The Galaxy S23+ is the phone that many people use as the family hotspot and the work line at once, and that shows in its call and text faults. If calls drop while the phone is tethering to a laptop, or if texts stall when the data connection is busy, the phone is simply being asked to do several things on one radio. The first step is to look at whether the hotspot or a large download is running when the call fails. After that the S23+ follows the same logic as any Samsung phone: signal, the lines it is using, Wi-Fi Calling, the Messages app, and then the carrier. The S23+ takes one nano-SIM and one eSIM, so the line setting is the part owners most often get wrong.
Differential
Likely causes of “Samsung Galaxy S23+ cannot make calls or send messages”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
Hotspot or a large upload competing with the call
What separates it Calls break up while the phone shares its data or backs up photos
How to confirm Switch the hotspot off and pause the upload, then call again
- 2
A weak signal in the room
What separates it Bars fall to one in the same corner
How to confirm Settings, Connections, Wi-Fi Calling: move calls to the home Wi-Fi
- 3
The wrong line set for texts
What separates it Texts send from the other number or fail
How to confirm Settings, Connections, SIM manager: set Text messages to the line you want
- 4
A stuck chat feature in Messages
What separates it Messages stays on Sending to Android contacts
How to confirm Messages, Settings, Chat settings: off and on, and clear the app cache
- 5
A carrier registration problem
What separates it Emergency calls only on the status bar
How to confirm Restart, then ask the carrier to refresh the line
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- Whether the hotspot or a large transfer was running when it failed
- Whether calls, texts or both fail
- Physical SIM or eSIM, and the carrier
- The One UI version and security patch date
Try in this order
0 of 6 completedStop the competing job
ReversibleSwitch off the hotspot in Quick settings and pause any big upload, then repeat the call.
Re-register on the network
ReversibleAirplane mode on for ten seconds and off.
Check which line is used for what
ReversibleSettings, Connections, SIM manager.
Use Wi-Fi Calling indoors
ReversibleSettings, Connections, Wi-Fi Calling.
Reset the chat features and cache
ReversibleMessages, Settings, Chat settings, and clear the Messages cache.
Reset network settings last
Reset / data riskSettings, General management, Reset, Reset network settings.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- The family hotspot phone
- The S23+'s 4,700 mAh battery makes it a popular hotspot, but tethering and calling together stress the radio and the battery.
- Emergency calls only
- Only the carrier can fix a registration that has lapsed.
- Hotspot and calls together
- Heavy tethering can compete with a call for the radio and the battery; if calls drop while the phone is a hotspot, test again with the hotspot off.
- A note on carrier apps
- Some carriers' calling or messaging apps replace Samsung's defaults, and a call that fails in one app may work in the other; check which app is your default for calls and messages.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If Emergency calls only persists, call the carrier first
- !If a second SIM fails in the S23+, book a Samsung modem check
- !If only one contact fails, check blocks and forwarding
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Exact questions
Common questions
Can hotspot use make my S23+ drop calls?+
Heavy tethering can compete with a call on the same radio; switch it off and test.
Does the S23+ take two SIMs?+
One nano-SIM and one eSIM, both of which can be active.
Why do my texts go from the wrong number?+
The default line for messages is set to the other SIM.
Does a network reset delete messages?+
No.
Why do my S23+ calls drop only when the hotspot is on?+
The radio and battery are shared; switch the hotspot off for important calls.
Which app should be my default for texts?+
Samsung Messages or Google Messages both work; pick one and set it as the default in Settings, Apps, Choose default apps.