Everything was working fine. You can receive calls but then all of a sudden you are unable to make outgoing calls on your Apple iPhone 7 Plus. Should this happen to you, the first thing that you need to check on is the network/signal indicator located in the status bar on your device. If it says, No Service or Searching, then that is apparently the main cause. This therefore denotes a need for you to deal with any on-going issues with the network so as to get your iPhone’s calling functions back up and running smoothly again.
Here in this post, I have enumerated all possible reasons as to why you’re unable to make outgoing calls with your iPhone 7 Plus. You may consider going over to each of them so as to determine the cause of your problem. And to make this a complete support page, all suggested workarounds and potential solutions are also provided. So all you have to do is read on and try any of the given solutions below.
But before anything else, if you have other concerns with your iPhone 7 Plus, make sure you drop by our troubleshooting page for we have already addressed some of the most commonly reported issues with this new iPhone. If you need further assistance or if you can’t find what you’re looking for in that page, fill up our iPhone issues questionnaire and hit submit. Don’t worry, it’s a free consultation service so you don’t have to worry about anything. Just give us more information about the problem and we’ll do our best to help you fix it.
Why is my iPhone 7 Plus unable to make outgoing calls?
Aside from network issues, there are also other factors that can cause the same problem to occur on your new iPhone. Among the most prevalent culprits include but not limited to the following:
- Account status issue. This is usually what happens when you have any unsettled bills or past due balances in your account. Some carriers would impose a temporary disconnection or phone number suspension on customer accounts that are tagged as delinquent. In order to get your service restored, contact your service provider and settle any issue there is with your account standing.
- Outages. Regular system maintenance is also among the possible culprits. You may consider outages as the underlying cause if the problem occurs suddenly and that you’re certain that your account status is active, no changes have been made to any of your iPhone settings and no hardware damage exists on to your iPhone before the onset of the problem. You may contact your carrier or check their service status page for any possible on-going system maintenance that might have affected outgoing call services in your location.
- Airplane mode is active. When Airplane mode is enabled, all connectivity features of your iPhone 7 Plus such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and cellular connections will automatically be turned off or disabled. And you wouldn’t be able to make outgoing calls without an active cellular data network. You can use the Control Center to quickly access the settings then toggle the Airplane Mode switch on or off.
- Phone number is blocked. If the contact number of the person you are trying to reach is blocked, for sure you wouldn’t be able to call the number. The same thing can happen if your phone number is blocked by the person you are trying to contact. To check for any blocked phone numbers on your iPhone 7 Plus, go to Settings-> Phone-> Call Blocking & Identification. To unblock a phone number, just remove it from the list.
- Carrier system errors. Sometimes, the problem is simply due to your carrier’s system which is having errors. Please contact your carrier if you suspect that this is what’s causing you trouble in making calls with your device.
- Bad SIM card. You wouldn’t be able to make outgoing calls or receive incoming calls with bad or damaged SIM card. Check your SIM card and ensure it has no signs of damage. You can try to remove the SIM card and then re-insert it.
- You may use a small paperclip to remove the SIM card gently from the SIM card tray. Make sure it’s properly secured when re-inserted.
- Contact your carrier if the SIM card is damaged or does not fit in the SIM card tray.
- Hardware damage. There are also some cases in which users are unable to make outgoing calls due to hardware damage. This is usually the case when you dropped your iPhone or got it wet. Unfortunately in this case, you would need an Apple technician to fix the problem which is more likely achieved through hardware service or repair.
Recommended Workarounds and Potential Solutions
If you are certain that there is no existing damage to any of the hardware components of your iPhone 7 Plus, then you can go ahead and give any of the following workarounds a try. Don’t forget to test your device after completing each step to see if the problem is already fixed. Otherwise, try the other applicable methods.
Step 1. Check and configure network settings on your iPhone 7 Plus
You can try to reset your network settings to eliminate the possibility of the problem being caused by improper configuration of your iPhone’s network settings. But before you proceed, be sure to take note of all your current saved settings including Wi-Fi passwords, preferred networks, and VPN settings as they will be erased in the process. To reset your network settings, head over to Settings-> General-> Reset-> Reset Network Settings.
Step 2. Switch between network bands
After resetting network settings, restart your iPhone.
Other iPhone users who have experienced problems with making calls were able to find solution by switching to a different network band. If you want to give it a try, go to Settings-> Cellular-> Cellular Data Options-> Enable LTE and then turn off the option to Enable LTE, 4G, or 3G. This menu option may vary depending on your carrier and device model.
You can also try to perform test calls in another location. This can be helpful especially if the problem is caused by out of network coverage.
Step 3. Update software
Implementing carrier settings update as well as iOS software update can also be a potential solution. Software updates may also contain fixes to existing bugs reported by end-users, including this one.
- To check for carrier settings update on your iPhone 7 Plus, go to Settings-> General-> About section. You will see an option to update your carrier settings if an update is available. However, your device must be connected to a Wi-Fi or cellular data network on order to proceed. This means that you need to fix any network issues beforehand.
As for iOS software update, you may opt to update wirelessly (OTA) or through iTunes after checking for available updates in Settings-> General-> Software Update on your iPhone 7 Plus.
Step 4. Erase and restore your iPhone 7 Plus as new
Wiping information from your iPhone should only be considered a last resort in resolving this issue. Before you erase your iPhone 7 Plus, be sure to sign out of iCloud by going to Settings-> iCloud-> Sign Out. Failure to do so may cause your device to remain in Activation Lock status. The process will restore your device to factory default settings, which means that all your stored data will be erased. It can take a few minutes to complete the restore process especially if your iPhone contains a huge amount of data.
- To erase your iPhone using the standard procedure, go to Settings-> General-> Reset, then tap the option to Erase all Content and Settings.
Important notes:
- You may be required to enter your passcode or Apple ID password before you can erase all content and settings on your iPhone 7 Plus.
- In case you don’t remember your password or your device is disabled, you can erase your device with iTunes instead. Follow these steps to proceed with iPhone restore through iTunes:
- Connect your iPhone to a computer.
- On your computer, open iTunes. Be sure to use the latest version of iTunes to avoid system conflicts.
- If you’re still prompted with a passcode and you don’t remember it, try another computer you have synced with or use recovery mode instead. Otherwise, continue to the next step.
- Wait for iTunes to recognize and sync your iPhone and create a backup.
- Once the syncing and backup were completed, click the option to Restore your iPhone 7 Plus.
- Tap the Restore from iTunes backup option when you reach the Set Up screen while restoring your iPhone.
- Select your iPhone 7 Plus in iTunes.
Check the date and size of each backup and select the most relevant, which you want to restore.
Step 5. Erase your iPhone 7 Plus using Recovery Mode.
Putting and restoring your iPhone in recovery mode is also a potential solution especially if the root cause lies within the iPhone software structure. Restoring your device in recovery mode will erase the device as well as its passcode. Follow these steps to get started:
- Connect your iPhone 7 Plus to a computer.
- Open iTunes on the computer.
- While your iPhone is connected, perform a force restart of hard reset.
- To hard reset or force your iPhone 7 Plus to restart, press and hold the Power and Volume Down buttons simultaneously. Do not release both buttons when the Apple logo appears.
- Release both buttons when the Recovery Mode screen shows up.
- If prompted with the options to Restore or Update, select Restore to proceed with iOS restore.
- Wait for iTunes to complete the iOS restore in recovery mode.
Typically, iTunes will download the software for your device. Your iPhone will exit recovery mode if it takes longer than usual (over 15 minutes) for iTunes to download the software. If this happens, you will need to go back to the step where you force your iPhone to restart or perform a hard reset. Otherwise, wait for the process to finish and then you can proceed with the device set up afterwards.
Contact Apple Support to escalate the problem
If none of these methods is able to fix the problem and you still end up having problems making calls on your iPhone 7 Plus, then you should contact Apple Support this time. Escalate the problem, tell them about what you’ve done so far while attempting to fix the problem on your end, and finally, seek further assistance or other options you may have.
Engage with us
If you have other issues with your Apple iPhone 7 Plus, we are always willing to help. Contact us through our iPhone issues questionnaire and provide us with all necessary information about your problem so we can find a solution to your issue.