WhatsApp has become one of the most popular messaging apps, with over 2 billion users worldwide. One of WhatsApp’s key features is the ability to make voice and video calls over the internet. However, sometimes WhatsApp calls can decline or disconnect on their own unexpectedly. There are a few potential reasons why a WhatsApp call might decline itself.
Reasons Why a WhatsApp Call May Decline Itself
Here are some of the main reasons why a WhatsApp call can decline or disconnect on its own:
Poor Internet Connection
One of the most common reasons for a WhatsApp call to drop is a poor or unstable internet connection. WhatsApp calls rely on having a consistent internet connection between both parties. If the internet connection drops out or becomes too slow, it can cause the WhatsApp call to automatically disconnect. This can happen if you move out of WiFi range and cellular data becomes spotty.
One party’s WhatsApp is having issues
Sometimes the problem may be isolated to just one person’s WhatsApp app. If one person is experiencing issues with their WhatsApp such as crashing, freezing, or other glitches, it can interfere with the call staying connected. Re-starting the WhatsApp app or the phone may resolve temporary software issues.
Restricted background activity settings
Some smartphone settings can restrict WhatsApp’s ability to run reliably in the background. For example, battery saver modes, power-saving settings, memory restrictions, and screen optimization can sometimes impact WhatsApp’s performance. Checking these settings and making sure WhatsApp has proper background access can help prevent unexpected call declines.
Outdated app version
Using an outdated version of WhatsApp can also lead to problems with calls disconnecting prematurely. Make sure to keep WhatsApp updated to the latest version on both the caller and recipient’s devices. Newer versions of WhatsApp often contain bug fixes and improvements for connectivity issues.
Reachable phone limit exceeded
WhatsApp may automatically disconnect a call after a certain time limit of being unanswered to avoid overloading their servers. This time limit appears to be around 30 seconds of being in “ringing” status while the recipient’s phone is offline or unreachable. If the recipient’s phone remains unreachable for that time, WhatsApp drops the call.
How to Prevent WhatsApp Calls From Declining Unexpectedly
If you experience WhatsApp calls frequently disconnecting or declining on their own, here are some troubleshooting tips:
Check your internet connection
First, ensure that both the caller and recipient have stable internet connections, preferably over WiFi if available. Cellular data connections can be prone to dead zones and drop-outs which disrupts WhatsApp call quality. Move closer to your WiFi router, disable data saving modes, or switch to cellular data if WiFi is unstable.
Restart your device and WhatsApp app
Force closing and re-starting the WhatsApp app as well as rebooting your smartphone can clear out any software bugs that may be interfering with WhatsApp’s call functionality. This can resolve temporary glitches and issues.
Update to the latest WhatsApp version
Go into your device’s app store and ensure you have installed the latest version of WhatsApp. The developers are continuously releasing updates with bug fixes that may improve call connectivity.
Check background activity restrictions
Make sure your operating system or power saving settings are not restricting WhatsApp’s ability to run in the background. WhatsApp may require background data and activity access to maintain a stable call connection.
Check your Do Not Disturb settings
If your phone is set to Do Not Disturb mode, incoming WhatsApp calls may decline themselves without ringing through. Make sure DND exceptions are configured properly for WhatsApp calls and notifications to get through.
Try toggling Airplane mode
As a quick test, you can enable Airplane mode for a few seconds before turning it back off to force your device to re-establish mobile data and WiFi network connectivity. This can resolve any temporary network issues.
Why Does WhatsApp Have a Self-Decline Call Feature?
WhatsApp has programmed in the capability for calls to decline themselves for a few reasons:
To avoid overloading networks
Self-declining calls after ringing for a certain time ensures WhatsApp doesn’t overload phone networks and servers with calls indefinitely ringing. This saves telecommunications infrastructure bandwidth.
To save battery life
Letting calls ring indefinitely if the recipient is unreachable would drain phone batteries. Forcing calls to disconnect after some time reduces unnecessary power consumption.
To allow retrying calls
Once a call declines itself, the caller can retry contacting the recipient which may have a higher chance of ringing through on a new connection.
To indicate the recipient is unavailable
It signals to the caller that the recipient is likely in an area with no reception, has their phone turned off, or is otherwise unreachable. This prevents the call from ringing endlessly.
To free up resources
Dropped calls allow WhatsApp to free up servers and resources to route new calls rather than have calls pointlessly continuing. This improves overall efficiency.
How Long Does WhatsApp Allow Calls to Ring Before Declining?
WhatsApp does not publicly disclose exactly how long it allows calls to ring before automatically declining. However, based on user reports and first-hand testing, it appears WhatsApp calls will allow phones to ring for approximately 20-30 seconds if the recipient’s phone is offline, in Do Not Disturb mode, or has poor network connectivity.
If the recipient’s phone remains unreachable for that duration, the WhatsApp call will disconnect itself and the caller will see a “Call Declined” message. The allowed ringing time may vary slightly in different circumstances.
This time limit prevents WhatsApp calls from ringing indefinitely which could be disruptive and waste network resources. Other apps like Skype and FaceTime also have similar self-decline timeouts in place if calls go unanswered for a certain window of time.
Will a WhatsApp Call Still Decline Itself if the Recipient is Busy?
If the recipient is able to receive the WhatsApp call but declines or ignores the call themselves, the call will disconnect as normal. However, WhatsApp is smart enough not to self-disconnect when the recipient is already on another call.
In this case, the caller will hear normal ringing while the recipient sees a “Call Waiting” notification. This call waiting state does not trigger WhatsApp to auto-decline the call, since it recognizes the recipient is busy but still able to receive the call.
The call will simply keep ringing on the caller’s end until they cancel it themselves or the recipient finishes their existing call and is able to answer. So WhatsApp’s auto-decline feature is mainly intended for situations where the recipient device is totally unreachable for a set time.
Does WhatsApp Ever Disconnect Active Calls?
Once a WhatsApp call successfully connects and the recipient answers, WhatsApp will try its best not to abruptly end the call during your conversation. Unlike declining unanswered calls, WhatsApp does not enforce any automatic time limit to cut off ongoing calls.
However, WhatsApp calls made over the internet can still sometimes disconnect if either user’s connection quality drops significantly during the call. For example, if someone with an active WhatsApp call drives into a tunnel, their internet signal may temporarily cut out and cause the call the end.
In most cases, however, WhatsApp tries to smoothly recover the call’s quality by adapting the encoding and buffering instead of disconnecting entirely. The call would have to lose connection for an extended time before being terminated completely.
Can You Stop WhatsApp from Declining Unanswered Calls?
Unfortunately, there is no setting in WhatsApp to disable its auto-decline or timeout feature for unanswered calls. This behavior is hardcoded into WhatsApp and helps protect their infrastructure from overload and abuse.
The timer limiting how long calls ring before declining themselves cannot be adjusted or turned off. Users also cannot force WhatsApp calls to keep ringing indefinitely if the recipient is unreachable.
Your only option is to keep manually re-trying the call until the recipient becomes available again or moves to an area with better reception. WhatsApp gives callers control over voluntarily ending a call, but automatically steps in after a certain time if calls remain unanswered.
Does WhatsApp Notify the Recipient if a Call Self-Declined?
If a WhatsApp call disconnects itself before being answered, the recipient does get a notification that a call was missed once their device becomes reachable again.
In the WhatsApp call history, they will see an entry for your call marked as “Declined” showing the duration of how long the call rang before declining.
This makes the recipient aware a call attempted to connect but was unable to get through. However, they are not notified at the actual moment the call declines itself if their device has no connectivity at that time.
Can WhatsApp Tell You Why a Call Declined Itself?
Unfortunately, WhatsApp does not provide any details about exactly why an unanswered call ended up disconnecting itself prematurely.
The caller only sees that the call declined, but is not given any specific reason whether it was due to network issues, the recipient’s phone being off, Do Not Disturb mode, or any other factors.
WhatsApp seems to classify all these scenarios into a generic “Call Declined” message if the call drops before being accepted. There are no diagnostics or troubleshooting details showing if it was the caller or recipient’s connectivity that caused the issue.
Conclusion
To recap, WhatsApp does have the ability to automatically decline calls that go unanswered for a certain time limit around 20-30 seconds. This avoids unnecessary resource usage if the recipient is unreachable and gives the caller indication to try contacting them again later.
While WhatsApp doesn’t provide settings to adjust this behavior, the self-decline feature does help optimize call connectivity behind the scenes. Being aware of potential reasons why a call may disconnect prematurely can help you troubleshoot and prevent unexpected declined calls when using WhatsApp.