Potential Solutions to Apple iPhone 6s Plus Call Problems: Cannot Make or Receive Calls

Even Apple’s novel smartphone variant, the iPhone 6s Plus (#iPhone6sPlus) is not absolved from having issues on making and receiving phone calls. As a matter of fact, you can see pertinent complaints populating iOS forums and websites. Many factors could hinder a device from performing specific functions like making or receiving phone calls. It could be due to mis-configuration of certain settings, network problems, or software glitches.
iPhone-6s-plus-calls-problems
In this post, I elaborate some workarounds and methods to troubleshoot iPhone 6s Plus problems on making and receiving calls.
Problem
“All calls I’ve tried to make got dropped and then an error message showed up on screen, saying something like “call failed…” and then it gave me an option to cancel or retry. If my calls went through, the receiving party would say I am breaking off and then my call got disconnected. How to I fix this?”
Answer: Possible reasons as to why outgoing call attempts fail or you’re unable to make calls include inactive account status and ongoing network service interruptions. The error message gives you hint of what is causing you trouble. And in your case, it’s likely a network problem. If this is the first time you’re having trouble making a call, check your phone’s network indicator and ensure the signal strength is good. Restart your iPhone and retry calling. Should that failed again then you can try any of the potential solutions below.
Other symptoms
  • Dropping calls
  • Incoming Calls go straight to voicemail
  • Other line cannot hear
  • Background noise during calls
Potential Solutions
The very first thing you need to look into if all of a sudden you can’t make outgoing calls on your phone is to check the signal indicator in the status bar. Prompts like ‘No service/signal,’ or ‘Searching for network’ are indications that network problems exist and thereby causing you trouble making and receiving calls on your device. If you see any of the aforesaid network problem indicators, try making a call in another location where signal strength is good. Otherwise, proceed with the following workarounds:
  1. Reboot your phone.
A simple restart often helps in resolving several issues on a device including those that are related to network service.
  1. Remove and re-insert the SIM card.
If you are using a SIM card on your iPhone, remove and re-insert the SIM card. Make sure the SIM card is properly secured in place.
  1. Verify and configure phone settings.
There are four important settings you need to check and/or configure on your iPhone should you have trouble making and receiving calls. These include the following:
  • Airplane Mode – This feature must be disabled or turned off for your phone to function as it normally does particularly calling and texting. Toggling this feature on and off can also help resolve problems in making or receiving calls. To enable/disable Airplane mode on your iPhone, swipe up from the bottom of the Home screen to launch the Control Center, and then tap Airplane Mode. Another way is to go to Settings-> Airplane Mode and toggle the slider to turn it on or off.
  • Do Not Disturb (DND) – Just like Airplane Mode, DND also needs to be disabled or turned off to avoid problems making and receiving calls on your iPhone. There are a lot of cases in which users are having trouble getting calls or incoming calls go straight to voicemail because DND is active. Be sure to turn it off. An indication that DND is on is a crescent moon icon showing in the status bar. To turn DND on or off, go toSettings-> Do Not Disturb. You can also swipe up from the bottom of the screen to go to the Control Center and then tap the crescent moon icon from there. You won’t be able to hear notifications sounds and incoming calls alerts with DND enabled.
  • Blocked numbers – One possible reason as to why you cannot make an outgoing call is because the phone number you are trying to call is blocked. Check the phone number and make sure it’s not in the block list. To check for blocked numbers, go to Settings-> Phone-> Blocked.
  • Call Forwarding – As the name implies, call forwarding is used for routing calls to another number or device. It’s a useful feature whenever you don’t want to take any calls, like during important sessions at work. To ensure this is not barring incoming calls, turn this feature off. To check, go to Settings-> Phone-> Call Forwarding.
  1. Reset Network Settings.
If all the aforesaid settings are properly configured yet still you won’t be able to make or receive a call, your next option is to reset your network settings. This will delete all current saved network settings such as Wi-Fi passwords, preferred networks, as well as VPN settings. To reset network settings, tapSettings-> General-> Reset-> Reset Network Settings.
  1. Toggle between network modes available.
Switching to another network band can also help resolve network problems, which prevent you from making or getting phone calls. To switch network bands, tap Settings-> Cellular-> turn off the option to Enable LTE, 4G, or 3G. You can try using each band and perform a test call to see if that works. Otherwise, try another band. Available options may vary on your carrier and device model.
User-defined Solutions
The following solutions shared by other iPhone 6s Plus owners who have experienced the same problem in making or receiving calls on their device. These methods are posted in iOS forums and relevant websites. Here are some helpful workarounds to those who are having trouble making outgoing calls as well as those complaining about unusual noises in the background while on a call.
  • Enable Cellular Data. Navigate to your iPhone Settings-> Cellular -> then locate and enable the option for Data only.
  • Disable Noise Cancellation. To disable noise cancellation, head on to your phone Settings-> General-> Accessibility-> Noise Cancellation.Toggle the switch to OFF
If problem persists, please contact your Internet service provider or carrier to escalate the issue and have them check for any possible network outages or service disruptions that might have affect calling services in your area.

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