iPhone pocket dialing while locked

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Level 1

8 points

iPhone pocket dialing while locked

Tonight something unusual happened with my iPhone SE. During my break at work, I checked my phone for text messages and weather; nothing new. I put it to sleep via the sleep/wake button as I always do. Passcode is set to be required immediately.

Approximately 15 minutes after I stopped using my phone (according to the time stamps), it began dialing the two numbers in my recent calls list. The outgoing calls lasted between 3 to 7 minutes for a total of 13 calls over a period of 1.5 hours before I first started hearing a music-like sound coming from my phone. I presume the music was coming from the other end of the call. The recent callers were an automated system from my work and an unknown spam caller.

I took my phone from my pocket; it was sleeping and locked. I woke it up with the home button and entered my passcode. The sound stopped. The window visible in the foreground was the voicemail greetings settings where you can choose a new greeting message.

How could this happen while my phone is sleeping and locked? How can I prevent it from happening again?

Additional details:

Using the latest software 10.2.1

Siri is disabled

Not jailbroken

iPhone SE, iOS 10.2.1, null

Posted on Mar 9, 2017 4:25 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

cm900 Author

Level 1

8 points

Mar 10, 2017 3:39 AM in response to chuck_3rd

Hi alex_h1,

Thanks for taking the time to reply. I checked out that article you mentioned and rebooted my phone. I hope it remains an isolated event.

On the topic of Siri, I had both Siri and Voice Control disabled when the event occurred. I have tried speaking commands to my phone and it is not responding, so those settings are functioning as expected. No other objects in my pocket; front pocket, phone facing my thigh.

If my phone has a virus, how would I determine that? I don't see any apps that I don't recognize.

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Answer 2

chuck_3rd

Community Specialist

Mar 9, 2017 4:47 PM in response to cm900

Hello cm900,

Thanks for asking the Apple Support Communities about your iPhone dialing even though it is locked in your pocket. It is possible that the touch screen has problems and is reading it being touched, or the keys or change in your pocket is affecting it also. Please try the troubleshooting steps provided in this help article: If the screen on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch doesn‘t respond to touch . I am aware it talks about the screen not responding to touch, but the troubleshooting steps are still valid. It also states:

If your touchscreen still doesn't respond like it should, contact Apple Support or take your device to an Apple Retail Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider.

There is one other possibility. If you have Siri or "Hey Siri" enabled, it may be responding to commands. Though you aren't actually saying the correct commands, the sounds it hears which would be muffled through your pocket may have the device thinking those are the correct commands being spoken. To test this, you can disable Siri or "Hey Siri" and see if the issue still occurs.
Thanks again and have a great day.

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