Calls Not Working After Android 16 Update? 8 Fixes That Work (2026)

If your calls stopped working right after installing the Android 16 update, you are not imagining it. This is one of the most reported Android 16 problems on Pixel phones, and it has a strange signature: mobile data and Wi-Fi usually work fine while outgoing calls fail instantly, incoming calls go straight to voicemail, or the Phone app shows “Call ended” before it even dials.

Two layers cause this. The first is Android 16 specific: the new Advanced Protection Mode has a reported bug on Pixel devices that can silently break cellular calling, and almost no fix guide covers it. The second is the usual update fallout: the update can toggle off VoLTE, corrupt your APN profile, or leave your SIM half provisioned so data works but voice does not.

Quick Answer: On Android 16, first check Settings > Security & privacy > Advanced Protection and turn it off temporarily, because a reported Pixel bug lets this security mode break cellular calls. If calls still fail, cycle Airplane Mode, re-enable VoLTE and Wi-Fi Calling under Settings > Network & internet > SIMs, update the Carrier Services app, reset your APN to the carrier default, and reseat or re-download your SIM. A mobile network settings reset fixes whatever is left, and Safe Mode tells you whether a third party call app is the culprit.

Diagnose it first: what your symptom means

Match what your phone is doing to the likely cause before changing anything. Ten seconds of diagnosis saves you from resets you do not need.

Also confirm there is no carrier outage in your area first, because no phone setting fixes a tower problem. If you recently updated and are seeing other strange behavior too, check the broader Android 16 bugs after update roundup to see whether you are dealing with a pattern of update damage rather than one isolated fault.

Fix 1: Turn off Advanced Protection Mode (the Android 16 specific bug)

This is the fix almost no other guide mentions. Advanced Protection Mode is Google’s new device level security mode on Android 16. It hardens the phone aggressively: it disables 2G connections, restricts USB data, and tightens app installation. None of that should touch voice calls, but Pixel owners (Pixel 6, Pixel 7, Pixel 8, Pixel 8a, Pixel 9, and Pixel 9 Pro) have reported that enabling it on Android 16 broke cellular calling. The failure varies: outgoing calls die the moment you dial, or the phone stops receiving calls entirely while data and texting keep working.

Why it works: the mode’s 2G lockdown and hardened modem behavior can clash with certain carrier configurations, especially where IMS voice registration depends on network behavior the mode now blocks. Users report calls working again immediately after toggling it off.

Exact steps:

1. Open Settings > Security & privacy.
2. Tap Advanced Protection.
3. Toggle it Off (confirm with your PIN or biometric if asked).
4. Wait 30 seconds, then make a test call.

If calls work with it off, you found the culprit. Leave it off and try re-enabling it after the next monthly Pixel security update to see whether Google has patched the conflict. If calls still fail, leave it off for now and continue down this list.

Fix 2: Force the radio to re-register with Airplane Mode and a restart

After a major update, the cellular radio can come back up in a stale state: it holds the old network registration while the new system expects a fresh one. Voice registration (IMS) is more sensitive to this than data, which is exactly why data works and calls do not.

Why it works: Airplane Mode forces the modem to detach from the tower and reattach from scratch, triggering a fresh IMS voice registration. A full restart clears any stuck telephony process left over from the update.

Exact steps:

1. Swipe down twice from the top and turn Airplane mode on.
2. Wait a full 30 seconds so the modem fully detaches.
3. Turn Airplane mode off and wait for your signal bars and carrier name to return.
4. Make a test call.
5. If it still fails, hold the power button and tap Restart, wait one minute after boot, then test again.

Fix 3: Turn VoLTE and Wi-Fi Calling back on

This is the most common cause of “data works, calls do not” after any Android update. Modern calls travel as VoLTE (Voice over LTE) or VoNR (Voice over 5G), not over the old 2G/3G voice network. If the update flipped the VoLTE toggle off or reset your preferred network type, your phone has no voice path even with full signal bars. Most carriers have shut down 3G entirely, so there is no fallback. No VoLTE means no calls, period.

Exact steps:

1. Open Settings > Network & internet > SIMs and tap your active SIM.
2. Make sure VoLTE (may be labeled “4G calling” or “Enhanced 4G LTE Mode”) is toggled On.
3. Tap Preferred network type and set it to 5G/4G/3G/2G (auto) or at least an option that includes LTE. Never leave it on “3G only” or “2G only”.
4. On the same SIM screen, turn Wi-Fi calling On as a backup. You will need to enter an emergency address the first time; that is a carrier requirement, not a bug.
5. Restart the phone and test.

To verify VoLTE is genuinely registered and not just toggled on, open the Phone app and dial ##4636##, tap Phone information, and check IMS Registration. If it says “Not registered” even with VoLTE on, your phone is not completing voice registration with the carrier. Move on to Fix 4 and Fix 5.

Samsung owners: on Galaxy phones running One UI 8.5 (Samsung’s Android 16 skin), these toggles live under Settings > Connections > Mobile networks. If your Samsung is misbehaving in other ways after the update, the One UI 8.5 battery drain and overheating fixes cover the companion problems that tend to arrive with the same update.

Fix 4: Update Carrier Services and your carrier settings

Two separate pieces connect your phone to your carrier’s voice network: the Carrier Services app from Google, which manages carrier network features, and the carrier settings bundle pushed by your carrier, which tells the phone exactly how to talk to that carrier’s towers. Android 16 changed enough under the hood that the bundle your phone used on Android 15 can be stale on day one.

Why it works: an outdated Carrier Services app or old carrier bundle can leave the phone speaking a slightly wrong “dialect” to the network. Data often survives because data APNs are simpler; voice registration is pickier and fails first.

Exact steps:

1. Open the Play Store, search for Carrier Services (by Google LLC), and tap Update if available.
2. Go to Settings > Network & internet > SIMs, tap your SIM, and accept any pending carrier settings update.
3. Check Settings > System > Software updates and install anything pending, including the Google Play system update under Settings > Security & privacy > System & updates. Early Android 16 builds had telephony fixes in the monthly patches.
4. Restart and test.

You can also ask your carrier’s support chat to “refresh your line provisioning” or “re-provision your SIM for VoLTE.” It is a thirty second job on their end and fixes a class of problems no phone setting can touch.

Fix 5: Reset your APN to the carrier default

The Access Point Name profile tells your phone how to connect to your carrier’s data and IMS services. Updates occasionally corrupt it or leave behind APN settings from a previous carrier. A badly corrupted APN kills mobile data too, but a subtly wrong one, particularly the IMS APN type entry, can kill voice while data limps along.

Exact steps:

1. Open Settings > Network & internet > SIMs, tap your SIM, then tap Access Point Names.
2. Tap the three dot menu and choose Reset to default.
3. Confirm, then make sure the correct APN for your carrier is selected.
4. Restart the phone and test.

Do not manually edit APN fields unless your carrier’s support site gives you exact values. One wrong character in the APN type field (default,supl,mms,ims) can break voice registration.

Fix 6: Reseat your SIM or re-download your eSIM

If the update disturbed the SIM’s authentication state, the network may treat your SIM as only partially valid: good enough for a data session, not trusted for voice. The reboot cycle of a major update is also what finally exposes a slightly oxidized SIM contact.

Physical SIM: power the phone off, eject the tray, wipe the gold contacts with a dry soft cloth, reinsert firmly, power on, wait one minute, then test.

eSIM: go to Settings > Network & internet > SIMs, delete the eSIM profile, and re-add it with the QR code or activation details from your carrier (check with them first, since some limit re-downloads). Restart and test.

If you can borrow another phone, try your SIM in it. Calls working there means the problem is your phone’s software, keep going down this list. Calls failing there too means the SIM or carrier account is at fault, ask the carrier for a replacement SIM.

Fix 7: Reset mobile network settings

When individual toggles do not fix it, reset the whole connectivity stack. This wipes all saved Wi-Fi networks and passwords, Bluetooth pairings, mobile data settings, and VPN configurations, then rebuilds them to factory defaults. It does not touch your apps, photos, or files.

Why it works: post update call failures are sometimes caused by a corrupted telephony database entry that no visible toggle controls. This clears the entire stack in one move.

Exact steps:

1. Open Settings > System > Reset options.
2. Tap Reset mobile network settings (Samsung: Settings > General management > Reset > Reset network settings).
3. Confirm and let the radio stack restart.
4. Reconnect to Wi-Fi, then go back through Fix 3 and re-enable VoLTE and Wi-Fi Calling, since this reset turns them off.
5. Test your calls.

Write down your Wi-Fi passwords before doing this.

Fix 8: Rule out apps in Safe Mode, then escalate to your carrier

If seven fixes have not worked, the problem is a third party app or something on the carrier’s side. Safe Mode answers the app question in two minutes.

Why it works: Safe Mode boots Android with only system apps. Call blockers, spam filters, third party dialers, and VPNs hook into the call pipeline, and an Android 16 update can break their hooks in ways that silently kill calls.

Exact steps:

1. Hold the power button, then long press Power off until the Reboot to safe mode prompt appears. Tap OK.
2. Once booted (look for “Safe mode” in the corner), make a test call.
3. If calls work in Safe Mode, a third party app is the culprit. Restart normally and uninstall recently updated apps one by one, starting with call blockers, spam filters, dialer replacements, and VPNs.
4. If calls still fail in Safe Mode, it is not an app.

At this point, call your carrier from another phone and say exactly this: “Since the Android 16 update, I cannot make or receive calls, but data works. I have reset my APN, re-enabled VoLTE, reseated the SIM, and reset network settings.” That gets you past scripted troubleshooting to a technician who can check tower side provisioning and account level blocks.

Frequently asked questions

Why do calls fail but mobile data works after the Android 16 update?

Voice and data use separate registration paths. Data registers easily, but voice calls need IMS registration over VoLTE or VoNR, which is far more sensitive to update glitches: a toggled off VoLTE switch, a corrupted IMS APN entry, stale carrier settings, or the Advanced Protection bug on Pixels.

Is the Advanced Protection call bug real?

Multiple Pixel owners on Android 16 have documented calls breaking after enabling Advanced Protection Mode and recovering immediately when turning it off. Google has not published a formal advisory naming it, so treat it as a confirmed user reported bug. The test costs thirty seconds: toggle it off under Settings > Security & privacy > Advanced Protection and try a call.

Will resetting network settings delete my photos or apps?

No. It only erases connectivity data: saved Wi-Fi networks and passwords, Bluetooth pairings, mobile data and APN settings, and VPN configurations. Your apps, photos, messages, and files are untouched.

Do I need a new SIM card after updating to Android 16?

Almost certainly not. SIM cards do not become obsolete because of an OS update. The update can leave the SIM’s network authentication in a stale state, which reseating the SIM or asking your carrier to re-provision the line fixes. Replace the SIM only if it also fails in a different phone.

Can I just use Wi-Fi Calling instead of fixing this?

As a temporary workaround, yes. Turn it on under Settings > Network & internet > SIMs so you are reachable. But do not stop there: it masks the underlying registration failure, and you will be unreachable the moment you leave Wi-Fi range.

My phone is a Samsung on One UI 8.5, not a Pixel. Does this guide still apply?

Mostly. One UI 8.5 is Samsung’s Android 16 skin, so Fixes 2 through 8 apply directly with Samsung’s menu paths (Settings > Connections instead of Settings > Network & internet). The Advanced Protection bug in Fix 1 is Pixel specific, but Samsung has its own hardening features worth checking if calls broke after the update.

The bottom line

Calls breaking after the Android 16 update is almost never a hardware failure and almost never permanent. Work the list in order: check Advanced Protection first because it is the Android 16 specific trap, then force a fresh network registration, then verify VoLTE and your APN, then reseat the SIM and reset network settings. If Safe Mode changed nothing in Fix 8, stop tweaking the phone and get your carrier’s network team involved. And keep installing the monthly Pixel updates: the Advanced Protection conflict is exactly the kind of bug that quietly disappears in a security patch.