Having a smartphone in your pocket is the same as carrying a small personal computer with you everywhere. These devices can do almost anything. However, we must not lose sight of the purpose for which telephones were conceived: to make and receive calls (although in some cases it is the least we do). That's why it's a bit irritating when you run into this problem: I can't pick up incoming calls.
Why does this happen? What can we do to solve the problem? The truth is that there are many cases, each of them different from the rest, so the solution is also different. Sometimes the calls do not appear on the screen, although it is even more disconcerting when we see the incoming call, but we are unable to answer.
In either case, the result is the same: we miss a call that could be important and, above all, we no longer have the most basic function of a phone. How to fix this? We suggest you try the following methods:
Restart phone and other easy tricks
Solutions to "can't pick up incoming calls"
It's not a particularly imaginative solution, but it works on many occasions. And that is the only thing that matters. At the end of the day, it is about applying that old trick that all computer technicians use from time to time: Turn on and turn off.
Restarting the smartphone is actually a method that can be used to resolve many malfunctions on your device. Also for when we stare at the screen, upset, and wondering "why can't I pick up incoming calls?"
You can take advantage of this reset to update our device, since many times incoming calls cannot be picked up for the simple fact of having a pending update of the application. In some models, the trick of activating and deactivating the airplane mode also works, after which the incoming calls can be picked up.
If these methods do not work for you, you can try the following:
Enable notifications
Incoming call notifications can be disabled by mistake
Not many people know this, but one of the most common reasons why incoming calls are not showing on the mobile phone screen is have incoming call notifications turned off.
Why does this happen? Normally, these types of notifications are always activated by default on our phone. To disable them you have to go to the phone's settings, although sometimes they can be disabled without our noticing after an update. Fortunately, reversing this situation is very easy. You just have to follow these steps:
- First of all you have to go to "Setting".
- Then we must slide the screen until we find the option to "Applications".
- There we will "Manage applications".
- The next step is to search for the application of "Phone" default and access permissions.
- Finally, check that all permissions are enabled.
Wipe cache
Why can't I pick up incoming calls?
Another "classic" method that can give an adequate answer to the question "why can't I pick up incoming calls?": wipe cache of the phone app.
Let no one be alarmed: by doing this we are not going to erase the data from our phone (contacts, messages, conversations from WhatsApp, etc.), we will only delete the data of that specific application. Here are the steps to achieve it:
- First we enter the menu "Settings" and open the application manager.
- Then we locate the phone application and in it we click on the option of "Storage".
- Next we select the options of "Clear cache" and "Delete data".
- The last step is to restart the phone.
To be sure that it has worked, we will have to wait to receive a call and check if we can pick it up without problems. Most likely everything will be fine. If not, we will have to try something different:
The Last Resort: Factory Reset
If all of the above hasn't worked, it's time to use the last cartridge: reset the mobile phone. In other words, reset to factory settings and go back to square one.
It must be said that this should be our last option, a kind of desperate resort. You also have to know that resorting to this has its consequences. The most prudent thing is make a backup of all the information that our phone contains, in order not to lose it. You have to do it because everything will be deleted when we do the reset.
It is a radical solution, but it will undoubtedly solve the problem of not being able to pick up incoming calls. If even so we cannot resolve the issue, there will be no choice but to go to the brand's technical service (if the guarantee allows it) or seek help from a specialized technician.