Have you tried making a call from your iPhone, but it’s not working? You may find that you cannot hear the outgoing dial tone, or that the call attempt ends abruptly. Your screen may also show a call failed error message.
Whatever the reason, here are all the different ways to fix your iPhone when it’s not letting you make phone calls.
1. Toggle Airplane Mode
When Airplane Mode is enabled on your iPhone, this feature disables both incoming and outgoing texts and calls. This is important to prevent interference if you’re on a plane. But if you don’t need to use Airplane Mode right now, make sure it’s turned off by accessing your iPhone’s Control Center and tapping on the Airplane Mode icon.
2. Check Your Mobile Plan
If your iPhone won’t call but will text, you may need to check your mobile plan. To make calls using your iPhone’s Phone app, you’ll need an active mobile plan with sufficient call credit or minutes.
Some plans may say they include unlimited calls, but the catch is that the feature may not apply to all types of phone numbers, or you may only use it during certain times of the day.
Therefore, check with your network to see if your mobile plan has expired or has insufficient credit. If this is the case, simply reload your account, switch to a more suitable plan if necessary, and you should be able to start calling again.
3. Check your phone signal
If you are in a remote outdoor location, or if it is raining or snowing in your area, you may experience poor cell reception. Check the cell signal icon in your iPhone’s status bar to find out if this is the reason why your phone doesn’t allow you to make calls.
If only one vertical bar is full, you can try moving to another location to get a stronger signal for calling. For example, if you are in your bedroom, simply moving to other areas of your home such as the kitchen or garden may give you the cues you need.
If there are no bars, or if you don’t see any service in the status bar, visit your network provider’s website and view a coverage map to find out if you’re going to get a signal in your current location.
4. Enable Wi-Fi Calling
Wi-Fi Calling helps you make (and receive) calls when you have poor cellular reception but can connect to a Wi-Fi network.
So, if you can’t make calls on your iPhone or find that your calls get disconnected frequently, you can try enabling the feature to resolve the issue. Simply go to Settings > Phone > Wi-Fi Calling. Toggle on Wi-Fi Calling on This iPhone.
5. Check Carrier Settings Update
Another solution is to check if your carrier provider has any network related updates. First of all, connect your iPhone to Wi-Fi or enable cellular data. After that go to the Settings app. Select General and tap About.
If an update is available, you’ll see a Carrier Settings Update prompt. Tap Update to start the installation.
6. Restart your iPhone
A common but effective solution for most technical problems is to simply reboot your device. Different iPhone models often have different restart methods. So, if you’re not sure exactly what to do, you can read our dedicated guide on restarting your iPhone—it doesn’t matter, even if your iPhone’s buttons are broken.
7. Remove and re-insert the SIM card of your iPhone
A working SIM card is required to send texts and make calls with your iPhone. If your device cannot properly detect your SIM card, your iPhone may not be able to make calls.
The easy solution is to safely remove the SIM card from your iPhone and put it back. The SIM card tray is located on the side of your iPhone. To eject the tray, you can use the SIM-eject tool that’s included in your iPhone box (or a straight paper clip).
After removing the SIM card, wipe it gently with a soft, lint-free cloth. Then, put the SIM card back in the tray and slide it into your iPhone. It is important to handle these components with care to avoid damaging your device in the process.
8. Update Your iPhone
Apple’s iOS software updates often come with bug fixes that fix minor software bugs. Sometimes, you can solve your iPhone call problems simply by keeping your iPhone up to date.
So, check out our guide on how to update your iPhone, or simply go to Settings > General > Software Update to check for new updates.
9. Reset Network Settings
If there are network issues, you might not be able to make calls from your iPhone. So, the next solution is to reset network settings on your iPhone.
Rest assured that this is not a factory reset. It stores information such as Wi-Fi passwords and Bluetooth device connections.