How to fix can’t make or receive calls on Galaxy S10

Samsung Galaxy devices don’t usually encounter network problems but whenever they do, they can be very frustrating for owners. In this troubleshooting article, we’ll help you deal with a specific calling problem that can usually occur for a number of reasons: can’t make or receive calls. Make sure to follow our suggestions below.

How to fix can’t make or receive calls on Galaxy S10 | troubleshoot calling issue

Is your Galaxy S10 having trouble when you’re trying to make or receive calls? If it can’t make or receive calls and you have no idea how to fix it, follow our troubleshooting steps below to fix it.

Can’t make or receive calls fix #1: Restart the phone

A lot of calling issues are caused by minor bugs. Temporary bugs may develop as the system runs for a long time but they can go away after a system restart. Make sure to restart your phone if you haven’t yet. Here’s how it’s done:

Press and hold the Power + Volume Down buttons for approximately 12 seconds or until the device power cycles. Note: Allow several seconds for the Maintenance Boot Mode screen to appear.
From the Maintenance Boot Mode screen, select Normal Boot. Note: Utilize the volume buttons to cycle through the available options and the lower left button (below the volume buttons) to select. Allow up to 90 seconds for the reset to complete.
If Maintenance Boot Mode screen won’t show, then your device does not have it. Simply wait for the device to power down completely.

Can’t make or receive calls fix #2: Verify signal is good

Calling and texting may not work properly if you are in a location with poor signal. Make sure that there’s at least 3 signal bars on your Galaxy S10 when calling. Although signal bars can’t tell exactly whether or not a network service can work, having at least that number is good enough to make calling or texting possible.

If signal keeps cutting in and out in your current area, try to relocate and see if that will fix the problem. You may have to restart the phone first before testing for the problem again.

Can’t make or receive calls fix #3: Reseat SIM card

When dealing with any network problem, one of the basic things that you can do is to try to see if the SIM card simply needs restarting. To do that, all you have to do is to turn off the device and remove the SIM card. This is usually effective in fixing texting or calling problems.

Can’t make or receive calls fix #4: Clear Phone app cache

If your Galaxy S10 still can’t make or receive calls at this time, the next logical step to do is to deal with the Phone app. There may be an issue with the said app that prevents it from working properly. To see if it’s a Phone app issue, try clearing its cache and see what happens.

Open Settings app.
Tap Apps.
Tap the More settings icon (three-dot icon, upper right).
Tap Show system apps.
Find and tap the Instagram app.
Tap Storage.
Tap Clear cache button.

Can’t make or receive calls fix #5: Reset Phone app

If the problem returns after wiping the Phone app’s cache, the next good thing that you must do is to return the Phone app to its defaults. Here’s how:

Open Settings app.
Tap Apps.
Tap the More settings icon (three-dot icon, upper right).
Tap Show system apps.
Find and tap the Instagram app.
Tap Storage.
Tap Clear data button.

Can’t make or receive calls fix #6: Clear cache partition

Another possible reason why your Galaxy S10 can’t make or receive calls may be a cache partition issue. Cache partition is a portion of your device’s storage that keeps the system cache. This cache is used by Android to load apps quickly. Sometimes, when this cache is corrupted, it can lead to all sorts of trouble. Making sure that the system cache is updated at this point is important. To clear the cache partition and refresh the system cache:

Turn off the device. This is important. If you can’t turn it off, you’ll never be able to boot to Recovery Mode. If you are not able to shut the device off regularly via the Power button, wait until the phone’s battery is drained. Then, charge the phone for 30 minutes before booting to Recovery Mode.
Press and hold the Volume Up button and the Bixby button at the same time.
While still holding the Volume Up and Bixby keys, press and hold the Power button.
The Recovery screen menu will now appear. When you see this, release the buttons.
Press the Volume down key several times to highlight ‘wipe cache partition’.
Press Power button to select.
Press the Volume down key until ‘yes’ is highlighted and press the Power button.
When the wipe cache partition is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
Press the Power key to restart the device.

Can’t make or receive calls fix #7: Check for rogue app

Some third party apps may interfere with Android and cause problems. To check if one of your downloaded apps is to blame, try running your S10 to safe mode. In this mode, all third party apps will be suspended and won’t be able to run. If the problem won’t occur on safe mode, which means that you are able to make and receive phone calls while safe mode is active, that means a bad third party app is causing the trouble.

To run your device to safe mode:

Press and hold the Power button until the Power off window appears then release.
Touch and hold Power off until the Safe mode prompt appears then release.
To confirm, tap Safe mode.
The process may take up to 30 seconds to complete.
Upon reboot, “Safe mode” appears in the lower-left of the home screen.

Remember that third-party applications are disabled in this mode so what you can use are pre-installed apps. If the touchscreen issue won’t appear on safe mode, that means that the problem is due to a bad app. Uninstall the app you recently installed and see if that will fix it. If the problem remains, use the process of elimination to identify the rogue app. Here’s how:

Boot to safe mode.
Check for the problem.
Once you’ve confirmed that a third party app is to blame, you can start uninstalling apps individually. We suggest that you begin with the most recent ones you added.
After you uninstall an app, restart the phone to normal mode and check for the problem.
If your S10 is still problematic, repeat steps 1-4.

Can’t make or receive calls fix #8: Reset network settings

Another effective way to deal with all kinds of networking problems like the one we’re trying to fix is clearing network settings. This troubleshooting step will clear Bluetooth, mobile data, wifi, and VPN settings. Put simply, this will return the network configuration of your device to its defaults so you will need to reconfigure it afterwards. For example, you will have to manually connect to wifi networks again after doing this troubleshooting step. For cellular settings, all you need to do is to continue using the device normally.

If you are using a VPN service, you’ll have to add the values again in order to allow your device to use the service. When you reset the network settings on your S10, these are the things that happens:

Allows background data sync.
Clears mobile data limits.
Deletes all Wi-Fi SSIDs or wifi names.
Disconnects all tethered interfaces.
Forgets paired devices.
Removes all app data restrictions.
Sets network selection mode to automatic.
Sets preferred mobile network type to the best available.
Turns off Airplane mode.
Turns off Bluetooth.
Turns off data roaming.
Turns off mobile hotspot.
Turns off VPN.
Turns on mobile data.
Turns on Wi-Fi.

Below are the easy steps to clear the current network setup of your device.

On the Home screen, tap Apps icon.
Open Settings app.
Tap General management.
Tap Reset.
Tap Reset network settings.
Tap Reset settings to confirm.

To reset network settings on Galaxy S10 won’t result to loss of your personal data. You can do this safely without worrying that you might lose something important. Hopefully, the steps above will help fix whatever network issue you’re experiencing.

Can’t make or receive calls fix #9: Factory reset

In most cases, wiping the phone and returning its software to factory settings is not necessary. However, if nothing has worked so far, you should consider doing a factory reset to check if the cause of the bug comes within the device, or if it’s something network-related.

To factory reset your S10:

Method 1: How to hard reset on Samsung Galaxy S10 via Settings Menu

Create a backup of your personal data and remove your Google account.
Open Settings app.
Scroll to and tap General management.
Tap Reset.
Select Factory data reset from the given options.
Read the information then tap Reset to continue.
Tap Delete All to confirm action.

Method 2: How to hard reset on Samsung Galaxy S10 using hardware buttons

If possible, create a backup of your personal data ahead of time. If your problem prevents you from doing that, then simply skip this step.
Also, you want to make sure that you remove your Google account. If your problem prevents you from doing that, then simply skip this step.
Turn off the device. This is important. If you can’t turn it off, you’ll never be able to boot to Recovery Mode. If you are not able to shut the device off regularly via the Power button, wait until the phone’s battery is drained. Then, charge the phone for 30 minutes before booting to Recovery Mode.
Press and hold the Volume Up button and the Bixby button at the same time.
While still holding the Volume Up and Bixby keys, press and hold the Power button.
The Recovery screen menu will now appear. When you see this, release the buttons.
Use the Volume Down button until you are highlighting ‘Wipe data/factory reset.’
Press the Power button to select ‘Wipe data/factory reset.’
Use Volume Down to highlight Yes.
Press the Power button to confirm factory reset.

Can’t make or receive calls fix #10: Contact your network operator

If factory reset won’t help and your S10 can’t still make or receive calls, the most likely cause for it is beyond your capability to fix. Make sure to contact your carrier or network operator for help.