How to fix a Samsung Galaxy J2 Pro that cannot make or receive phone calls (easy steps)

Calling problems can be inflicted by many different factors from network problems, account issues, invalid settings, faulty updates, SIM card issues, and worst, hardware damage on the phone. This denotes the need for you to look into each of these factors whenever you will have some trouble making or receiving phone calls on your device. Tackled in this post is the same issue transpiring on the new Samsung Galaxy J2 Pro (2018) smartphone. Read further if you need more inputs on how to deal with this issue.

Before we proceed, if you’re looking for a solution to a problem with your phone, try to browse through our troubleshooting pages to see if we support your device. If your phone is in the list of our supported devices, then go to the troubleshooting page and look for similar problems. Feel free to use our solutions and workarounds. Don’t worry it’s free. But if you still need our help, then fill up our Android issues questionnaire and hit submit to contact us.

How to troubleshoot Galaxy J2 Pro 2018 that can’t make / receive calls

Before you troubleshoot software problems on your device that might have prevented you from making or receiving phone calls, check and ensure that your phone is getting a good signal. If the signal indicator is showing 1 to 2 bars and that it’s stable, then you’re good. Otherwise, you will need to deal with network problems first for calling functions to resume on your device. If the signal is good but you still cannot make or receive phone calls on your Samsung Galaxy J2 Pro (2018) smartphone, then move on and start troubleshooting with these subsequent workarounds.

First solution: Perform a soft reset/restart.

A soft reset or device restart will likely fix the problem if it’s just occurring among other random issues on the phone. This clears any minor system errors that might have caused the Phone app to glitch and fail to work as intended. Here’s how a soft reset is done on your Galaxy J2 Pro 2018:

Press the Power button for a few seconds until the menu options show up on the screen.
Tap to select Power off option.
Then tap OK to confirm.
Wait for about 30 seconds then press the Power button again to turn your phone back on.
Alternatively, you can do a force restart by pressing and holding on the Power button and Volume Down button simultaneously for about 10 to 20 seconds and then release the buttons when the phone restarts.

Both these methods will not delete any data from the internal memory of your device, thus won’t require you to create backups.

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Second solution: Clear cache and data from the Phone app then retry calling.

Cache files stored in the Phone’s memory might be to blame especially when any of them gets corrupted. To rule this out, try to clear cache and data from the Phone app with these steps:

Tap Apps from the Home screen.
Navigate to Settings-> Apps menu or Settings-> Apps & Notifications-> App info, for devices running on Android Oreo platform.
Tap to select Phone app.
Tap Storage.
Tap Clear Cache. This will wipe cached files from the Phone app.

Wait until the cache is completely cleared and then restart your device.

Third solution: Reset network settings/Reset all settings.

Invalid settings particularly options that are associated with the network functions of the phone can also be the main reason as to why you cannot make or receive phone calls. These settings can be altered manually or automatically. Some software updates might have automatically override your phone settings and may result to this problem. To rule this out, you can reset network settings and all settings on your phone to restore the default values and then reconfigure necessary options accordingly. Here’s how:

Tap to open the Apps screen.
Scroll to and tap Settings.
Select General management.
Tap Reset.
Select Reset Network Settings. This will reset network connectivity options and settings back to their default values.
To reset system settings back to the original configuration without deleting any data and personal information, select Reset Settings instead.
Read the information and select Reset Settings twice to confirm action.

Reboot your phone afterwards to apply the new changes and refresh the phone system. Then do a test call to see if it’s already working.

Fourth solution: Remove and reinstall the SIM card.

If you see any error message pertaining to the SIM card like invalid SIM card, No SIM card detected, SIM card not recognized, and the like, try to remove and reseat the SIM card. It’s possible that the SIM card is loose or dislodged, thus your device cannot read it. Cellular services should be back up and running once the SIM card is fixed. So here’s what you should do then:

Turn off your phone completely.
Gently pull out the SIM card holder.
Remove the SIM card from the tray.
Examine the card and tray for any visible signs of damage.
If everything looks good, place the SIM card back into the tray in the same orientation before you remove it.
Push the SIM card tray back into the slot.

When the tray is locked and secure, turn on your phone and then attempt to make a test call to find out if you can now make and receive phone calls on your device.

Fifth solution: Perform a factory data reset/master reset.

A factory data reset or master reset can be considered as last resort if the problem persists after performing all the above procedures and other applicable workarounds. There might be some complex system errors or tough bugs that might have prevented your device from processing calls. In this case, a full system reset would be necessary. Be reminded though that this will delete all data and personal information you’ve stored on the internal memory of your phone and restores all settings to factory defaults. Should you wish to proceed, back up all your important files and then follow these steps to carry out a master reset on your Galaxy J2 Pro 2018 smartphone:

Open the Apps menu.
Tap Settings.
Scroll to and tap General management.
Tap Reset.
Select Factory data reset from the given options.
Read and review the message then tap Reset.
Tap Delete All to confirm system reset.

Wait until the reset is finished and your phone reboots automatically. You can proceed with the initial setup process afterwards.

Seek more help

Contact your network service provider or carrier if none of the given solutions is able to fix the issue and that your Samsung Galaxy J2 Pro (2018) smartphone still cannot make or receive phone calls. There might be some issues with your account services that needs to be resolved on your carrier’s end. If you suspect that the SIM card is at fault, then you can request a new SIM card replacement as well.

Alternatively, you can take your device to a Samsung service center nearby and have it diagnosed by a technician for any possible indications of hardware damage. Aside from software issues, a faulty component on the phone is also among the underlying causes. Don’t forget to avail for warranty, if necessary.

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