From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

Samsung Galaxy A36
Android 16

I dislike the Android phone automatically ending a call when I pull the
phone away from my ear. I don't want to use speakerphone on most calls.

I've hunted through the Phone app's settings, but found nothing
regarding hangup on pulling the phone away from the side of my head. I
want to end the call by using the app icons. There have been times when
the phone is against my head during a call, but I have to lay the phone
down momentarily, like to use my computer, look something up, or the
doorbell rings and I'm expecting a package that requires a signature.
Automatic hangup might be convenient for some users, but I find it
corruptive too often.
--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

On 19.03.26 17:44, VanguardLH wrote:

I've hunted through the Phone app's settings, but found nothing
regarding hangup on pulling the phone away from the side of my head. I
want to end the call by using the app icons.

On your Android, the feature to end a call by pulling the phone away
from your ear (also called "proximity sensor hang-up") is not a default
setting in the Phone app. However, you can disable this behavior and
rely solely on the on-screen "End Call" button or app icons.
How to Ensure You Only Use the On-Screen Button:

No Direct Setting for Proximity Hang-Up:

Your phone does not have a dedicated setting to toggle this feature on
or off. The proximity sensor is designed to lock the screen during calls
to prevent accidental touches, but it doesn’t automatically end calls
when you pull the phone away.

If You Want to Disable Proximity Sensor Actions:

There’s no direct way to disable the proximity sensor for calls, but you
can try disabling "Lift to check phone" in Settings > System > Gestures.
This won’t affect call behavior but may reduce unintended sensor triggers.

With a little help from Mistral.
--
"Roma locuta, causa finita" (Augustinus)
--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

On Thu, 19 Mar 2026 11:44:48 -0500, VanguardLH wrote:

Samsung Galaxy A36
Android 16

I dislike the Android phone automatically ending a call when I pull the
phone away from my ear. I don't want to use speakerphone on most calls.

I've hunted through the Phone app's settings, but found nothing
regarding hangup on pulling the phone away from the side of my head. I
want to end the call by using the app icons. There have been times when
the phone is against my head during a call, but I have to lay the phone
down momentarily, like to use my computer, look something up, or the
doorbell rings and I'm expecting a package that requires a signature. Automatic hangup might be convenient for some users, but I find it
corruptive too often.

I'm sorry, I don't know the answer, but I can tell you that a google
search for
"android 16" automatic call hangup
brought up multiple threads. Several of them suggested turning off
Wifi calling, but I imagine you've already seen that in your own
googling.

One thought: Are you using the Samsung phone app or the Google phone
app? You might want to try the other app and see if it makes the
problem go away.
--
"The power of accurate observation is frequently called cynicism by
those who don't have it." --George Bernard Shaw
--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

Stan Brown <someone@example.com> wrote:

VanguardLH wrote:

Samsung Galaxy A36
Android 16

I dislike the Android phone automatically ending a call when I pull the
phone away from my ear. I don't want to use speakerphone on most calls.

I've hunted through the Phone app's settings, but found nothing
regarding hangup on pulling the phone away from the side of my head. I
want to end the call by using the app icons. There have been times when
the phone is against my head during a call, but I have to lay the phone
down momentarily, like to use my computer, look something up, or the
doorbell rings and I'm expecting a package that requires a signature.
Automatic hangup might be convenient for some users, but I find it
corruptive too often.

I'm sorry, I don't know the answer, but I can tell you that a google
search for "android 16" automatic call hangup brought up multiple
threads. Several of them suggested turning off Wifi calling, but I
imagine you've already seen that in your own googling.

One thought: Are you using the Samsung phone app or the Google phone
app? You might want to try the other app and see if it makes the
problem go away.

Am using the Phone app that came bundled on the phone, so Samsung's.

Phone by Google seems recent (released Dec 7, 2025), so I've not yet
used it. From its list of features, I already have those either with
the current bundled Phone app, or via Google Voice which is my published
phone number.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.dialer

Nothing mentioned about its settings, so no way to know beforehand if it
has an on-ear detection option which automatically hangs up on a call
when the phone is moved away from the head.

Some reviews expose defects with the Phone by Google app, but may mostly
be due to a recent update. Won't connect or takes several attempts to
connect, drops calls during a call, immediate transfer to voicemail
despite picking up the call, non-contact callers getting immediately
routed to voicemail, and several other problems. Too many defects for
me to bother testing it for now. Plus, as mentioned, it doesn't
advertise any features that I'm missing now. In phones I've had before,
I've never seen a setting in either in the bundled Phone app or in the
Google Voice app (to let me do wifi calling) about an on-ear to off-ear auto-disconnect feature.

Almost seems to be an Android version thing. When you move the phone to
your ear, most phones turn off the screen. You can't see the phone when
it is against your ear (our eyes are not on stalks), anyway, so they
turn off the screen to save on power. When you move it away, like to
look at the screen (e.g., to use the dialpad to enter numbers for some
call prompt system), the screen is supposed to turn back on, but I
recall with other phones that sometimes you had to tap the screen to get
it back on. This is a new phone with a much later Android version, so I
don't yet have sufficient experience as to its behaviors regarding
on-ear and off-ear detection.

In case it was an Android instead of app setting, I've wandered through
the Android settings, but didn't find anything pertinent. I also
searched Android settings on "disconnect" and "hangup", but no matches.
Nothing in the Phone apps settings, either, about auto-disconnect when
moving off-ear. Seems a hard coded convenience feature that sometimes
in not convenient.
--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

VanguardLH <V@nguard.lh> wrote:

Samsung Galaxy A36
Android 16

I dislike the Android phone automatically ending a call when I pull the
phone away from my ear. I don't want to use speakerphone on most calls.

I've hunted through the Phone app's settings, but found nothing
regarding hangup on pulling the phone away from the side of my head. I
want to end the call by using the app icons. There have been times when
the phone is against my head during a call, but I have to lay the phone
down momentarily, like to use my computer, look something up, or the
doorbell rings and I'm expecting a package that requires a signature. Automatic hangup might be convenient for some users, but I find it
corruptive too often.

Probably not much help, but with the few calls I make/receive, I have
not experienced any unwanted hangups on my Samsung Galaxy A56 (Android
16) phone, i.e. a phone similar to yours.

But in my scenarios, I just pull away the phone from my ear and then
tap the hang-up button, i.e. I don't lay it down (to do something else).
Could that be a significant difference?
--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

Frank Slootweg <this@ddress.is.invalid> wrote:

VanguardLH <V@nguard.lh> wrote:

Samsung Galaxy A36
Android 16

I dislike the Android phone automatically ending a call when I pull the
phone away from my ear. I don't want to use speakerphone on most calls.

I've hunted through the Phone app's settings, but found nothing
regarding hangup on pulling the phone away from the side of my head. I
want to end the call by using the app icons. There have been times when
the phone is against my head during a call, but I have to lay the phone
down momentarily, like to use my computer, look something up, or the
doorbell rings and I'm expecting a package that requires a signature.
Automatic hangup might be convenient for some users, but I find it
corruptive too often.

Probably not much help, but with the few calls I make/receive, I have
not experienced any unwanted hangups on my Samsung Galaxy A56 (Android
16) phone, i.e. a phone similar to yours.

But in my scenarios, I just pull away the phone from my ear and then
tap the hang-up button, i.e. I don't lay it down (to do something else). Could that be a significant difference?

That's exactly what I do, too. Talking on the phone with it against my
ear, pull it away, like to look at the dialpad, and the phone hangs up.
Haven't had a chance to do anything yet. Just pulled away from my head.
Didn't yet lay it down (on its face), or touch the icon for the dialpad,
or load another app. I pull the phone away, and by the time I can look
at the screen then it hangs up. Like you, I'd like to pull the phone
away from my ear, and *I* choose to hangup, or not.
--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

On 3/20/26 3:40 PM, VanguardLH wrote:

Frank Slootweg <this@ddress.is.invalid> wrote:

VanguardLH <V@nguard.lh> wrote:

Samsung Galaxy A36
Android 16

I dislike the Android phone automatically ending a call when I pull the
phone away from my ear. I don't want to use speakerphone on most calls. >>>
I've hunted through the Phone app's settings, but found nothing
regarding hangup on pulling the phone away from the side of my head. I
want to end the call by using the app icons. There have been times when >>> the phone is against my head during a call, but I have to lay the phone
down momentarily, like to use my computer, look something up, or the
doorbell rings and I'm expecting a package that requires a signature.
Automatic hangup might be convenient for some users, but I find it
corruptive too often.

Probably not much help, but with the few calls I make/receive, I have
not experienced any unwanted hangups on my Samsung Galaxy A56 (Android
16) phone, i.e. a phone similar to yours.

But in my scenarios, I just pull away the phone from my ear and then
tap the hang-up button, i.e. I don't lay it down (to do something else).
Could that be a significant difference?

That's exactly what I do, too. Talking on the phone with it against my
ear, pull it away, like to look at the dialpad, and the phone hangs up. >Haven't had a chance to do anything yet. Just pulled away from my head. >Didn't yet lay it down (on its face), or touch the icon for the dialpad,
or load another app. I pull the phone away, and by the time I can look
at the screen then it hangs up. Like you, I'd like to pull the phone
away from my ear, and *I* choose to hangup, or not.

Did the phone always do that? If not have you tried a factory reset? That
has solved some of my problems over the years. A PITA for sure but
sometimes starting from scratch does the trick...

--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

AJL <noemail@none.com> wrote:

On 3/20/26 3:40 PM, VanguardLH wrote:

Frank Slootweg <this@ddress.is.invalid> wrote:

VanguardLH <V@nguard.lh> wrote:

Samsung Galaxy A36
Android 16

I dislike the Android phone automatically ending a call when I pull the >>>> phone away from my ear. I don't want to use speakerphone on most calls. >>>>
I've hunted through the Phone app's settings, but found nothing
regarding hangup on pulling the phone away from the side of my head. I >>>> want to end the call by using the app icons. There have been times when >>>> the phone is against my head during a call, but I have to lay the phone >>>> down momentarily, like to use my computer, look something up, or the
doorbell rings and I'm expecting a package that requires a signature.
Automatic hangup might be convenient for some users, but I find it
corruptive too often.

Probably not much help, but with the few calls I make/receive, I have
not experienced any unwanted hangups on my Samsung Galaxy A56 (Android
16) phone, i.e. a phone similar to yours.

But in my scenarios, I just pull away the phone from my ear and then
tap the hang-up button, i.e. I don't lay it down (to do something else). >>> Could that be a significant difference?

That's exactly what I do, too. Talking on the phone with it against my >>ear, pull it away, like to look at the dialpad, and the phone hangs up. >>Haven't had a chance to do anything yet. Just pulled away from my head. >>Didn't yet lay it down (on its face), or touch the icon for the dialpad,
or load another app. I pull the phone away, and by the time I can look
at the screen then it hangs up. Like you, I'd like to pull the phone
away from my ear, and *I* choose to hangup, or not.

Did the phone always do that? If not have you tried a factory reset? That
has solved some of my problems over the years. A PITA for sure but
sometimes starting from scratch does the trick...

My prior phone was Android 8.0. The phone before that was 4.4. This
Android 16 phone is brand new (under a couple months since I got it).
The auto-disconnect during a call when moving the phone away from my ear
is a new behavior to me, and to this new phone. Because it is a new
phone, and a new Android version, I thought it was a behavior of a new
bundled Phone app, the new Android version, or new phone.

I've been digging around in Android and app settings, but have not found anything regarding disconnecting a call when moving the phone away from
the ear during a call. However, the setting could be named or described
so oddly that I wouldn't know it applied to this behavior.
--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android


Frank Slootweg wrote:

I have not experienced any unwanted hangups on my Samsung Galaxy A56
(Android 16) phone

On *every* phone I've used since the '90s, the only thing that mving the
phone toward/away from my ear has done is turn off/on the screen
backlight, I'd regard auto-hangup as a feature I don't want ...

--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

Am 21.03.26 um 11:09 schrieb Andy Burns:

Frank Slootweg wrote:

I have not experienced any unwanted hangups on my Samsung Galaxy A56
(Android 16) phone

On *every* phone I've used since the '90s, the only thing that mving the phone toward/away from my ear has done is turn off/on the screen
backlight, I'd regard auto-hangup as a feature I don't want ...

The feature does not exist. The user is probably pressing a button in
the process he shouldn't. Turning off the proximity sensor as I
suggested in my first posting could also help.
--
"Roma locuta, causa finita."
--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

On 2026-03-20 19:30, VanguardLH wrote:

Almost seems to be an Android version thing. When you move the phone to
your ear, most phones turn off the screen. You can't see the phone when
it is against your ear (our eyes are not on stalks), anyway, so they
turn off the screen to save on power. When you move it away, like to
look at the screen (e.g., to use the dialpad to enter numbers for some
call prompt system), the screen is supposed to turn back on, but I
recall with other phones that sometimes you had to tap the screen to get
it back on. This is a new phone with a much later Android version, so I don't yet have sufficient experience as to its behaviors regarding
on-ear and off-ear detection.

My phone has some faulty detection and the display sometimes remains
active, and my ear has pressed some random button. So I keep only the
top edge of the phone touching my ear, and the rest of the phone
separated one cm or two from the ear and face.

I'd guess your phone is doing the same.
--
Cheers, Carlos.
ES🇪🇸, EU🇪🇺;
--- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

On 23.03.26 12:23, Carlos E.R. wrote:

On 2026-03-20 19:30, VanguardLH wrote:

Almost seems to be an Android version thing. When you move the phone to
your ear, most phones turn off the screen. You can't see the phone when
it is against your ear (our eyes are not on stalks), anyway, so they
turn off the screen to save on power. When you move it away, like to
look at the screen (e.g., to use the dialpad to enter numbers for some
call prompt system), the screen is supposed to turn back on, but I
recall with other phones that sometimes you had to tap the screen to get
it back on. This is a new phone with a much later Android version, so I
don't yet have sufficient experience as to its behaviors regarding
on-ear and off-ear detection.

My phone has some faulty detection and the display sometimes remains
active, and my ear has pressed some random button. So I keep only the
top edge of the phone touching my ear, and the rest of the phone
separated one cm or two from the ear and face.

I'd guess your phone is doing the same.

+1
--
"Roma locuta, causa finita" (Augustinus)
--- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

"Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:

VanguardLH wrote:

Almost seems to be an Android version thing. When you move the phone to
your ear, most phones turn off the screen. You can't see the phone when
it is against your ear (our eyes are not on stalks), anyway, so they
turn off the screen to save on power. When you move it away, like to
look at the screen (e.g., to use the dialpad to enter numbers for some
call prompt system), the screen is supposed to turn back on, but I
recall with other phones that sometimes you had to tap the screen to get
it back on. This is a new phone with a much later Android version, so I
don't yet have sufficient experience as to its behaviors regarding
on-ear and off-ear detection.

My phone has some faulty detection and the display sometimes remains
active, and my ear has pressed some random button. So I keep only the
top edge of the phone touching my ear, and the rest of the phone
separated one cm or two from the ear and face.

I'd guess your phone is doing the same.

I'll try the slanted orientation you mention on my next few calls to see
if that helps.
--- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

On 2026-03-23 19:36, VanguardLH wrote:

"Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> wrote:

VanguardLH wrote:

Almost seems to be an Android version thing. When you move the phone to >>> your ear, most phones turn off the screen. You can't see the phone when >>> it is against your ear (our eyes are not on stalks), anyway, so they
turn off the screen to save on power. When you move it away, like to
look at the screen (e.g., to use the dialpad to enter numbers for some
call prompt system), the screen is supposed to turn back on, but I
recall with other phones that sometimes you had to tap the screen to get >>> it back on. This is a new phone with a much later Android version, so I >>> don't yet have sufficient experience as to its behaviors regarding
on-ear and off-ear detection.

My phone has some faulty detection and the display sometimes remains
active, and my ear has pressed some random button. So I keep only the
top edge of the phone touching my ear, and the rest of the phone
separated one cm or two from the ear and face.

I'd guess your phone is doing the same.

I'll try the slanted orientation you mention on my next few calls to see
if that helps.

The other thing I do, is if I foresee a long conversation, is use a pair
of BT headphones.
--
Cheers, Carlos.
ES🇪🇸, EU🇪🇺;
--- Synchronet 3.21f-Linux NewsLink 1.2