Call notification issues on Huawei watches due to improper usage of Hands Free Profile
Background
Most Huawei watches have the ability to answer calls. This is due to the Hands Free Profile (HFP), which needs to be properly configured on the paired phone.
The HFP profile is turned off when the watch is idle (no active call). It is automatically enabled during a phone call and disabled after the call ends. This behavior is designed to improve connection performance and optimize power consumption.
ℹ️
The HFP profile may appear differently on phone models from various manufacturers. It is accessed through the Bluetooth settings of the paired Android phone and may be labeled as Call audio (Huawei), Calls (Samsung), or Phone Calls (Pixel), as shown in the figures below:
Problem
If the user turns on the Call Audio / Calls / Phone Calls toggle, it will automatically turn itself back off after a few seconds. Due to this behavior, the Bluetooth settings on Android may be confusing to users, and they may manually switch it off, which can cause additional issues:
- On smartwatches (Watch 3, Watch 4, Watch 5), the incoming call notification appears on the watch for 2–3 seconds and then disappears. The user cannot answer the call, even when pressing the answer or reject buttons.
- On Fit/Band devices, the incoming call notification is displayed with only a Reject button, as shown in the figure below:
Solution
1. If you want to receive and answer phone calls on the watch, the Call Audio / Calls / Phone Calls toggle needs to be turned ON. Wait for 5–10 seconds to see the toggle turn itself back off again. This means the feature is ON (the Call Audio / Calls / Phone Calls toggle will be activated automatically whenever a call occurs).
2. If you do not want to answer phone calls on the watch, the Call Audio / Calls / Phone Calls toggle needs to be turned ON and OFF in quick succession (within 2–3 seconds). This means the feature is OFF.
ℹ️
On Huawei phones, you may see an additional popup indicating an attempt to turn off the HFP function, as it is shown on the figures below:
