Top 10 Fixes For Unable To Answer Calls On Android Phone

You may have faced such situations when your phone received a call but could not answer. Typically users respond to a call by swiping the green receiver icon on the screen. But in the above case, the phone doesn’t respond to this swiping, hence the issue “Unable to answer calls on Android phone.”

It can be very frustrating when you can’t respond to calls after repeated attempts to swipe or tap the receiver button. It is even more so when the call is critical for you to answer.

This article will discuss solutions using which you can fix the ‘Unable to answer calls on Android phone’ issue.

10 Ways To Fix Unable To Answer Calls On Android Phone

1. Restart Phone
2. Turn Airplane Mode on and Off
3. Clear Data and Cache for Phone App
4. Remove SIM Card
5. Update Phone App
6. Check Third-Party Calling Apps
7. Reset App Preferences
8. Check Theme
9. Ensure You Receive The Call Correctly
10. Update Your Phone To The Latest Version

1. Restart Phone

Whenever you encounter a bug or an error in your electronic device, the most basic approach to fix this is to Restart or Reboot. Restarting a device refreshes the temporary memory, erases the transient errors and bugs, and boosts the device performance.

So, if you cannot answer phone calls on your Android phone due to a minor bug, then restarting will fix it without any hassle.

2. Toggle Airplane Mode on and Off

Check your phone’s Airplane Mode status, whether on or Off. Airplane Mode cuts off your phone’s external network connectivity, including WiFi, Bluetooth, and cellular data(2G/3G/4G).

Swipe down your Android device screen to open the quick settings menu. Check the color of the Airplane icon. If it is gray, the Airplane Mode is Off. Tap the icon to enable it, and the color will turn blue. Wait for a minute, then re-tap the icon to disable Airplane Mode.

3. Clear Cache & Data Storage Data Of The Phone App

In the forum, many users reported the feasibility of this solution, i.e., to clear storage of the Phone app. The phone app is the default Android system app that manages calls to & fro.

The significant benefit of removing the cache & data of an app is to free up storage. In addition, it will also wipe out the minor bugs & errors that the app encounters. It makes a pseudo-reset of the app and reverts it to its original state, like when you first use it.

• Open the Settings app on your Android phone.
• Go to Apps-> Manage apps.

• Tap the options icon(three-dot icon) from the top right corner of the screen, and select Show all apps.
• Tap Sort by app name.
• Scroll down to the Phone app, and tap Phone.

(Alternatively, you can press & hold the phone app shortcuts icon from the app drawer, then tap the App info icon.)

• Tap Force Stop.

• Tap Clear Data.
• You’ll have two options, ‘Clear cache’ and ‘Clear all data.’ Tap both the options in the order of your choice.

• Close the Settings app.
• Restart your phone.

Now, check whether the issue of not being able to answer a phone call is fixed or not.

4. Remove SIM Card

Since it is related to network issues on Android phones, reinserting the SIM card may fix the problem. Power off your Android. Remove the SIM tray.

Remove the SIM(s), wipe them with a soft cleaning fabric, and put them back in their place.

Alternatively, you can also switch the positions of your SIMs(Dual SIM Android). Reinsert the SIM tray, and Power your Android phone.

5. Update Phone App

If many Android users face the issue, the Developers are very quick to issue updates containing the fix. Hence updating the Phone app is another possible solution to fix the problem ‘Unable to answer calls on Android phone.’

• Open the Google Play Store app.
• Tap your Profile Avatar icon.
• Tap Manage Apps & devices.

• Tap the Update option in the Update tab corresponding to the Phone app.
• Close the Google Play Store after the update.
• Launch the Phone app and check whether the issue has been fixed or not.

6. Check Third-Party Calling Apps

If you’re one of those who use a third-party app like the Truecaller to manage your calls and texting, disable the third-party app or uninstall them. The third-party apps may conflict with the system default phone app due to similar functions. In that case, this conflict may make you unable to answer calls on your Android phone.

• Open the Settings app.
• Go to Apps->Manage apps.
• Tap the options icon(three-dot icon) from the top right corner of the screen, and select Default apps.

• Check the default app for Phone/Dial.
• Ensure that the default app for Phone/Dial is set to the system’s native app. In this article, it is the Contacts and dialer(System) app.

7. Reset App Preferences

The Reset App Preferences reverts the app configurations & settings to their default values. In this process, any errors & bugs that contribute to the issue ‘Unable to answer calls on Android phone’ will vanish. Moreover, the Reset doesn’t erase your data like the contacts.

Follow the steps given below to Reset App Preferences:

• Open the Settings app.
• Go to Apps->Manage apps.
• Tap the options icon(three-dot icon) from the top right corner of the screen, and select the Reset App Preferences option.

• Tap Reset apps when Android prompts for confirmation.

Alternatively, you can follow these steps if the previous actions don’t confirm your Android version.

• Open Settings.
• Go to Reset->Reset Options.
• Tap Reset App Preferences.

8. Check Theme

Changing the theme of your Android may also change some functions. In this case, the action or gestures used to answer a call may also vary. Try changing the theme back to the default theme and check whether the theme affects the issue.

• Open Settings.
• Tap Themes.

• Tap the Profile icon.
• Tap Custom theme.

• Ensure that all categories display the system default theme.

• Close Settings and restart your phone.

9. Ensure You Receive The Call Correctly

Responding to calls varies from Android to Android. In some Android brands, the action of answering a call is to tap the green button. While in others, it swipes the icon up or swipes the icon horizontally. So correct movements & gestures are essential to answering calls on an Android phone.

In Samsung Android smartphones, you can change how you respond to calls, i.e., use a tap instead of swiping.

• Open Settings.
• Go to Settings & Accessibility-> Interaction and dexterity.

• Select the Assistant menu, and enable this feature by toggling the gray button.
• Also, enable the option ‘Single tap to swipe’ on the next screen.

• The only downside of the Assistant menu is that it adds a floating menu icon on your screen. It sometimes becomes a hindrance to some actions. Use the Transparency option in Assistant Menu to control its opacity.
• Press & hold the Transparency slide and drag it to the left.
• Alternatively, you can drag the floating icon and release it on the hide button. By doing this, it will stay in the notification panel.

10. Update Your Phone To The Latest Version

If many Android users suffer from this issue, the developers will distribute updates concerning fixing the above problem. However, if the Phone app update doesn’t fix the problem, you may try updating the Android version.

• Open Settings.
• Tap About Phone.

• Tap Android Version.
• Choose the option Check for updates at the bottom of the screen.

• Download & install the latest updates if it’s available.
• After the installation, tap Reboot now.

Alternate Way To Answer Calls

You can make changes in your Settings to make and end calls using hardware or physical buttons. For example, you can finish a call by pressing the Power key and answer a call using the volume up key. The latter feature is available in selected Android brands only.

• Open Settings.
• Go to Additional Settings-> Accessibility.

• Under the Physical tab, enable the ‘Power button ends call’ feature.

• Close the Settings app.

Conclusion

So these are some of the possible solutions that can fix the problem of not being able to answer calls on your Android phone. If you’re still unable to resolve using any of the above solutions, it may be the display issue that makes your Android unable to make calls.

Check whether the touch areas corresponding to the answer buttons work in other Android apps. If it isn’t, go to a technician and have a diagnostics of the display screen.

Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs)