Calls Keep Dropping or Cutting Off
Calls that disconnect after a short time usually point to internet instability - or to calling from a mobile browser instead of the app.
Updated
View as MarkdownOccasional drops are almost always temporary internet instability on your side - but there are two other causes worth ruling out.
1. Stabilize your connection
The call runs over your internet connection from start to finish, so a brief outage ends it:
- Switch between Wi-Fi and mobile data to find the steadier one.
- Move closer to your router, or step away from crowded public Wi-Fi.
- Pause bandwidth-heavy things (video streams, big uploads, cloud backups) during calls.
- Turn off a VPN if one is running.
A stable connection is essential both to be heard and to hear the other person - the same advice as in Fixing Microphone and Audio Issues.
2. On a phone, use the app - not the mobile browser
Calling from the browser on a phone works, but mobile-web calls can drop when you leave the screen (switching apps, the screen locking). The CallTuv app keeps calls alive properly in the background - get it for iOS or Android. See Use CallTuv on Any Device.
3. Check it isn't your balance
If the balance can't cover the next minute, the call ends automatically - that looks exactly like a drop. Compare the call's end time against your balance in call history, and consider auto top-up so it never happens mid-conversation.
Silence from the start, always ending at about a minute? That's not a drop
Worth separating out, because the fix is completely different. A real drop cuts off a call you could hear. But if you hear nothing at all from the moment it connects, neither of you, and it always ends at roughly a minute, your network is letting the call be set up while blocking the sound itself. Office, school, hotel and hospital Wi-Fi and VPNs are the usual causes.
Turn off any VPN and try a different Wi-Fi network. The full explanation and steps are in Fixing Microphone and Audio Issues.
"Your internet connection dropped. Trying to reconnect"
If you see this message mid-call, don't hang up. It means your internet cut out for a moment and CallTuv is trying to get the call back instead of ending it. Give it a few seconds - if it works the message clears itself and you carry on talking, and if it can't, the call ends. Seeing it often is a sign your connection is unsteady, so the steps at the top of this page are worth doing.
Keeps happening on one specific number?
If drops only occur calling one destination, contact us with the number and roughly when you called - we can trace those specific calls on the route.
Frequently asked questions
- Was I charged for a dropped call?
- You're billed for the minutes up to the disconnect, rounded up to the whole minute, like any call. Check the call's cost in your history.
- Every call goes silent and then ends at about a minute. Is that a dropped call?
- No, that is a different problem with a different fix. A true drop cuts off a call you could hear. If instead you hear nothing at all from the moment it connects, and it always ends at roughly a minute, your network is allowing the call to be set up but blocking the sound itself - common on office, school, hotel and hospital Wi-Fi and behind a VPN. Turn off any VPN and try a different Wi-Fi network. The full explanation is in Fixing Microphone and Audio Issues at https://calltuv.com/help/2946815-fixing-microphone-and-audio-issues
- What does the message about the internet connection dropping and trying to reconnect mean?
- It means your internet cut out for a moment and CallTuv is trying to get the call back rather than ending it. Stay on the line and give it a few seconds. If it succeeds the message disappears by itself and you can carry on talking. If it cannot recover, the call ends. Seeing it often points at an unsteady connection, so it is worth moving closer to your router or switching between Wi-Fi and mobile data.
