Help Problem swiping to answer Droid phone calls

[wa6smn]

I had this problem for the first time the other day. My phone would not answer. The answer swipe bar would not move every time I tried. I thought I was going to have to bring it back to Verizon because it would not answer. I have had the Droid since January, so I feel confident in saying I know how to answer the phone (again, this is a phone and this should be a functionality that is not an issue!). I finally turned the thing off and then back on and the problem was gone.

I read through the thread and tried all the suggestions. The only one that solved the
problem was a power off/reboot. My phone runs for weeks at a time with no problems,
but this failure to answer seems to be one that is only reliable solved with a reboot.
Perhaps it will be resolved when Froyo hits the streets.

 

[eckosevendeuce]

ive noticed this issue when my phone was starting to lag out from low internal memory. i deleted some apps, made room and it still happens from time to time. its very frustrating and i swipe slow, lock then unlock the phone and it never works. idk what to do about it but it only seems to happen if im doing something while i recieve call like when im playing gameboid lite or using the browser. i might haveta get it replaced, but i dont wanna.

 

[pebblepeets]

I have been having this problem since I got my phone a few months ago. It's great that you all have been replying, I'll try the remedy suggested of dragging all the way across. Otherwise,

LOVE my DROID!

 

[n7zsd]

I had the same problem. No matter what, I could not answer by swiping. I finally (I'm a little slow) removed the battery to do a soft reset on the thing and now it works like it should. I never did set up the "connect the dot" security thing so I knew that wasn't the problem. Hope this bit of info helps some of you others that might be having the same problem.

 

[chemical girl]

Figured it out!! Instead of swiping down the entire face of the phone, start with the bar near the bottom. Since I started doing that, it has worked every time.

 

[jswain]

The swipe not working has been happening more lately and it is a deal breaker. Also, I tried every possible way to swipe it - slow, all the way to the right, etc. That still doesn't work every time. Maddening. I do search and rescue and sometimes have gloves on for protection and because it is cold or raining. It is ridiculous not to have a button. I just installed Tedd's Droid Tools and tried it. Perfect answer by pressing the camera button. I hope it is the solution.

 

[muab]

I had a few issues with this, mostly when in the sun light. I installed Shake2mutecalls which is a free App but when you donate you can set it up to shake your phone to answer calls.

Shake2MuteCall - Android app on AppBrain

It looks a little silly but it works very well. You can adjust the sensitivity really low so you basically just move the phone and it answers, or set it high like I have it and you have to shake the soup out of it to get it to answer.

I see by reading this entire thread that there are at least 3 different issues people have with this. One of them is the Droid glitches out from time to time and won't recognize a slide gesture no matter what--solved by a battery pull.
Another issue is screen sensitivity which may be a warranty call.

The predominate issue is just difficulty in reliably getting the slide just how the Droid wants it.

On page 1 of this thread Jfrank mentions his discovery of holding your finger on the green "answer" button during an incoming call and you will see a tiny dot appear on the screen where the red dot was. Just move the green answer dot to the small dot and it will answer.

 

[Nepherim]

Also have the same problem, with perhaps 1 in 20/30 calls. I do not believe it's a swiping error either, since once the problem arises, no amount of careful swiping will answer the call. I have never had a problem swiping to unlock the phone except on the rare occasion when this happens with a call. When the caller calls back (because I didn't answer), I can immediately swipe and answer. No other changes between one call and the next.

What I have noticed is that if the problem occurs, push the power button to turn the phone off, and then again to turn it back on -- not a reset, just on/off, whilst the phone is ringing -- and then swipe to answer as normal. This has worked for me the last two times I had an issue answering.

 

[global2]

I, too, love my Droid most of the time, but this call pick-up issue has been a bug for me. Since I took the plunge to a "smartphone," I have always thought they have taken too much of the "phone" out of the phone! Voice quality for calls, VM/missed call notification, silencing easily, easy answering, etc. have all been abandoned for the bells and whistles of the new machines. Not sure why they have to give up those phone behaviors up to be cutting edge. Just saying . . .

 

[judsonrandall]

i actually know exactly what you are talking about. the problem you are having is you are letting your finger up too soon. you have to keep your finger down on the screen until you get to the other side. it's basically harder than the unlock screen; on that, you just swipe and can let your finger up normally, like as you swipe, half way. but to answer a call, you have to keep your finger down and connected to the screen all the way to the other side. i also missed several calls until i figured this out. try it and let me know if you still have the problem.

Thanks Gidget. I'll try your solution. The failure to unlock the phone happens when I'm trying to answer the phone while I'm driving, which is against the law here in Oregon. But I can't figure out a way to get the Motorola speaker to answer the phone for me. I have the
MOTOROKR

 

[corbinator]

One other thing might be if you have a screen protector on your phone. If there is a small bubble in the path the phone will interpret this as you lifting your finger. I have Handcent and have had it for a while and haven

 

[droidmac]

Sorry folks but it isn't just "hold your finger down longer" and it's fixed. I have held my finger on the green answer button until the phone stops ringing and I get NO reaction at all - just sits there locked up. Like many have said, doesn't happen every time but enough to make it a pain - and likely enough to return the phone. I need to be able to answer calls when they come in - it is still a phone right? Maybe a Froyo fix? (although it appears they are denying the problem exists, so I doubt it). Love the forum.

 

[Nepherim]

Sorry folks but it isn't just "hold your finger down longer" and it's fixed.

Completely agree with this. Just to re-iterate, my experience is that turning the phone off/on whilst it's ringing and then being able to unlock/answer the phone supports this. Not to say that there may be some sliding challenges within this thread, but the core problem is not sliding oriented.

 

[Nepherim]

The unlock fail happened to me again today. I was using the phone through out the morning. Swiping to unlock no problem. Made calls, no problem. Then I received a call. I swiped -- nothing. I then tried re-swiping, very precisely -- nothing. I tried power off/on, which has worked before, and still nothing. I tried opening the keyboard, and still nothing. Then the phone rebooted.

So, I'm now thinking this might be caused by Google Voice. Are others who have this problem also using GV?

 

[razorclose]

The unlock fail happened to me again today. I was using the phone through out the morning. Swiping to unlock no problem. Made calls, no problem. Then I received a call. I swiped -- nothing. I then tried re-swiping, very precisely -- nothing. I tried power off/on, which has worked before, and still nothing. I tried opening the keyboard, and still nothing. Then the phone rebooted.

So, I'm now thinking this might be caused by Google Voice. Are others who have this problem also using GV?

I'm not using GV and I had this problem. I am rooted though, and once I did a factory reset, wiped cache on the phone and reinstalled my ROM, it went away. Just my 2 cents on the issue

 

[cbk780]

I also have this problem. It seems to happen once in 20-30 calls as another poster said. When it happens there does not seem to be anything that you can do. The screen is simply unresponsive. I have missed several calls because of it.

Charlie

 

[Vance]

I had this problem as well until I installed the app Easy Answer Button. It replaces the swipe screen with a simple push button to answer! Works great.

 

[cbk780]

Tried it. Looks good. Hope it works long term. Thanks.

Charlie

 

[3devious]

I got super frustrated an got Tedd's Droid Tools. It lets you answer the phone by pressing the camera button. It also has other options for refusing calls and making the in call screen lock behave a little better. I was getting pretty mad at my phone.

I still think not having exclusive buttons for Send and End is almost as big of a failure as the keyboard (yes, I still hate the keyboard.) I almost bought the Ally because of it!

 

[cbk780]

I could not find Tedds Tools in the Marketplace. Now that I see your post it was because I spelled Ted with one D. I downloaded it and will try it.

I hate the keyboard as well. I just can't seem to learn to type on it. I am using Better Keyboard which helps a bit but does not solve the issue. Was hoping to try Swipe but it is not available to end users yet.

 

[BonnieH]

I have a new Droid and have lost several calls because of this swiping method. I am a substitute teacher and get calls early in the morning. By the time a wake up in a rushed state of mind, I have been pressing the green answer icon, but nothing is connected. After several desperate tries, I loose the call. So it seems the you must swipe the green icon with different pressure to the right. Am I right? Why don't they explain this in the manual? Bonnie

 

[bleedGreen]

I have a new Droid and have lost several calls because of this swiping method. I am a substitute teacher and get calls early in the morning. By the time a wake up in a rushed state of mind, I have been pressing the green answer icon, but nothing is connected. After several desperate tries, I loose the call. So it seems the you must swipe the green icon with different pressure to the right. Am I right? Why don't they explain this in the manual? Bonnie

Why dont you try Easy Answer: Easy Answer Button Free - Android app on AppBrain

this is awesome, I didnt like the slide either, too much lag, so this button app is the best..NO LAG (and you have settings w/ it too)

 

[jetman]

I had the same problem but I figured it out as rjfrank33 solution mentioned, BUT it is a little tough to give that kind of concentration to answer a call when driving. I installed My Lock Phone Tools, a free App in the market and it uses the camera button too and it works GREAT.

 

[sherlynn]

This happened to me yesterday, then I couldn't get the browser to work so did a power down and things are working. I am going to install Bugless Beast tonight on my phone and look for Easy Answer Button and My Lock Phone Tools and see which one works better. I had Tedd's Tools installed before and it lagged too much.

 

[randobs]

Why should answering the phone take a special technique. NO ONE should be having a problem. I think the swipe is too sensitive or has too narrow a range. I know it's trying to avoid accidental calls, but seriously, why should I have to poise ever time the phone rings. I want to be able to answer on the first swipe. (And be able to tell someone else how to answer it. My DH has the same problem, if not worse.)

I wish there was some way to turn the swipe into a push button.
Green button = answer. Red button = send to voice mail.
I'd still have to power on to get to this screen so it's not like my pocket would answer the call. Is this something that an app could do? Has someone written one already and I've missed it?

Tedd's Android Tools not only allows you to use the camera button (but that can too easily be pushed), it also has an option for a "long press" button option rather than a swipe. It works rather well and has other good options too.