How to fix your Galaxy Note8 if calls keep dropping [troubleshooting guide]

If you’re reading this post, then most probably you have a problem with calls on your #GalaxyNote8. Good for you, we cover all possible factors of the problem in this one. We appreciate if you can give us a feedback how these solutions below work. It sure will be a good help for other Android users as well.

Restart your Note8 regularly

Network bugs are sometimes fixed by cutting power to the device. In many instances of call drop issues we encountered over the years, restarting a device was an effective solution for it so make sure that you don’t skip it. Just press and hold the Power button, then select the Restart button from the options.

Verify your Note8 has good signal reception

A lot of call drop issues in a number of Samsung Galaxy phones are caused by poor signal coverage so the next logical troubleshooting step for you is to ensure that your device has acceptable signal strength during calls. Keep in mind that signal coverage doesn’t stay constant and there many variables that will affect its quality. If you make your calls when you are in a poorly covered location, then don’t expect to have good or normal calls. Your Note8 has cellular signal strength indicator at the status bar to give an approximate quality of cellular signal. If you’re only getting 2 signal bars, then avoid making important calls as there’s a fair chance it may drop or becomes problematic throughout the duration. To be on the safe mode, only make important calls when you have a full signal bar in the status bar. Anything less than that can potentially cause you issues.

Toggle Airplane Mode

Some Galaxy Note8 users were able to fix certain network issues, including call drop problems, by toggling Airplane Mode on and off. We can’t quite understand the technical reason for this but it must have something to do with how a device set network configuration again after all network functions are shut off when Airplane Mode is enabled. Whether this is accurate or not, we want you to try it nonetheless. It’s an easy step and won’t take 10 seconds of your time. Just swipe down from the top of the status bar and tap on Airplane Mode. after a few moments, tap it again to turn it off. Afterwards, check how calls are working.

Install updates

There are three updates that your device usually install over time: app updates, updates for the modem (carrier updates), and operating system updates. Each of these updates are meant for three different software components on your device and they are equally important. Since there’s no convenient way to easily know whether you get a carrier update or an Android update sometimes, it’s easier if you simply install any update that comes your way. That means checking Play Store and Settings app for app or Android updates (if you happen to turn off their automatic update feature).

Updates not only bring improvements and cosmetic changes. Sometimes, they also include fixes for known bugs. Needless to say, you want to always try to keep the software up-to-date by actively seeking for updates regularly.

Deal with the system cache

Some Android problems are due to a corrupt system cache. This usually occurs when a system cache Android uses is updated or receives new set of files. Sometimes, incorrect set of installation packages or other files can render the system cache out-of-date, resulting to all sorts of issues. To check if your Note8 has system cache problem, make sure that you reset the cache partition. Here’s how:

1. Turn off the device.
2. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
3. When the green Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
4. Press the Volume down key several times to highlight ‘wipe cache partition’.
5. Press Power button to select.
6. Press the Volume down key until ‘yes’ is highlighted and press the Power button.
7. When the wipe cache partition is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
8. Press the Power key to restart the device.
9. Check for the issue.

Clear cache and data of Phone app

Every individual app keeps its own set of cache that helps it perform faster, similar to Android using the system cache to load apps quickly. Sometimes, app-level cache gets corrupted causing all sorts of issues for that app. To fix it, you can either wipe the app cache or its data. Here’s how:

1. Open the Settings menu either through your notification shade (drop-down) or through the Settings app in your app drawer.
2. Tap Apps.
3. Tap More settings (three-dot icon) at the upper right.
4. Tap Show system apps.
5. Look for the Phone app and tap it.
6. You’ll now see a list of stuff that gives you information about the app, including Storage, Permissions, Memory Use, and more. These are all clickable items. You’ll want to click on Storage.
7. Tap CLEAR CACHE..
8. Check how your S9 works during calls.

Should clearing Phone app’s cache won’t make a difference, you can then proceed to deleting your Phone app’s data. To do that, just do the steps 1-6 then tap CLEAR DATA button.

Check if third party app is problematic

Not every app that’s available in the Play Store or in other sources are compatible with every Android system. It’s also impossible for average users to know whether or not an app is problematic before installing it. For this reason, it’s important to always install apps only from reputable publishers. If you install apps by impulse, or if you are adventurous when it comes to apps, there’s a chance you may have installed a bad one. To know that, you need to restart your device to safe and observe it for some time.

To boot to safe mode:

1. Turn the device off.
2. Press and hold the Power key past the model name screen.
3. When “SAMSUNG” appears on the screen, release the Power key.
4. Immediately after releasing the Power key, press and hold the Volume down key.
5. Continue to hold the Volume down key until the device finishes restarting.
6. Safe mode will display in the bottom left corner of the screen.
7. Release the Volume down key when you see Safe Mode.
8. Let your phone run for at least 24 hours to see any difference.

If the issue continues even when your device is on safe mode, that means one of your apps is to blame. To know what that app is, you must invest time and effort in it. If you have plenty of apps installed, it’s probably going to take you some time to narrow down the cause. Basically, what you want to do is to uninstall apps one by one, making sure to boot the phone to normal mode and for the problem after removing an app. If nothing comes up positive, proceed to the next app.

Reseat the SIM card

Removing and reinserting the SIM card worked for some users experiencing this issue. If you haven’t done it yet, be sure that you do if nothing works after running the device to safe mode. Just make sure to turn the phone off first before removing the card and before re-inserting it. In between these actions, be sure to restart your Note8 to clear the system.

Reset network settings

This solution option is necessary when dealing with any network issue. Resetting network settings will clear wifi, mobile data, and bluetooth settings so you’ll have to reconfigure them up again later. Here’s how to do that:

1. Open Settings app.
2. Tap General management.
3. Tap Reset.
4. Tap Reset network settings.
5. Tap RESET SETTINGS button.
6. Restart your S9 and check how it works during calls.

Change network modes manually

At times, forcing the phone to connect to another network and reconnecting to your own works in fixing call drop problems. That’s because the system will be forced to re-configure the settings once you reconnect. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Open Settings app.
2. Tap Connections.
3. Tap Mobile networks.
4. Tap Network operators.
5. Tap Search networks.
6. Wait for your Note8 to search for networks.
7. Once it’s done searching,, select another network to connect to. For example, if you’re on T-Mobile, pick AT&T or any other network.
8. Your phone will be forced to return with an error because it won’t be able to register successfully.
9. Afterwards, select your own network again and see if your S9 will now be able to re-register.

Wipe your phone clean

As the final step in fixing this issue on your end, you need to factory reset your device. This will return all your software settings back to their defaults, just like when your phone was brand new and just unboxed. We hope you’ll not reach this point but you must not hesitate to do it should all our suggestions above fail to fix your issue. Before you decide to wipe the phone, be sure to back your data up to avoid losing them.

To factory reset your Note8:

1. From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
2. Tap Settings > Cloud and accounts.
3. Tap Accounts.
4. Tap Google.
5. Tap on your Google ID email address if multiple accounts are setup. If you have multiple accounts setup, you will need to repeat these steps for each account.
6. Tap 3 dot icon.
7. Tap Remove account.
8. Tap REMOVE ACCOUNT.

Once you’re ready to reset your phone, follow these steps to bring your phone back to default settings…

1. Turn off the device.
2. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
3. When the green Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
4. Press the Volume down key several times to highlight “wipe data / factory reset.
5. Press Power button to select.
6. Press the Volume down key until ‘Yes — delete all user data’ is highlighted.
7. Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
8. When the master reset is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
9. Press the Power key to restart the device.
10. Test the phone for calls. Make sure not to install or add anything to the phone.

Contact your carrier

Should the issue refuse to go away after doing a factory reset, that means that the problem is most probably on the network side. For this reason, you want to let your carrier help you isolate the issue. Make sure to tell them everything that you’ve tried so far so they can narrow down possible reasons faster.

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