Apple iPhone SE 3 Cannot Make/Receive Calls [Quick Fixes]

This post highlights potential solutions to a problem on the 3rd generation special edition iPhone that’s unable to make or receive phone calls. Read on to learn what to do if your iPhone SE 3 cannot make/receive calls.

fix iphone se3 cannot make receive calls featured

iOS Phone Calls Not Working

Modern smartphones are packed with multiple advanced features to cater different needs of smartphone users, particularly for business, entertainment and daily routines. But if the basic features aren’t working, even the highest-tiered devices wouldn’t seem so smart anymore. Just imagine having an iPhone that’s unable to make or receive phone calls. Indeed it’s a downside that needs immediate resolution.

Highlighted below are potential solutions to deal with calling problems on the new iPhone SE 3 device.

But before you begin troubleshooting, it would be better to identify the possible causes. Since there’s a lot of factors to consider, we’ve summed up the common culprits as follows:

  • Random software glitches. System glitches that are randomly transpiring on the phone can also cause network system conflicts and thereby results in unexpected network problems. Oftentimes, these are just minor flaws that can easily be rectified by a quick network refresh or system reboot.
  • Settings conflicts. Unexpected problems may likewise occur following a series of settings alterations. This usually happens when the recent settings changes result in unexpected conflicts with the network system and relevant iOS services.
  • SIM-card related errors. SIM card data fragments that have gone corrupted may also trigger unexpected flaws resulting in calling and texting problems. The same thing can happen when the SIM card is dislodged from the SIM card tray.
  • Account-related issues. For postpaid subscribers, account-related issues like unsettled bills are likewise among the possible causes. Carriers typically impose a ‘soft disconnection’ to accounts with unpaid bills. As a result, outgoing services including texting and outgoing calls are temporarily suspended or unavailable. For outgoing services to resume, you will be required to pay the unsettled bills for your account.
  • Network service outages. Unexpected technical difficulties resulting in localized outages are among the main reasons as to why network services are suddenly unavailable. When this happens, most if not all network-related services including cellular data would be disrupted.

Now that you’ve identified the possible causes, the next thing you need is to rule each of them out and see how your iPhone works afterwards. This will save you time and effort and finding the ultimate solution to the problem.

Troubleshooting iPhone SE 3 Cannot Make/Receive Calls

Performing the following procedures will help eliminate common factors that can interfere with the iPhone’s calling functions. This is going to be a trial and error approach since the underlying cause is yet to be identified.

Don’t forget to place a test call after performing each of the given solutions to determine whether or not the problem is solved. You can use a different phone as a test device to make or receive calls to/from your iPhone.

If you’re on a prepaid SIM, make sure that you have sufficient credits to place a phone call. If on postpaid, make sure that your account is current so all outgoing services are active. If necessary, talk to your carrier to settle any account-related issues beforehand.

Once you’ve got everything set, you may go ahead and proceed with these tweaks.

Solution #1: Toggle Airplane mode on and off.

Most of the unexpected network issues are tied to some random glitches halting the network system. To deal with these things, performing the Airplane mode tweak can help.

fix iphone se3 cannot make receive calls AIRPLANEMODE

This will give a simultaneous restart to all wireless services on the device including cellular features.

  • To do this, simply toggle the Airplane mode switch ON and off from the iPhone Settings or straight from the Control Center.

Turning Airplane mode on disables all wireless services on the phone including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Cellular networks. Turning it off again likewise re-enables all wireless services. So it’s like simultaneously refreshing the iPhone’s wireless features. It turns out to be effective in clearing out random wireless errors causing network problems too.

Solution #2: Reboot the iPhone (soft reset).

If the first tweak doesn’t do any good, restarting the iPhone might do. A lot of software-related issues can be rectified by a quick iOS reboot so this might be the only thing that your phone needs for calls to work properly again.

fix iphone se3 cannot make receive calls REBOOT

Thus if you haven’t already, reboot your iPhone SE 3 or do a soft reset with these steps:

  • Press and hold the Side button on the top-right edge and then release when the Power off slider appears.
  • Drag the Power Off slider to the right. Doing so powers off the device.
  • After a few seconds, press and hold the Side button until the Apple logo appears.

Restarting an iPhone is also a way to clear out cache including any errant residual files that are causing conflicts to the wireless network system, particularly cellular services.

Solution #3: Update software (if available).

Software updates are also deemed potential solutions to software-related issues, particularly those that are attributed to some software bugs and malware. If auto-update is disabled on your iPhone, manually check for any new software updates to download and install. 

fix iphone se3 cannot make receive calls UPDATE
There are two types of updates that can potentially fix network-related problems, namely carrier update and iOS update.

A. Carrier Updates

Carrier updates are typically designed to ensure that your phone is operating properly on your network. Thus, network service providers release such updates from time to time. Some carrier updates are automatically implemented in the system while others require manual installation.

  • To  manually update carrier settings on your iPhone SE 3, just head over to Settings-> General-> About menu. An option to update carrier will appear on this screen when available. Just follow the onscreen instructions to update your carrier settings

B. iOS Updates

Aside from carrier updates, installing the latest iOS version available for your iPhone may likewise resolve the issue should it be tied to some network bugs. 

  • To manually update your iPhone SE 3, just go to Settings-> General-> Software update menu. Wait for your phone to scan for new updates. If an update is available, tap Download and Install then follow the rest of the onscreen instructions to complete the installation process.

It may take several minutes to complete so make sure your phone is sufficiently charged. You can plug it into its charger while updating if needed.

Solution #4: Manage iOS Phone/Call settings.

There are several iOS settings that can cause conflicts with wireless services when enabled as some options aren’t configured properly.

fix iphone se3 cannot make receive calls SETTINGS
Among these said features that you need to consider looking into are as follows.
  • Do Not Disturb. When enabled, all sound alerts including incoming call notifications are muted so you may not be able to hear your phone ringing for incoming calls. As a result, you missed some phone calls. To make sure this isn’t the cause of the problem, you can set some exceptions for certain phone calls or temporarily disable DND mode to check and see if calls work without the feature activated on the device. You can always turn the feature back on if it’s confirmed not interfering with your calls.
  • Blocked Numbers. If the problem only occurs on a specific contact or phone number, it’s possible that the number is block listed. To clear this out, check all the blocked numbers on your iPhone to see if that number is listed. If it’s there, just remove the number from the blocklist to allow calls from that number.
  • Call Forwarding. When enabled, calls on your iPhone SE 3 will be forwarded to the specified phone number in the call forwarding settings. As a result, you won’t be receiving those calls as they’re already routed straight to the other number. That said, check your iPhone’s phone app settings and see if Call Forwarding is activated. If it is, try to disable it and see if calls are already working.
  • Silence Unknown Callers. When enabled, all calls from unknown or unsaved phone numbers will be silenced and routed straight to your voicemail. That said, you won’t be getting unknown calls on  your iPhone SE 3. So check your phone settings and see if this feature is turned on. If it is, try to turn it off and place a test call to see if that goes through this time.

Solution #5: Reset network settings.

Restoring the network defaults is also a potential solution if the problem started after re-configuring the network settings on the iPhone. The same thing can be done when the problem instigated following an iOS update. 

fix iphone se3 cannot make receive calls RESETNETWORK

To restore the default network configuration, you will need to execute the iOS reset network settings command.

  • To do this, just go to your iPhone Settings-> General-> Transfer or Reset iPhone-> Reset menu and then select Reset network settings from the given options. If prompted, enter your device passcode to authorize the reset request. Read the message prompt and then tap Reset settings to confirm.

After resetting, the phone reboots on its own then loads up all the default network configurations. This denotes the need for you to re-enable Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Cellular Data connections to use them again on  your device.

Resetting network settings does not affect any saved information from the internal storage so you won’t lose important files and documents in the process.

Still unable to make or receive phone calls on your iPhone?

If the problem continues after applying all the above solutions, your next options are as follows.

Remove then reinstall the SIM card. 

Corrupted SIM card data or a dislodged SIM card could likewise be the root cause of the problem, especially if SIM-related errors like ‘No SIM card installed’ appear on the status bar of your iPhone. To rule this out, remove the SIM card from your iPhone and then reinsert it. Before removing the SIM card, be sure to power off the device completely to prevent damaging the SIM card or the phone system itself. Also be sure to place the SIM card into the tray properly.

Contact your carrier

Talk to your carrier to verify your account status and make sure that there’s no billing-related blocks imposed on  your account. Tell them exactly about the problem, how it started and what changes you’ve done on your device before the problem occurs so they can help you pinpoint the root cause and fix it.

Also check for any ongoing service outages. Your carrier can check their outage board to view the real-time status of the network services. If a localized outage is transpiring, then there’s nothing you can do on your end but to wait until the outage is gone. By then, all affected services shall resume.

Contact Apple Support

Escalating the problem to Apple Support is also recommended especially if it started from an iOS update. If none of the aforementioned solutions is able to fix it, then there’s a good chance that it’s due to a complex iOS phone bug that needs a dedicated patch. Reporting the problem to Apple Support will help speed up the rollout of the required fix patch.

Please keep posted for more comprehensive iOS tutorials and troubleshooting guides on this site. Or you can check out this YouTube channel to view more comprehensive tutorial and troubleshooting videos including recent iOS devices.

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