inspect the Liquid Damage Indicator (LDI) on the battery and in the battery compartment. The LDI should be solid white, or white with pink or purple Xs.

Verify and inspect the SIM card.

Verify that the SIM card is correctly installed and not damaged. Contact the carrier for assistance testing the SIM or for a replacement. If you have another active phone on the same network, you may be able to exchange SIM cards between the phones to test them.

Contact your carrier.

If you recently changed carriers but kept using the same phone, you may need to contact the current carrier for assistance reprogramming the phone for their service. If you hear a recording every time you place a call, make note of what the recording says and contact the carrier.

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Reset network settings on a phone or tablet

Open the network settings.

Navigate to and open Settings, then tap General management, and then tap Reset.

Reset the network settings.

For issues with your mobile connection, tap Reset mobile network settings.

For issues with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, tap Reset Wi-Fi and Bluetooth settings.

Next, tap Reset settings. You may be prompted to enter your security credentials. Tap Reset to confirm.

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Boot the device into Safe mode

Note

Certain downloaded apps can make your phone or tablet freeze, crash, or lag. Some apps can even affect camera functionality, cause audio issues, and affect network connectivity.

Using Safe mode disables all downloaded apps and loads only the original software that came with your phone or tablet, allowing you to determine if the issue is caused by an app or with the phone or tablet.

If the issues do not appear while in Safe mode, the problem is caused by a downloaded app, and it should be uninstalled.

Reboot the phone or tablet in Safe mode.

First, open the Power menu:

On devices with a regular Power button, press and hold the Power button until the Power menu is displayed.
On devices without a dedicated power button, swipe down with two fingers from the top of the screen to open Quick settings. Tap the Power icon at the top of the screen.

Touch and hold Power off until the Safe mode icon is displayed. Tap Safe mode to start your device in Safe mode. If you've entered Safe mode successfully, you'll see Safe mode displayed at the bottom of the screen.

Safe mode option with a description

Check if the phone or tablet is still having the same problem.

Use the phone or tablet normally to see if the issue has been resolved. If the phone or tablet is operating normally, a recently installed app was most likely causing the issue.

If the issue is gone in Safe mode: One of your recently downloaded apps was likely the cause of the problem. Proceed to Step 4.
If the issue still exists: Downloaded apps may not be the cause of the problem. You may need to reset the phone or tablet to the factory setting.

Uninstall apps.

One by one, uninstall any apps you downloaded just before your phone or tablet began having the issue.

After uninstalling each app, restart the phone or tablet and check if it is functioning normally.

After you uninstall the app that caused the issue, you can reinstall the other safe apps you just deleted.

Reboot the phone or tablet normally.

First, open the Power menu:

On devices with a regular Power button, press and hold the Power button until the Power menu is displayed.
On devices without a dedicated Power button, swipe down with two fingers from the top of the screen to open Quick settings. Tap the Power icon at the top of the screen.

Tap Power off to turn off the device. Wait until the phone or tablet completely turns off, and then press the Power button again to turn it on. See if the issue has been resolved.

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Perform a factory data reset on your phone or tablet

Warning

You may need your Samsung account password or Lock screen password when resetting your phone or tablet. All your data will be erased. However, before resetting your device, you can use Smart Switch or a cloud account to back up your data onto an SD card or USB drive. If you have encrypted your SD card, it must be decrypted before resetting your device.

Before you reset the phone or tablet.

Make sure to back up your phone or tablet. All data and settings will be erased.
Write down the username and password for the account that you used to back up your data.
We recommend having your phone or tablet plugged into the wall charger during the reset process because it may take up to an hour.
If you have encrypted the SD Card inserted in to your phone or tablet, make sure to decrypt it before the reset. Navigate to Settings, search for and select SD, and then tap Decrypt SD card.

Navigate to Settings. Search for and select Factory data reset. Tap Factory data reset again, and then tap Reset. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the reset. You may need to enter your Samsung account password or Lock screen password. The phone or tablet will reboot.

When the phone or tablet reboots, it will have its original factory settings. Now you will need to go through the initial setup to finish setting up the phone or tablet. The phone may require you to enter your Samsung or Google account information to complete the setup.

Before installing any apps, make sure that your phone or tablet is functioning normally.

If you are still encountering any issues, please visit a Samsung walk-in service center or you can schedule a repair service online.

Note

If you are still experiencing network service issues with calling, SMS or MMS messages, network signals, mobile data, or hotspots after resetting the device, you may need to contact your carrier.

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Contact Samsung Support

Contact us online through chat and get support from an expert on your computer, mobile device or tablet. Support is also available on your mobile device through the Samsung Members App.

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