Signal-android: Calls don't ring - show up as missed calls

[Maximus778]

• [x ] I have searched open and closed issues for duplicates
• [ x] I am submitting a bug report for existing functionality that does not work as intended
• [ x] I have read https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-Android/wiki/Submitting-useful-bug-reports
• [ x] This isn't a feature request or a discussion topic

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Bug description

I have been using Signal since it came out and find it to be very useful with great voice quality. However in the last few months, when I call another signal user, they don't hear the call ring and only get a missed call notification

1) This is happening with users in the US, where there was no issue previously. Since it is in the US, it is not a firewall issue
2) On both ends, the app has permissions to mic and camera
3) There is a super-strong wifi connection on both ends and whatsapp, Skype and wire calls ring and connect effortlessly

This is now happening with 100% of calls being placed with signal, effectively making signal useless to make voice calls. Can you please look into this and fix it urgently

Thanks

Steps to reproduce

Am able to reproduce this 100% of the times now. Earlier would happen 50% of the time

• This is not related to clock syncing. Both devices have the exact same time and all other calling apps such as Wire, WhatsApp and Skype work perfectly

Actual result: Describe here what happens after you run the steps above (i.e. the buggy behaviour)
Expected result: Describe here what should happen after you run the steps above (i.e. what would be the correct behaviour)

Screenshots

Device info

Device: Pixel 2
Android version: 9
Signal version: 4.29.5

Link to debug log

[greyson-signal]

This is something where I very much need debug logs from both devices, as I'm unable to repro on any of my devices.

[omd10]

I can confirm the issue. Even when it is working it takes longer time to connect than other messengers. Cannot reproduce the issue on 100%. On one of the devices the situation was improved by manually adjusting the clock and reinstalling Signal on the other. Before that I was observing notification without ring and no ringing with screen off. Log before that adjustment:
https://debuglogs.org/caa881e9e1789d0beb42acdb1b4383001f007ab2fe555d9b2341f9565124c773
And after:
https://debuglogs.org/5c1c590d60fc3054a2a38f5440f2867c0382822951e5d48d3a1b6f289954cbf0

The other device before:
https://debuglogs.org/a07b722b2e98e547e966855ccca0cbb261ccbdd5bd635944bfddf4a6e4c48bc9
And after:
https://debuglogs.org/81c4e423cb4c612eccb31338a6ae3a3a91946a1296bb0228e917eabb0e34608d

[omd10]

If you need other tests let me know.

[Maximus778]

This is an issue which a number of tickets on Github have mentioned for 12 months now. Here's a thread with debug logs
https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-Android/issues/8302#issuecomment-434219763
Would appreciate your help with fixing this
Thanks

On Thursday, October 25, 2018, 3:58:28 PM EDT, Greyson Parrelli <[email protected]> wrote:

This is something where I very much need debug logs from both devices, as I'm unable to repro on any of my devices.

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[omd10]

This maybe related or a separate issue, but when DND is activated and then deactivated calls stop ringing or vibrating. Witelisting the app to notify during DND does not help for call notifications, killing the app and clearing cache too. Sound and vibrations work start working after a reboot. Messaging notifications are not afected.

[omd10]

Log: https://debuglogs.org/29430e67f8d3c9a072deb4c374d7ebe4ebe12f0a95528e78de65bcefe9038b26

[mattimac]

@omd10 @Maximus778
are you calling from LTE or other ipv6 network or not? Is is proven to give similar issues as you describe.
If your LTE provider provides you ipv6 address try to change the APN configuration to ipv4 and try again.

[omd10]

@mattimac
The issue is observed on wifi too. The strange think is that if I lift the phone ambient display ia showing phone with lock icon, nothing happens if i dont wake up the screen no free signal on the other side just trying to connect. If i wake up the screen then i see the incomming call comming and sometimes it rings sometimes not. The application is excluded from all battery optimisations. Easiest way to reproduce is by not using the app for long time although it happens randomly. Only call notifications are affected. Fresh log, last call is with the issue:
https://debuglogs.org/320847d8ed044e5b7c93c6b0feacb0164c4d6a0f30ef88758da4bed1eafdddde
The other phone:
https://debuglogs.org/a3bb83ada69ff158d02377120e5806c573207e1636f0f0e4fb95818fa6d1fbac

[omd10]

This is the only real issue I see with the app, although message delivery is slow compared to others. Still keeping telegram just because of that.

[ghost]

This is happening me and a friends phone too. It was working fine. Now calls just show up. I see connecting in notification bar when trying to receive a call. Wifi calling is off on both phones. And accepting the call doesn't even connect making signal broken for calls

[ozgurakyazi]

Since I have the same problem, I am willing to contribute. Please let me know if a test needed.

[jl91569]

I'm also having the same issue, but I noticed that the incoming call screen appears if the recipient attempts to call the sender at the same time, although it still gets stuck attempting to connect if the recipient tries to answer the call.

Edit: Disabled relaying calls through Signal servers and it appeared to work correctly.

[ghost]

Disabling through signal servers doesn't work for us. Voice calls totally don't work atm and i think messages are also buggy laggy. Is there an alternative to use for calls now? I tried latest and I'm on latest beta

[todoesUno]

I think this is the same issue: https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-Android/issues/7733

[ghost]

Yes it seems the same

[Maximus778]

It's clear that this is a common and long-standing issue with Signal. On top of that, this is a core functionality and not a tertiary refinement. I end up using WhatsApp for voicecalls though I would strongly prefer Signal specifically due to this issue.

What can we do to fix this?

Thanks

[ghost]

I ended up using wire and have to say I'm liking it as much as signal

[mattimac]

What can we do to fix this?

Thanks
@Maximus778 @ghosted17

If you have some time and access to two devices, best would be with LTE that you can switch between ipv6 and ipv4. I think best we can do is perform several tests and submit the logs according to the
https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-Android/wiki/Submitting-useful-bug-reports

Good bug reports are something that enables developers to look into issue and is encouraging to do so.

[dorakas]

same here. calls don't get established. it pings on the one phone and show notification on the other but never rings. if you click the notification it shows call screen but the call doesn't make it.

Pixel 3 log = https://debuglogs.org/d1a1312b64f6bed40d9da0fa5708409d67de1b3249a99c656df2273930acf05a

Nexus 6p log = https://debuglogs.org/0a87f3d14abb82052e7e312af2ee81aa97c1593dc029687c59ec1433b9c01ac8

[Maximus778]

Again - any thoughts from the developers at Signal? This is a core lack of functionality which has been reported multiple times for over 6 months.

How can Signal be a viable alternative as a communication app if you can't even make calls on it?

Would appreciate it if this fix could be moved to the top of the list.

Signal has a reputation for being responsive to requests, as evidenced by tweaks to the dark theme last year. Yet I am totally shocked that such a basic bug has been allowed to exist for such a long time, despite multiple posts of frustration over 180 days.

[greyson-signal]

@Maximus778 Just wanted to chime in to clarify why this is difficult, so you don't feel like I'm ignoring this. First, I don't want you to think that calling is broken for all users or anything -- these appear to be exceptional cases we're looking at that seem to arise from specific device configurations. I have 10 Android devices on my desk right now, and sadly I'm unable to reproduce this issue on any of them.

Across a couple tickets, possible explanations vary from VPNs, IPv4 vs IPv6, mismatched device clocks, and notification issues.

What would be great to have from you, since your calls fail 100% of the time, is a debug log. Specifically, just make a single call from your device, and after it fails, capture a debug log and save the URL. Then, request a debug log from the person you called. Then, post both of those links here and label which was the sender and which was the receiver. That'd help a lot with debugging your specific problem.

[mattimac]

@greyson-signal what i would try to test with would be:

• make sure the call receiving device has the screen off, app is not whitelisted in the battery optimization etc
• make sure you run signal 4.29.7 on android
• try with the receiving device on LTE/ calling device on LTE / both LTE/ both Wifi (best would be different ISPs and public adresses)
• experiment with ipv4 only, ipv6 only and dual stack if possible)
• experiment with "always relay calls" - for me it seems that enabling this increased the possibility of failing the call, but the issue is there when this is disabled as well

i can confirm this is the case for me not only on Samsung galaxy S7 but on Samsung Galaxy S9+ android 8.0.0 also.

[torlarse]

same issue. Might send a debug log. Is there any risk in posting an unedited log?

[greyson-signal]

@torlarse

Is there any risk in posting an unedited log?

Generally no, but it depends on your information-sharing threshold. Things like phone numbers are automatically stripped from the logs, and we never log anything like message contents. Basically the log tells us what _types_ of things were happening. For example, the log will say that a message was sent, but it won't say what who it was sent to or what it said. Hope that helps.

[torlarse]

@greyson-signal thanks. I discovered the debug log a little too late for catching that call event. Will post log next time eventually.

However, the problem got solved by rebooting call receiver's Samsung S7, with all updated and original software.

[dorakas]

@greyson-signal

this problem is effects more users than you estimate. i have 5 friends that have it. nobody of them is gonna make an account here and post debug logs.

[Booteille]

I have this issue too with at least two of my contacts. I'll try to grab some logs ASAP.

[mnns]

Me and my friends get this exact same bug, it happens around 90% of the times. Suddenly, no rings, no notifications, on separate phones, different everything. We are out of US so it is not a matter of firewall. All other apps work just fine. Signal is now out of our options for secure voip calls... Clean non rooted Androids, different OEM ROMs etc. No special permissions rootkit/filter drivers etc. Installed from Play Store. This whole saga started within a week, for all of us. Note that we do not allow Signal for contacts permissions so these calls are coming from unlisted numbers.

[Xashyar]

@greyson-signal
Received 5 Missed Calls from an iOS Device with no Ringing:

Android 4.32.3 (Call Receiver):
https://debuglogs.org/2693bf057f25f4e3edd3b64a8e78d8d1696897c3c464560d486fb933460aa53d

iOS 2.32.0.19 (Caller):
https://debuglogs.org/4286b413429be3039817ef1ebccd6ebee175f84945508e91c55e1b9e9547062f.zip

Calls are received normally when you try vice versa (Calling from Android)

[Maximus778]

I have found that if I send a text message first to the person I want to call, wait for the text message to be delivered, the call rings always through.
This clearly shows some manner of server time out by Signal.

Sending the text message forces the Signal app to reestablish connection with the server. I hope that the Signal developers can use this workaround hack to fix the issue
Thanks

On Tuesday, December 4, 2018, 6:44:01 AM EST, Xashyar <[email protected]> wrote:

@greyson-signal
Received 5 Missed Calls from an iOS Device with no Ringing:

Android 4.32.3 (Call Receiver):
https://debuglogs.org/2693bf057f25f4e3edd3b64a8e78d8d1696897c3c464560d486fb933460aa53d

iOS 2.32.0.19 (Caller):
https://debuglogs.org/4286b413429be3039817ef1ebccd6ebee175f84945508e91c55e1b9e9547062f.zip

Calls are received normally when you try vice versa (Calling from Android)

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[szotsaki]

This ticket is a duplicate of #7733.

Please, close this bug and comment on the other one to have all the necessary information in one place. Thank you!

[usergoodvery]

Signal folks this issue and #7733 are most likely related to some logical bug in how you set IceTransportsType.RELAY for PeerConnection configuration as in https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-Android/blob/e603162ee767d56fa16f56701cd29010f22ed22d/src/org/thoughtcrime/securesms/webrtc/PeerConnectionWrapper.java#L72

Since you are automatically forcing non system contacts on the TURN path as per https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-Android/blob/84fd1a9140e15a3f02bec6a2803d26223acc44a3/src/org/thoughtcrime/securesms/service/WebRtcCallService.java#L389 (suspect very few users turn this option on by default) your TURN servers are probably overloaded and users are getting random success rate with their webrtc connections, because system-contact vs non-system-contact is random and highly localised to each user.

The remote peer won't be trickling ICE candidates back, and onIceConnectionChange won't evolve out of the CHECKING state forcing a timeout and users seeing missed call note.

[AdelKS]

Hello,

I am experiencing the same problem, receiving missed calls without the phone having rung (around 70% of the time). And maybe it's related: long wait before the phone of the person I am calling starts ringing, if it rings. I can join debug logs if needed.

Thank you and good luck!

[Nnidyu]

I have an identical problem on 4.55.8. Calls do not ring and I only see a "Missed call" notification.

[deBugger-]

Same on Samsung S4 Telekom "Missed call" only msg.

[magician11]

I, and 2 friends that have the same issue. It's tricky to debug, because the issue is intermittent. Sometimes it'll ring, and sometimes it won't and we'll just see a missed call. Sometimes a notification will pop up saying a new Signal call is coming in, but it won't ring.

These issue seems to occur independently of the functionality of battery saver mode, or "do not disturb" mode.

This also applies to messaging notifications for us.

We usually switch to WhatsApp after that and calls ring fine, as well as the notifications on either end.

[szotsaki]

This is most likely a duplicate of https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-Android/issues/7733 or https://github.com/signalapp/Signal-Android/issues/9633. Could you please close this one in favour of them? Thank you.

[samuelowino]

@greyson-signal have you or other collaborators had any luck with this issue, or could it be a webrtc bug

[capitolfrills]

@greyson-signal I have been experiencing a similar issue for at least half a year. Incoming Signal calls used to work fine for me, but now when I am receiving incoming calls, I can hear the call ringing, but no notification box and the phone screen does not change to enable me to answer the call. If I open Signal, open a message and select the call icon only then does the incoming call screen appear and allow me to answer the call. This issue is reproduceable for me and happens with every incoming call, whether on wifi or network.

Device info

Device: OnePlus 7
OS: Oxygen OS 10.3.4.GM21AA
Signal version: 4.75.4

[szotsaki]

Please, append your bug report and log into either #7733 or #9633 depending on the type of the issue.

@Maximus778: could you please be so kind and close this ticket as a duplicate?