From: nospam@needed.invalid   
      
   On Wed, 1/14/2026 10:39 AM, Graham J wrote:   
   > Graham J wrote:   
   >> Graham J wrote:   
   >>> This on behalf of a disabled neighbour.   
   >>>   
   >>> So: "Alexa, call Graham" - this works, so Alexa is correctly set up.   
   >>>   
   >>> But when there is an incoming call: "Alexa, answer the phone" gives a   
   message of the form "Can't answer incoming calls".   
   >>   
   >> OP here.   
   >>   
   >> The actual message is "There is no incoming call."   
   >>   
   >> Alexa is clearly lying, since the phone is ringing.   
   >   
   > OP here ...   
   >   
   > Phone is Samsung Galaxy A16 5G model SM--A166B/DS   
   > UI = 8.0   
   > Android = 16   
   > Notifications = Alexa all   
   > Bluetooth was off, now ON   
   > Paired with Echo Dot-BT4   
   >   
   > "Alexa, call Graham" - continues to work as expected.   
   > "Alexa, hang up" - terminates the call as expected.   
   >   
   > I ring her phone, it shows an incoming call, a tinted blue screen with a   
   green button to accept, red to cancel.   
   >   
   > "Alexa, answer the phone."   
   > The response from Alexa is still: "There is no incoming call."   
   >   
   > The user is virtually paralysed (probably carpal tunnel syndrome in both   
   wrists) so tapping a button on the phone is basically impossible.   
   >   
   > Ideas?   
   >   
      
   The AI training set is a faster way to get some idea about what gears   
   and levers are hiding in this Home Automation question. I could never   
   track down this level of detail on my own, because userspace does not know   
   such things. Maybe one of the home automation forums would have the info,   
   but it's also partially a phone question, and the smartphone users don't   
   know stuff like this.   
      
   ********** CoPilot Question ***************   
      
   A user has the following problem.   
   This involves Amazon Alexa home automation.   
   The Amazon hardware in the home is Echo Dot-BT4.   
   The smartphone interacting with the Echo device is Samsung Galaxy A16 5G model   
   SM--A166B/DS   
      
   During an outgoing call, where the user says "Alexa, call John", the automation   
   works, and the phone call with John is conducted through the audio I/O of the   
   Echo device.   
   This proves that much of the plumbing in the automation is working. That   
   is what is a trifle disturbing about this situation, is the outgoing call   
   progression works.   
      
   During an incoming call, the user give the voice command "Alexa, answer the   
   phone" .   
   The Echo speaker output in response is "There is no incoming call" .   
      
   The phone is paired via Bluetooth to the Echo device.   
      
   UI = 8.0   
   Android = 16   
   Notifications = Alexa all   
      
   While the Alexa automation does not necessarily work with   
   absolutely all smartphones, what would be the most likely   
   permission issue or protocol issue causing this failure,   
   and what would your recommendation be to fix this, such   
   that Alexa can accept the incoming phone call for the user ?   
      
   ********** CoPilot Answer ***************   
      
   The fact that **outgoing calls work perfectly through the Echo Dot**, but   
   **incoming calls cannot be answered**, is a very strong diagnostic clue. It   
   tells us that:   
      
   - Bluetooth audio routing (A2DP + HFP) is working.   
   - Alexa *can* control the phone for outbound dialing.   
   - The failure is specifically in **Alexa detecting the incoming call event**.   
      
   That narrows the problem to **one of two causes**:   
      
   ---   
      
   #  Most Likely Cause   
   ## **Alexa is not receiving the CALL_STATE / telecom notifications from the   
   Samsung phone.**   
      
   Even though you enabled "Notifications = Alexa all," Samsung phones -   
   especially newer   
   One UI versions - often **block or restrict "Call & Call Status" access**   
   unless a   
   very specific permission is granted.   
      
   For Alexa to answer incoming calls, the phone must broadcast:   
      
   - **android.permission.READ_PHONE_STATE**   
   - **android.permission.BIND_NOTIFICATION_LISTENER_SERVICE**   
   - **android.permission.ANSWER_PHONE_CALLS** (Android 10+)   
   - **Bluetooth HFP call control** (Hands-Free Profile)   
      
   If *any one* of these is missing or blocked, Alexa will say:   
      
     "There is no incoming call."   
      
   This is exactly what happens when the Echo never receives the “RINGING”   
   event from the phone.   
      
   ---   
      
   #  Why Outgoing Works but Incoming Fails   
   Outgoing calls only require:   
      
   - Alexa -> Bluetooth -> Phone (HFP dial command)   
      
   Incoming calls require:   
      
   - Phone -> Alexa (notification of incoming call)   
   - Alexa -> Phone (answer command)   
      
   If the **Phone -> Alexa** direction is blocked, Alexa cannot know the phone is   
   ringing.   
      
   This is the classic symptom of a **notification listener or call‑state   
   permission failure**.   
      
   ---   
      
   #  The Samsung A16 (Android 16 / One UI 8) Complication   
   Samsung aggressively restricts background services and notification listeners.   
   Many users report that Alexa cannot answer calls unless the following is   
   explicitly enabled:   
      
   ###  **Alexa must be allowed as a “Call Management” app**   
   This permission is *not* enabled by default.   
      
   ---   
      
   #  Recommended Fix (Most Effective Sequence)   
      
   ## **1. Enable Alexa as a “Call & Text on Other Devices” app**   
   On the Samsung phone:   
      
   **Settings -> Apps -> Alexa -> Permissions**   
      
   Enable:   
      
   - **Phone**   
   - **Call logs**   
   - **Contacts**   
   - **Notifications**   
   - **Nearby devices**   
   - **Bluetooth**   
   - **Microphone**   
      
   Most importantly, under **Phone**, ensure:   
      
   - **Allow management of all calls** (if shown)   
   - **Allow answering/ending calls** (Android 14+)   
      
   ---   
      
   ## **2. Enable Alexa as a Notification Listener**   
   Go to:   
      
   **Settings -> Notifications -> Advanced settings -> Notification access**   
      
   Turn ON:   
      
   - **Amazon Alexa**   
      
   This is required for Alexa to detect incoming calls.   
      
   ---   
      
   ## **3. Disable Samsung’s background restrictions**   
   Samsung often kills Alexa’s listener service.   
      
   Go to:   
      
   **Settings -> Battery -> Background usage limits**   
      
   - Remove Alexa from "Sleeping apps"   
   - Remove Alexa from "Deep sleeping apps"   
   - Set Alexa to **Unrestricted**   
      
   ---   
      
   ## **4. Re‑pair Bluetooth using the correct profile**   
   Delete the Echo Dot from Bluetooth on the phone, then re-pair it.   
      
   When pairing, ensure the phone shows:   
      
   - **Calls** enabled   
   - **Audio** enabled   
      
   If “Calls” is missing, the phone is not exposing the HFP profile properly.   
      
   ---   
      
   ## **5. Restart both devices**   
   - Restart the Samsung A16   
   - Restart the Echo Dot (“Alexa, restart”)   
      
   This forces the HFP call-state channel to reinitialize.   
      
   ---   
      
   #  If It Still Fails   
    The Samsung A16 is a newer budget model, and some carriers disable   
    **Bluetooth HFP call control** for third‑party devices. In that case:   
      
   - Outgoing calls still work (Alexa sends a dial command)   
   - Incoming calls fail (carrier blocks HFP call-state broadcast)   
      
   This is rare but documented.   
      
   ---   
      
   #  Bottom Line   
   The **most likely cause** is:   
      
   ### **Alexa does not have full call-state and notification-listener   
   permissions on the Samsung A16.**   
      
   The **most likely fix** is:   
      
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)