With all of the things, a smartphone can do in your hands, it’s easy to forget that the primary function of the thing is to make phone calls. Sure, it may sound like a foreign concept—a smartphone that makes and takes phone calls—but there it is.
For all the competition and trash talk between Android owners and Apple owners, both smartphone manufacturers have their problems and so do their devices. Google’s Android is no exception to the rule.
One such problem is when your Android phone suddenly decides to block your contacts.
Rest easy, however, it’s not something that you can’t fix or undo, so long as you recognize that the issue is happening and it’s not a bug that hasn’t been patched.
Why Is My Android Phone Randomly Blocking Contacts?
Many Android users report that their phone seems to randomly block their contacts from calling them. This happens either because an Android phone has a bug that is blocking calls from contacts, or some settings in your phone have been set to block calls from your contacts, or some of your contacts may be blocked by your network provider or some third-party app.
There is a bug on the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro that can cause a call from a known, saved contact to go straight to voicemail leaving nothing in your call log to even indicate that the call was blocked or rejected.
If the problem has been caused by a bug that there is not yet a fix for, you may have to wait it out for a while until a patch is released.
There was also a bug in Google’s software back in 2021 that caused the blocked contacts issue in Android phones. A patch was released for that and If you haven’t updated it by now, you may want to get that done ASAP.
Keeping your phone’s software up to date should be a priority. It’s a simple thing to jump on the Google Play Store, locate the Google App, and make sure it’s updated since it’s the Google App that typically causes the problem.
You also need to make sure your Android smartphone is updated. Most of today’s smartphones default to update automatically but that doesn’t always mean that you still can’t have an issue.
Related Article: Buying A New Smartphone: 39 Important Things To Consider
Check Your Apps and Spam Blockers
It can be tricky to walk someone through their settings to check their Android smartphone’s spam blockers. That’s because each manufacturer uses Android in different ways. For instance, accessing the settings on an LG smartphone is not the same as on a Samsung smartphone.
They both use Android but it’s not the same. Whichever phone you’re using, they should all have a set of default spam call settings. No matter what phone it is, the Setting should resemble an old-school telephone icon.
Once you select that, select “More.” Select “Blocked Numbers.” Check through your blocked numbers to ensure that none of the contacts in your list is on the blocked list. If it is, unblock it and the problem is solved.
You also want to check over your spam call filtering.
- Open the “Phone” icon again
- Select “More”
- Select “Settings”
- Select “Call ID; Spam
- Turn off “Filter Suspected Phone Calls
For whatever reason, your Android might consider your friend or family member’s phone number to be spam. Turning off the spam feature will allow in unwanted calls but it should be enough to release the contact in question until you can hit up Google Support about the issue.
If your contacts are still being blocked, your phone is updated, the Google App is updated, and your spam filter is turned off, with no contacts actively blocked, you should contact Google Support. That’s not supposed to happen and the above issues are the only usual ways to resolve it.
All Things Considered
Android smartphones have fallen victim to this bug from time to time. However, sometimes we may have hit the wrong setting, intending to do one thing and accidentally doing another. It’s always a good idea to go over your phone call settings with a fine-toothed comb.
If it’s not your provider, a third-party app, or a bug in your Android phone’s software that’s stopping your contacts from getting through to you, it’s usually a simple fix located somewhere in your settings.
- Check that you don’t have auto call reject turned on
- Make sure that you haven’t blocked some numbers by mistake
- Check that call forwarding isn’t enabled
- Make sure that you haven’t enabled do not disturb or airplane mode
- Some numbers may also be blocked by your network provider or a third-party app
If none of that works, contact Google Support or your smartphone carrier and they should be able to resolve the issue.
