How To Troubleshoot Unable To Receive Calls After iOS 26 Update

How I Fixed “Unable to Receive Calls” After Updating to iOS 26

If you’ve recently upgraded your iPhone or iPad to iOS 26 and suddenly can’t receive calls anymore, trust me, you’re not alone. It’s one of those headaches where everything seems fine but calls just don’t ring in, or they go straight to voicemail. It’s super frustrating, especially because after new OS updates, so many things get jumbled up behind the scenes. Anyway, here’s what finally worked for me after a lot of trial and error — hopefully it helps you avoid wasting hours too.

First things first: Toggle Airplane Mode a few times

This might seem basic, but toggling airplane mode is surprisingly effective. It tricks your device into quickly refreshing its network connections. On my newer iPhone with Face ID, I swipe down from the top right corner to open the Control Center, then tap the airplane icon. Wait a few seconds, then tap it again to turn it off. Do this cycle a couple of times, maybe three or four — sometimes your device just needs a quick nudge to re-establish network links. Alternatively, you can do this in Settings > Airplane Mode. After toggling, I usually restart my device entirely just to make sure any stuck background process isn’t causing issues. Hold down the side button and volume button (or just the side button on older models), slide to power off, then turn it back on. Honestly, I had to do this several times before I saw any real change. It’s kind of annoying, but worth a shot before diving into more invasive fixes.

Next: Reset Network Settings — a bit brutal but sometimes necessary

If toggling Airplane Mode alone isn’t fixing it, resetting the network settings was the key for me. Yeah, it deletes saved Wi-Fi passwords, VPN configs, and other network stuff, so be prepared to reconnect afterward. Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone (or iPad) > Reset > Reset Network Settings. You’ll need your passcode, and a warning pops up saying it’ll erase that stuff — which is true. I lost some saved Wi-Fi networks, but at least my calls started coming through again right after. If you’re really hesitant, you could also try the more advanced route: on a Mac, terminal commands like sudo /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/Apple80211.framework/Versions/Current/Resources/airport -z can reset Wi-Fi, but honestly, the options in Settings are simpler and less likely to mess things up.

Check your VPN configurations

Someone suggested this to me, and it actually made a difference. VPNs—especially third-party ones or enterprise profiles—can interfere with cellular connectivity after an update. Go into Settings > VPN or open your VPN app and disconnect or disable the VPN temporarily. Also, check under Settings > General > VPN & Device Management if you have a VPN profile installed. Sometimes, these profiles become misconfigured or hang after big iOS updates, messing up your network reception. Turn the VPN off, then try receiving calls again. If it works without VPN, you’ve found the culprit. You might need to reconfigure or update your VPN settings, or contact your VPN provider if it keeps causing issues.

Investigate Screen Time restrictions

Yeah, this was a real surprise for me. Sometimes, restrictions enabled via Screen Time can block calling features without obvious signs. Navigate to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions. Toggle restrictions off temporarily and test if your call reception improves. If that fixes it, then some security or privacy setting might have been overly strict after the update. Check under Allowed Apps or Content Restrictions for anything related to Phone or Cellular Data. It’s not common, but especially if you’re on a work profile or family controls, iOS could misfire after a major update and restrict calling capabilities unintentionally.

When all else fails — Contact support and check with your carrier

If none of the above did the trick, it’s probably time to reach out to Apple Support or your carrier. Use the Apple Support app or visit apple.com/support. Sometimes, they can remotely diagnose issues or suggest a tailored fix. Also, check your carrier’s status — outages or account issues might surface after a big update. Make sure your SIM card is properly installed and activated. For eSIMs, head to Settings > Cellular > Add Cellular Plan if needed. If the SIM is not recognized, removing it and reinserting can help. Also, resetting your carrier settings might do the trick: Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings, which will reset all carrier preferences too.

Some additional tips that might help

After updating, it’s always good to check if there are any carrier updates available — go to Settings > General > About and see if a carrier update prompts. Installing that can sometimes fix bugs related to network issues. Also, check your VoLTE setting — head to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options > Enable LTE > Voice & Data. If your carrier supports VoLTE, enabling it might improve call reliability. And don’t forget to reboot a few times if needed. Sometimes, these issues are just stubborn, and a clean restart or a reset clears the hang-up. Sometimes, it’s a mix of rebooting, toggling, and resetting before things finally settle down.

Hope this helps — it took way longer than expected for me to finally get calls coming in again after iOS 26, but the above steps made a difference. Don’t give up — just give your device a few resets and configurations, and eventually, it’ll come back to life. Good luck, and maybe save yourself some headaches before the next update with these tips in hand!