Smartphones have a thousand and one functions today. You can browse the internet, watch movies, and even make payments. But what if the phone can’t perform its most basic function? What happens if you can’t answer calls on Android?
Incredible as it may seem, making calls is no longer the main utility of a smartphone, and it may take days before you realize that the phone app is not working properly. Instant messaging applications such as WhatsApp or Telegram also allow voice calls, and many times you use these types of tools to talk to other people instead of using the conventional telephone line.
Problems Answering Calls on Android: Solution Guide
These types of errors are quite stressful since you see the call on the phone screen, but even if you slide your finger there is no way to pick up the phone to answer the call.
1- Restart the phone
This is the first solution you should try before a failure of this type. If you can’t answer calls, simply restart your phone or turn it off and on again. If the problem was a temporary glitch with the phone app, a good restart should be enough to fix it in most cases.
2- Make sure you are picking up the call correctly
Not all Android mobiles are the same. When you have a call coming in, some phones require you to swipe from left to right to answer. That is, you have to slide your finger from the green button to the red one.
Other mobiles, on the other hand, use the slide from bottom to top to answer. In any case, remember that you can also respond by clicking on the green button that you will see on the screen.
3- Clear the data and cache of the Phone app
At this point, it is time to consider other solutions. It is possible that the error is in the phone app itself, in which case you will proceed to delete the configuration data and files stored in the cache.
This way, you will restore the Phone app to its factory state:
- Open the Android settings menu and go to “ Applications ”.
- Locate the Phone app within the list of installed applications and tap on it.
- Click on “ Storage and cache ”. Note: In some mobiles, such as those of Xiaomi, you will see this option by clicking on “Clear data”.
- Lastly, tap on “ Clear data ” and “ Clear Cache ”.
If the problem was in the Phone app, you should now be able to answer calls correctly.
4- Activate and deactivate Airplane Mode
Sometimes when there are problems in the telecommunications network you can try to reset the connection by activating and deactivating the Airplane Mode of the Android device. First, turn on airplane mode and leave it like that for a couple of minutes. Then, disable airplane mode so that the mobile reconnects to the nearest antenna.
5- Take out the SIM card and insert it again
If the “trick” of airplane mode has not worked, the next step will be to remove the SIM from its tray and put it back correctly. Also, take the opportunity to clean the tray of any dust or dirt.
Once the SIM is inserted, enter the unlock PIN to re-establish the connection with the data and telephone network.
6- Recalibrate the touch screen of the phone
Another possible origin of the problem with answering calls can be in the touch screen. If the screen has errors and does not correctly register your clicks and slides. This will prevent you from answering calls.
To fix it try to recalibrate the phone screen. Install the free “Touch Screen Calibration” app (or one with the same features). It is available in the Google Play Store.
If you still can’t pick up calls, also try increasing the screen’s touch sensitivity. You will find this option in “Settings -> Display”. Not all Android phones offer this feature, but if yours does, take advantage of it.
7- Possible ghost touches on the screen?
Within the problems with the touch screen, there is a possibility that the mobile is experiencing “ghost touches” on the screen. This would prevent you from answering calls correctly (in addition to other related problems).
If you use a case or cover for the phone, try to remove it, and also make sure that the mobile is not connected to the charger when you have problems answering calls.
