3 Easy Steps to Stop Pocket Dialing NOW

When you want to stop pocket dialing, it boils down to stopping bad smartphone habits. Butt-dialing or pocket-dialing, as it is often referred to, is a result of bad smartphone habits that majorly start with forgetting to lock your device. The next thing you do is toss your unlocked phone into your pocket (often the rear one) or your handbag (for ladies). As you move around with your unlocked phone in your pocket, taps, and bumps combined with static electricity and some moisture will then fool your smartphone’s touchscreen into thinking it’s being used by you at the moment.

From there, it becomes a downward spiral in terms of which app your phone opens or who gets called in the process. When you accidentally call someone from your phone, they may hear background noise in your house, or a conversation they shouldn’t be part of. You might end up calling an international number that ends up costing you a fortune. Butt-dialing happens to almost everyone. Here are three ways to make sure that it doesn’t happen to you:

Lock Your Phone To Stop Pocket-Dialing

Always remember to hit the power button to turn off your screen before throwing your phone away into your pocket or bag. As much as owning a smartphone translates to convenience, this habit can save you a whole lot of embarrassing moments. Thankfully, both iPhones and Android phones have an auto-lock setting that turns your screen off on your behalf. iPhones always turn off the screen and lock the phone in 30 seconds of no activity. As for Android phones, you have an even shorter option of 15 seconds.

This might seem like a lot of work especially if you are always using your phone but if you want to avoid the shame that comes with pocket-dialing, you may want to try and adjust the time setting so it works for you.

Here’s how to change auto-lock on your phone:

1. Open Settings.
2. Select Display/Display & Brightness
3. Select Sleep or Auto-Lock or Screen timeout (may vary from one phone to another).
4. Choose the interval you feel most comfortable with (the shorter, the better).

Use a Security Lock

It is important to have a security lock on your phone. If you do not have one then you should consider having it. Not securing your phone with a security lock can leave you vulnerable and interfere with your privacy. It also increases the likelihood of your phone unlocking in the pocket. Adding a passcode, requiring a fingerprint or facial identification to unlock makes pocket dialing impossible. Important to note is that you should first lock your phone before pocketing it for this to work for you. If not, your efforts to stop pocket dialing will be a wild goose chase.

Setting up your phone for a passcode, fingerprint, or facial identification:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Select Security and lock screen/Touch ID & Passcode/Face ID & Passcode.
3. If you already have a passcode, you will be asked to enter it.
4. Set your phone to require a passcode/fingerprint/facial identification to unlock.

Give Siri or Google Assistant a Break when your phone is locked

Whether you use Siri or Google Assistant, it is possible that your digital assistant is to blame for the occasional pocket-dial. If your phone is set to always listen for “Hey, Siri” or “OK, Google,” your chances to stop pocket dialing are always on an all-time low. All it takes is a trigger word or button press and the next thing you know is Siri dialing out.

Do this to restrict Siri to only respond when your iPhone is unlocked:

1. Open Settings.
2. Select Siri & Search.
3. Next to Listen for “Hey Siri” turn it off.
4. Next to Allow Siri When Locked turn it off.

Do this to restrict Google Assistant to only respond when your Android phone is unlocked:

1. Launch Google Assistant.
2. Click on the inbox icon in the lower-left corner. This opens Assistant settings.
3. Select your profile picture in the upper right corner.
4. Select Assistant on the top menu bar.
5. Scroll down to the Assistant devices section and select Phone.
6. Next to Access with Voice Match turn it off.
7. Next to Lock screen personal results turn it off.

For an Android device, you can take an extra step and make sure that on-body detection is turned off. The whole point of on-body detection is to keep your phone unlocked while being handled by you. This creates room for pocket dialing.

Turn off on-body detection on an Android phone in these steps to stop pocket dialing:

1. Open Settings.

2. Select Security > Smart lock

3. Enter your passcode.

4. Select On-body detection.

5. Turn the toggle off.

In addition to the above steps, you need to also avoid putting direct-dial shortcuts for acquaintances, friends, and family on the home screen of your smartphone. You can however still use this type of shortcut on another screen that is either to the left or right of your home screen. This will further help you stop pocket dialing and save you the embarrassment of making unwanted calls that may even include your ex. For the mere fact that we cannot live without our smartphones, it is our responsibility to prevent the disadvantages that come with careless handling of one.