[Updated Continuously] Galaxy S9 users around the globe reporting call dropping issue

Update (May 04):

Reports are pouring in that Samsung has started rolling out an update to fix the problem. More information here.

Update (April 30):

Standard reply the affected users have been getting from Samsung:

Update (April 28):

The promised fix may come any day now.

Got next call with Samsung help center , the consultant promissed that the fix is just days ahead (end of april begin of may as the last consultant told me) and will fix this software problem for sure and it wont be any recall as with note 7 [booom]

Update (April 24):

One of the moderators on the company’s official European help forum recently came up with an official statement on the matter, saying

At Samsung, customer satisfaction is core to our business and we aim to deliver the best possible experience. We are looking into a limited number of reports of Galaxy S9/S9+ voice call dropping issues.

Update (April 24):

A petition has been launched on change.org regarding the issue.

Update (April 24):

More reports on the matter (1,2,3,4).

https://twitter.com/swlp_co_uk/status/988420972670865408
https://twitter.com/bev6785/status/988418400396378113
https://twitter.com/THennell/status/987820824966115329
https://twitter.com/Ibn_Abul_Kalam/status/987706943493066752
https://twitter.com/mohammedgazzaz1/status/987239083289214977

Update (April 23):

Details of the lawsuit filed against Samsung.

Update (April 21):

A user has confirmed that they have received information from Samsung Russia about the update on the matter, saying it is expected to roll out in May.

I was answered in Facebook by an official representative in Russia samsung that the output of the exposure is expected in May

Update (April 20):

Samsung hit with lawsuit over Galaxy S9 call issues. More information here.

Update (April 18):

Another complainant recently shared the response they got from the company’s Facebook page, claiming an update will be rolling out soon.

So I got another reply to one of the error logs earlier which directed me to Samsungs Facebook page. Just got this response….

Hi ******. We are currently in the process of rolling out a software update, to address some network issues. We recommend turning your automatic software updates to on. ^DP

Update (April 16):

At least one of the users confirmed that Samsung has already started rolling out a new update to fix the glitch, which may take time to reach everyone. Take a look at what the user said (the comment is from this past Saturday):

So …. my phone dropped twice today to the same person and actually ended the call , so I sent a report in and phone Samsung Tech, they confirmed the issues we are having and have said it’s been there number one priority to sort and they have just released a new update to address this issue and believe this to work , the updates will filter down to everyone but can take longer than others because the network provider has to forward them on , if you haven’t got it in a few days contact your network provider and ask for the new update.

Update (April 13):

Samsung confirms Galaxy S9 call drop/mute issues, says fix coming soon. More information here.

Update (April 13):

More reports:
https://twitter.com/crinklypacket/status/984561125739171840?s=20
https://twitter.com/Ij00001/status/984542292685000705
https://twitter.com/raf_shc/status/984092589073805319?s=20
https://twitter.com/clairesandys/status/983770634915377153?s=20
https://twitter.com/zed82/status/983686665972715520?s=20
https://twitter.com/_RafadPaz/status/983393090202456065?s=20
https://twitter.com/endasheil/status/984161960630636545?s=20
https://twitter.com/TheLiverLaments/status/983353080338178048?s=20
https://twitter.com/KahloutNabil/status/982954684104224769?s=20

Update (April 10):

Users have been reporting two use-cases: while some encounter call drops, in case of others call mutes for some time (20 seconds or so) and then comes back again. Similar reports can be seen on the company’s European forum where one of the moderators recently updated the complainants saying

We’re currently looking into this for you guys.

Update (April 02):

More reports:

https://twitter.com/ankydasgupta/status/980857767136292864
https://twitter.com/TarunSharma249/status/979978226226184192
https://twitter.com/MartyC1749/status/980155578856165376

Update (April 02):

Apparently, the update pushed out by Samsung failed to fix the call dropping glitch on S9/S9+, as confirmed by many users in the comments section of this story.

Update (March 30): Samsung has started pushing out a new update that includes call stability improvements. The update carries a build number of XU1ARCC.

It’s possible these improvements are aimed at fixing the call drop issue. Let us know (in comments below) if the update resolves your call related problems.

Original story follows:

As if the touch screen dead spots problem wasn’t big enough, now a new (and a comparatively more serious) problem with Samsung’s Galaxy S9 and S9+ smartphones has come to light: users from all over the world are reporting their unit drops calls randomly and very frequently.

We’ve been monitoring reports (1,2, 3, 4,5,6,7) related to this problem for over a week, and held back from highlighting it all this while because of less number of complaints. However now, the number has grown to a point where it seems like a pretty widespread issue.

While the issue is simple to understand – the flagship smartphone drops call – what’s difficult to comprehend is how a company like Samsung can go wrong with such a basic functionality.

And given the fact that such reports are pouring in from users globally, it won’t be a stretch to say that engineers over at Samsung would soon be having sleepless nights. Take a look at some user comments below:

Got the Samsung galaxy s9 for the last 2 weeks intermittent problems with calls. When making calls for the first 20secs it just goes silent the other person can hear me but I cannot hear them. Sometimes this also happens mid call too, whereby after about 5 mins or so… It goes completely silent for 30secs and eventually either cuts me off or the call returns… Called Samsung UK not much help, obviously there is a fault somewhere , but for now Samsung are hidin

The same issue with my 2 s9 plus phones. One sim version, Israel. Just hope that the problem is with soft and gonna be fixed with next update.

On a portuguese forum, several people reported the same problem I have.
During a call, the phone stops transmitting any sound for the other party for about 10 seconds… People listen to me perfectly during that time, but I cannot ear anything. After those seconds, the phone call gets normal… It’s driving me mad!

I am having the exact same issue with mine. I have a Exynos S9+ which I got from Vodafone in Ireland, it looks like it is faulty. I swapped sim cards, using the same sim card in my old S6 which is working perfectly. I need to replace it with a new model on Saturday. I’m doubtful that this will fix my issue.

Im in Australia and am having call drop outs with Woolworths mobile which uses the Telstra network

Same here with dual sim in Spain (tried with different sim from different companies)

It doesn’t seem to matter if I have several bars or only one or two – I am dropping calls at least 8 or 9 times a day. Even when I have 4 bars.

My one week old s9+ gave me trouble with the fingerprint error that got fixed with the update. But now my device is dropping almost every other call. Short or long it doesn’t matter. I could make calls with no drops in the same spot using the same sim card on my s7 edge. Heading to Samsung tomorrow. Not quiet happy! Device is unlocked. Bought directly from Samsung and I live in Bahrain.

I had calls dropping like crazy on my s9+. Almost every call short or long ended up with a call drop. Using the same sim in exactly the same location was just fine using my S7 edge. I took my device to Samsung and they tested it with their system that showed in the logs (call drops due to low network) which was not the case. So I asked them to try and make a phone call and keep it on speaker phone which they did, and 3 out of 3 calls they made were dropped. I’m getting a brand new replacement device tomorrow.

While majority of complaints are from those using the Exynos variant, we did come across similar reports from some AT&T and T-Mobile users in the US. Also, majority of the complainants are using the Galaxy S9+, but there are several S9 users who are facing this problem as well.

We could find reports from at-least a couple of users who got in touch with Samsung, and after providing sufficient proof, the company agreed to provide a replacement.

Ok hello again everyone.

I posted the original item about dropping calls on the S9+ and after just over 2 weeks of use and fault finding with Samsung the result is that my phone IS BEING RETURNED AS FAULTY.

Just to be clear – this is nothing to do with poor signal strength or whether this S9 gets weaker/stronger signal than other phones – the signal strength shows the same db and % signal strength as my S7 EDGE (see first page in this thread).

The issue is that the S9+ CONSISTENTLY DROPS CALLS, every few minutes, it did it 3 times during a 20 min call to Samsung themselves. It is very repeatable – I just need to call my voicemail and wait a few mins and the call is dropped. This is the issue and it makes the phone pretty much unusable unless you don’t make phone calls very much that is or enjoy re-dialling every few mins. It seems to be mainly when the signal is less than full strength although not always.

Put my SIM in my S7 and it’s totally fine again – people commented immediately on how much clearer the call was and the call did not suffer from the voices fading out and dropping. I also don’t get poor cell tower transitions – it is seamless again as you would expect.

Conclusion – this S9+ phone has a fundamental technical issue. When I get the replacement handset I will find out if it’s just the one I had or if there’s a general design flaw with the S9+.

was delayed a couple of days because of work but I went to samsung today and they did extensive system tests that did not show anything more than a simple log that says “call drop due to weak network” which is not the case. However, I asked them to manually check it by making calls and keeping in on speaker and 2 out of 3 calls dropped and they got it recorded on camera. Now I’m waiting for my replacement. Hopefully this was a flaw in the first batch or something as my device was one if the first here in the country.

Keep in mind it’s still less than a couple of weeks since the Samsung Galaxy S9/S9+ officially launched. So, it’s reasonable to expect the number of users complaining about call drops will snowball in the weeks to come.

We hope Samsung will take notice of the problem, and act fast to fix it as soon as possible. Of course, that’s assuming it’s a software issue. If this turns out to be a hardware problem instead, then it’ll be a very big blow for the South Korean tech giant.

Are you also facing this problem? Let us know in the comments section below.

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