VANITY - What's up with my android phone and "Remote Answering"?

Vanity ^ | 6/4/2018 | Vanity

[OKSooner]

I have a new Android phone, a Kyocera/Verizon model, that suddenly has a new feature:

I'm carrying the phone in my pocket, locked as always, and a call comes in.

I'm kinda busy at the time, like maybe DRIVING THE CAR, and what does one know but the phone answers the call FOR ME.

I then hear a voice saying "Hello?"

I really really don't like this. It happens most often when my wife calls, but it's also happened at other times from calls from other cell numbers. My wife's phone is an iPhone/Verizon. The other numbers this has happened with are unknown.

Looking back at the call log, instead of a phone number for each of these calls it says "Answered remotely".

This is frankly a real PITA at best, and a potential safety issue if I'm driving and having to fumble around for the phone while I'm driving.

So someone please help me out, what is this, where did it come from, and how do I turn it off?

[OKSooner]

Verizon, this is bad. It is no help at all, it's an interruption and a potential safety hazard.

[deport]

Is this possibly tied into leave a message thing?

[Red Badger]

That’s one of the reasons I don’t have a cellphone........................

[RitchieAprile]

I ignore the cellphone when I’m driving, because I’m on a motorcycle and have total focus on the task at hand.

Unlike so many WA knucklehead drivers...

[Robert DeLong]

I'd say you need to contact Verizon and ask them if there is any way to disable that feature. From what I gather it is tied to messaging in some sort or fashion.

Google search results, on: Android Answered remotely feature disable

[Larry Lucido]

With my old phone, the process of taking it out of my pocket to see who was calling would often cause the screen to swipe and answer. Total PITA.

But no, never heard of this problem.

[TexasGunLover]

Settings
Answering and Ending Calls
Automatic Answering

[AppyPappy]

Does your car have Bluetooth?

[OKSooner]

Yes, but bluetooth is disabled on the phone. I’ve never actively, voluntarily used it in the truck either.

[OKSooner]

Thanks, but I don’t have an “Answering and ending calls” option in my settings menu. Can’t seem to find it anywhere else either.

[moovova]

Not under the regular Settings icon on the main screen.

Pull up the Phone function and there should be a menu access (3 horizontal dots in upper right corner maybe? Click the 3 dots.) There’s a Settings prompt there. That’s where you should find the “Answering and ending calls” prompt.

[mikesmad]

What is the exact model of your phone? Try Menu, Settings and Tools, Call Settings, Answer Options. I think you will have a Flip Open, Any Key, or Auto with Handsfree option. I guess select Any key and then you can press a key to answer. That is for a Kyocera DuraXV or XV+ phone.

[VTenigma]

OKSooner is unavailable at this time, we here at the NSA would gladly take your message after the beep.

[OKSooner]

Thanks, but it’s not in phone settings either... sorry, I think I actually did go into the phone settings to try to find something...

[OKSooner]

Kyocera DuraForce Pro.

[OKSooner]

I found call settings in the phone options but no answer options.

I'm sure it's something I'm looking right over but I've got a couple other irons in the fire this am...

[OKSooner]

Thanks for your replies. Off to work now...

[MayflowerMadam]

“I’d say you need to contact Verizon “

I signed up for Verizon’s “Tech Coach” service. I don’t know what I pay (my bill’s not handy now to look at), but they’ve been pretty great. They can’t help me 100% because my phones are BlackBerries, and BB security won’t allow them to go in and remotely access the phone and do anything. But they can see the screen, and walk me through what to do. And if you call outside of normal hours, when you enter the phone number you’re calling about, and they see you’re a Tech Coach customer, service is 24/7 — at least it always has been. (Who knows what’ll change?)

Anyhow, the service has been so worth it, especially with that god-forsaken Android BB, which I’m still paying for but lives in a drawer with my socks.

[Delta 21]

They still call this kind of crap progress? Helping you out in today’s busy climate?

Im always wary of other folks wanting to help me out in ways that I did not request.

You will probably be charged money for this.

[TomGuy]

I got an LG Rebel 2 smartphone about 6 months ago. One of its ‘features’ was a vocal notification for messages, etc.

I had to turn it off in one of the ‘settings’.

Check your user guide and notifications settings.