How to automatically answer calls on speakerphone on Android?

A speakerphone allows users to have phone conversations without holding the phone to their ear. Speakerphone mode utilizes the phone’s built-in speaker and microphone to enable hands-free calling. When auto answer for speakerphone is enabled on Android phones, incoming calls will automatically be answered in speakerphone mode after a set delay. This can be convenient for situations where users want or need to have their hands free to multitask during a call, such as when driving, cooking, or working on something at a desk. Auto answering on speakerphone also allows multiple people nearby to join in on conversations.

There are several benefits to using auto answer for speakerphone on an Android device:

• Allows for complete hands-free calling so users can multitask during calls
• Enables multiple people in a room to join in on calls easily
• Provides a more comfortable experience for long calls since the user doesn’t need to hold the phone
• Makes it easier for users to answer calls while driving or engaged in other activities

With auto answer enabled, Android phones can become helpful hands-free speakerphones for daily use.

Enable Auto Answer

The first step to using auto answer on Android is to enable the feature in your device’s accessibility settings. To do this:

Go to Settings > Accessibility. This will open up your phone’s accessibility menu.

Many Android devices have the Auto Answer setting under the “Interaction and dexterity” or “Calls” section of Accessibility settings. Look for the “Auto answer” option and toggle it on.

You may need to give the Phone app permission to access calls in order to use Auto Answer. If prompted by your device, tap OK to enable the required permissions.

Once Auto Answer is enabled, your Android device will automatically answer incoming calls after the set delay time.

Turn on Auto Answer

To enable the Auto Answer feature on Android, open the Settings app and go to Accessibility. Under Interaction controls, find the option for Auto Answer and toggle it on. Enabling this will allow your Android device to automatically answer incoming calls after the set delay time.

As soon as you toggle on Auto Answer under Interaction Controls, your Android device will be ready to automatically answer calls on speakerphone after the delay time you set. Just make sure your phone’s speakerphone option is also enabled under Settings > Sound/Calls > Default call sound.

According to Samsung’s website, the Auto Answer feature allows you to effortlessly answer calls by having your Galaxy smartphone automatically answer after a set duration when connected to an external device like Bluetooth headphones or a car audio system. This enables a hands-free experience.

Source: https://www.samsung.com/au/support/mobile-devices/answering-and-ending-calls-with-ease/

Set Auto Answer Delay

You can adjust the Auto Answer timer under the Auto Answer settings. This allows you to set the number of seconds to wait before automatically answering the call.

To adjust the delay:

1. Open the Phone app and go to Settings.
2. Tap on Auto Answer.
3. Under Auto Answer Delay, use the slider to set the desired number of seconds to wait before answering. You can choose anywhere from 1 to 30 seconds.
4. Tap OK to save the setting.

Setting a short delay allows calls to be answered quickly without much waiting. However, a longer delay gives you more time to potentially intervene and manually answer or decline the call if needed.

According to a RingCentral support article, the delay can help prevent pocket dialing by giving you a few seconds to cancel a call that was accidentally initiated.

Choose Output Device

Once you enable Auto Answer, you can specify which output device incoming calls should use. By default, Auto Answer will route calls through your phone’s earpiece. To enable speakerphone instead, you need to change the Auto Answer output setting:

1. Open the Phone app and tap the More/Settings icon (typically 3 dots in the top right corner).

2. Select Settings.

3. Tap Call settings.

4. Tap Auto answer output.[1]

5. Select Speakerphone under Auto Answer output.

With speakerphone set as the output, any incoming calls will now automatically be answered through your device’s speaker instead of the earpiece. This allows you to hear the caller hands-free without needing to manually switch on speaker each time.

[1] https://forums.androidcentral.com/threads/how-do-i-set-my-phone-to-answer-by-speaker-phone.480324/

Test It Out

Once you have enabled auto answer and configured the settings, it’s important to test that it works as expected. Make a test call from another phone to your Android device to confirm auto answer on speakerphone functions properly.

When making the test call, listen for the automated voice greeting if you enabled one through the steps above. Let the call ring through the specified delay period. You should then hear the call answer automatically with audio playing through the designated speakerphone or Bluetooth device.

If the call does not automatically answer, double check your auto answer and delay settings. Make sure your phone’s ringer volume is turned up loud enough to be audible. Test different call delay periods to see if that impacts auto answering.

Once auto answer on speakerphone is successfully working, you can customize it further by setting unique ringtones for recognized contacts. This lets you identify callers before the call answers automatically. You can also fine tune the speakerphone volume for optimal hands-free experience.

Customize Ringtone

When using the auto answer feature on Android, you can optionally set a custom ringtone for the auto-answered calls. This allows you to choose a distinct ringtone to recognize that the call was auto-answered.

To set a custom ringtone for auto-answered calls:

1. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Auto answer calls.

2. Tap the settings icon next to Auto answer calls.

3. Select the desired ringtone under Auto-answer ringtone.

You can choose from your ringtones or notification sounds. Tap a sound to preview it. When you’ve selected the desired ringtone, tap OK.

Now when you receive a call that is auto-answered, your chosen custom ringtone will play through the speaker so you know the call was automatically answered.

Source: Android: How to change the ringtone and other system settings

Disable Auto Answer

If you decide you no longer want your Android phone to automatically answer calls on speakerphone, you can disable this feature. Here are the steps to turn it off:

Open the Settings app and tap on Accessibility. Then select Touch from the menu. Next, tap on Call Audio Routing. Tap on Auto-Answer Calls and toggle the switch off to disable it. Auto answer calls will now be disabled on your device (source).

You can also go back into Call Audio Routing at any time to turn Auto-Answer Calls back on if you want to re-enable the feature.

Troubleshooting

Here are some solutions for common issues with auto answer on Android:

If auto answer is not working, first make sure the feature is enabled in your phone’s accessibility settings. You may need to toggle it off and on again if it stops working (see this Google support thread).

Check that the auto answer delay is set to an appropriate amount of time. Try increasing it if calls are not being answered. Also confirm your preferred output device is selected.

If auto answer works only sometimes, it could be an issue with your phone’s software. Try updating to the latest OS version available for your device. A reboot can also help.

For auto answering specific numbers only, be sure you have configured the feature correctly in your phone app’s settings. Add the exact numbers you want using wildcards if needed (see this guide for Samsung devices).

As a last resort, you can try resetting app preferences or your phone to factory default settings if auto answer is still problematic after trying other troubleshooting.

Conclusion

In the end, automatically answering calls on speakerphone on Android can provide some notable benefits. As discussed, enabling this feature allows you to answer calls hands-free without having to manually press anything. This can be especially convenient when driving, cooking, or doing other activities where your hands are occupied.

Auto answer with speakerphone also helps ensure that you don’t miss important calls that you may not be able to physically answer in time. The ability to customize the auto answer delay gives you flexibility on when calls connect.

While there are some potential downsides like privacy concerns, overall auto answer on Android can be a useful feature for many users. Just be sure to disable it when not needed. If set up properly, auto answering calls on speakerphone can provide a more seamless and convenient calling experience.