How to fix a Moto X4 smartphone that cannot make or receive phone calls (easy steps)

Calling problems like unable to make or receive phone calls are among the widespread issues transpiring in mobile devices including new smartphones like the Moto X4. Problems are these are usually triggered by network errors either on your end or your network service provider. This means you can try to fix the problem on your end or ask your network service provider for help. In this context, I have demonstrated a few helpful workarounds and potential solutions to address calling issues on a Moto X4 device. You may refer to this troubleshooting guide when necessary.

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How to fix your Moto X4 that can’t make / receive phone calls

Before you begin to troubleshoot software problems that might have prevented your Moto X4 from making or receiving phone calls, verify and ensure that your account status is good. Some carrier would implement temporary deactivation of outgoing services for accounts with unsettled issues like unpaid bills or other issues. Also check for outages. Sometimes, network outages would disrupt relevant services unexpectedly unless those that are due to scheduled maintenance conducted by your network service provider. In the case where you cannot receive calls only from a certain contact or phone number, try to check your auto-block list. It’s possible that the number is listed in your blocked list so it has to be removed, if needed.

If you’ve done all that but the problem continues, then you can now start troubleshooting. You may consider these workarounds among your options.

First solution: Restart your phone (soft reset).

To make sure that the problem is not triggered by minor glitches, you can start by performing a soft reset or restarting your phone. This will help clear any errors affecting the Phone/dialer app, without affecting any data stored in the internal memory of your device. And here’s how it’s done:

Press and hold the Power key for 10 to 20 seconds until it shuts down completely. After a few seconds, press and hold the Power key again until the phone restarts and go through the boot-up sequence.
Alternatively, you can press and hold the Volume Down key and Power key simultaneously for 30 to 40 seconds and then release both keys when the phone restarts.

Perform a test call to see if the problem is fixed. Otherwise, continue to the next procedure.

Second solution: Clear cache and data on Phone/Dialer app.

Cache or temporary files populating the phone app can also be among the possible triggers especially when they crash. To make sure this isn’t the trigger, try clearing cache and data on your Phone app with these steps:

Open Settings.
Tap Apps.
Select All apps from the drop-down menu.
Select Phone/Dialer app you’re using.
Tap Storage.
Tap Clear cache to clear the app’s cache.
Tap Clear data-> OK, if necessary.

After clearing cache and data on your phone app, restart your phone one more time to refresh the system and apply the recent changes you’ve made. Then do some test calls to see if that will go through this time.

Third solution: Wipe cache partition.

Temporary system files that are stored as cache in phone’s system directory can also affect other functions especially when these files get corrupted. To make sure that this is not what’s preventing your device from processing calls, wiping the cache partition can help. Here’s how it’s done:

Turn off your phone.
Press and hold the Power and Volume Down buttons at the same time for a few seconds.
Release both buttons when the Boot Mode Selection menu appears.
From the menu, press the Volume Down to navigate to and highlight Recovery.
Press the Volume Up key to select the highlighted option.
At the No Command screen, press and release the Volume Up and Power buttons simultaneously for several times repeatedly until you access the Android Recovery menu.
While in Recovery, press the Volume Down key repeatedly until the wipe cache partition option is highlighted.
Press the Power button to confirm selected option.
Wait until your device is done wiping the cache partition and prompts you with the Reboot system now option.
Press the Power button one last time to confirm selection and restart your phone.

Unlike a factory reset, wiping the cache partition does not affect your data so you won’t lose personal contents and information stored in the internal memory of your device.

Fourth solution: Remove and reinstall your SIM card.

If you cannot make or receive calls on your Moto X4 and you see any errors pertaining to the SIM card or network, removing the reinstalling your SIM card can help. If you wish to try your luck in this workaround, then here’s how:

Turn off your phone.
Locate the tiny hole on the SIM card tray.
Position your phone facing up.
Insert the SIM ejection tool into the hole then firmly but gently push it in until the tray pops out. Be sure to use the SIM ejection tool that comes with your device for perfect fit.
Remove the tray.
Take out the SIM card and check for any visible signs of damage. If you suspect the SIM card is damaged, contact your service provider/carrier to request for a new SIM card replacement. If the SIM card looks good to you, then proceed to the next step.
Place the SIM card back into the (smaller) slot in the tray with the gold contacts facing down.
Carefully reposition the tray in the slot then push it gently back into the phone.

Restart your phone when the tray is secured, perform some test calls and see if that will work.

Fifth solution: Update your phone to the latest software version.

Installing the latest software update on your device can also be the key to fixing calling errors especially if they’re inflicted by some tough bugs. Aside from bringing in new features, software updates also contain fix patches to get rid of any existing bugs that are causing different issues to occur on your device. Follow these steps to get this done:

Tap Settings in the apps menu.
Tap About phone.
Tap System updates.

Note: Before you start downloading any update, be sure to have your phone charged (at least 50%) and connected to the Internet.

Select Download and install.
Wait until your device finishes downloading the software and shows Background installation.
Wait until the software is completely installed.
When your phone shows the Almost there… prompt, select the option to Restart Now.

Wait until your phone is finished booting up and then test your phone to see if it’s now able to make or receive phone calls.

Other options

Factory data reset/master reset. You may opt to proceed with a factory reset or master reset as your last resort if none of the prior methods is able to fix the problem. There might be some more serious system issues that caused troubles to your phone’s calling functions. Considering that the underlying cause is a complex system error, performing a factory reset or master reset can fix it. However, this process will lead to data loss as it will delete everything from your phone system including personal data and other contents. Any system bugs will also be cleared.
Seek more help. Contact your service provider/carrier to report the issue and ask further assistance and recommendations. The problem might have something to do with account-related issues or network errors that can only be rectified on your carrier’s end. So give them a call for more help.

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