Tip: End any phone call without using the touchscreen

BY Rita El Khoury

Published 13 Mar 2014

end-phone-call-android

One of the annoying “features” of modern smartphones is having to use the touchscreen while answering and rejecting calls. This usually involves fumbling with the screen to either swipe in a certain direction or hit a specific button. It is especially infuriating when ending a call, because you have to wait for the screen to turn on after you take the phone away from your ear. Here’s a tip that will make ending a call easier.

You can end a phone call on any Android device using a setting hidden with the Accessibility functions.

  1. Go to your phone’s Settings, scroll or swipe to reach the System section and the Accessibility menu.
  2. Open Accessibility and scroll until you see “Power button ends call.”
  3. Check the box.
Check this box to enable ending a call with the power button

Check this box to enable ending a call with the power button

Now, when you’re on a phone call and you want to hang up, you don’t have to take the phone away from your head, wait for the proximity sensor to detect that and re-activate the screen, then hit the small End call button. You simply press the power button and the call is terminated, no fuss.

Couple this with the fact that most Android manufacturers have added a gesture that automatically answers a call when you pick up the phone and bring it to your ear, and you can now control your calls without ever needing to use the touchscreen.