[Update: Fix rolling out] Some Google Pixel 5 users say calls & SMS won't go through, issue escalated for further investigation

New updates are being added at the bottom of this story…….

Original story (published on November 10, 2020) follows:

The latest smartphone offering from Google hasn’t exactly been short of issues. There are now recent reports suggesting call drop and SMS issues on the Google Pixel 5, mainly on the Mint Mobile carrier network.

Given the number of complaints, the problems do seem pretty widespread, especially for Mint Mobile users.

Calling Not Working Pixel 5. Curious if anyone else is having this issue. But when I try and make a call, I get an instant “call ended”. If I restart the phone, it’ll work for a bit, but the problem comes back pretty soon after. Is there a fix?
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I have this issue as well as my wife. I’ve had Mint Mobile reprovision my account and this has not fixed the issue. Today, two times I was unable to make calls until I toggled Airplane Mode or rebooted. Additionally, making calls (when they work) and sending SMS does seem to take longer to connect than they used to under my Pixel 3 XL or my wife’s Pixel 2.
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There have been instances of such reports on official Pixel Phone forums as well as the Mint Mobile subreddit.

Users facing the issue say that they are unable to make calls at all. Upon trying to do so, they instantly get a “Call ended” notification. Moreover, SMS are getting delayed. Sometimes by hours.

Now, Mint is what’s considered an MVNO, which is short for mobile virtual network operator. MVNOs operate on the infrastructure of existing networks. In this case, the network is T-Mobile.

However, there haven’t been any reports by T-Mobile users for the same, so the issue could be linked to Mint alone.

Additionally, the problem doesn’t seem to be affecting other phones making use of Mint network. This could mean 2 things – either there’s something faulty with Mint’s 5G or something wrong with the Google Pixel 5.

If it’s the latter, then it’s possible that the device is somehow lacking optimized software support for Mint Mobile.

It is worth noting, though, that there have been a couple of reports from Ting Mobile as well.

Worry not if you face the above issue, for we have found a workaround for you.

I have found that disabling Wi-Fi calling on the phone and mint account, then rebooting the phone fixed it. It’s been 24 hours and it’s still working for me. Maybe an update will be pushed eventually.
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The above can be performed by heading over to Settings > Network & internet > Mobile network > Calling on your Pixel device.

Additionally, if that doesn’t work for you, you can try switching to LTE from 5G. An option for the same is present in the above-mentioned menu but under “Preferred network type”.

If the problem still persists, then you may not need to face it for much longer as the issue has already been escalated.

That being said, let us know in the comments below if the above workarounds worked for the Pixel 5 call drop and SMS issues.

Also be sure to check out our other 5G related story on the Google Pixel 5 which may help. And if you are facing battery drainage issues, then click here for fixes.

IST 07:05 pm: Mint Mobile’s co-founder has responded to a user’s complaint regarding the calls and SMS messages issues by stating that the carrier is working on a fix for the issue along with Google.

We’ve been working with the carrier since this issue was first reported and also got a contact at Google. They appear to have line of sight to the issue; will post here when I know when the temp fix goes in (if it hasn’t already). It doesn’t appear to be limited to us only.

IST 03:50 pm: Google has pushed a fix to all Mint mobile subscribers to fix the call and SMS issue on the Pixel 5 according to Mint Mobile’s co-founder on Reddit.

Google has pushed the fix to all subscribers. It was rolled out today, and should hit your phone within 12 hours. If not, feel free to dial (star)#(star)#CHECKIN#(star)#(star) and it should update.

However, several Pixel 5 owners have claimed that they have not yet received any update on the Reddit thread where Mint Mobile’s co-founder posted the news.

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