I called my mom today, and to my surprise, I could hear my dad talking as well, even though he wasn't on the call with me. My mom has a Samsung S22 on T-Mobile, and both devices are 5G. They heard each other, but my mom couldn't make out what my dad was saying. It's baffling because I've always thought cell calls had to be encrypted. My parents are not tech-savvy, so there's no way either of them installed any spyware. I'm really confused about how this could happen, especially since their phone numbers are sequential. My dad was actually just down the hall, and I suspect it might have been some sort of acoustic glitch. Can anyone shed some light on this situation? Should I advise them to contact T-Mobile for a security review, especially considering their previous issues with identity theft?
4 Answers
You also mentioned identity theft concerns. If they’re being targeted by scammers constantly, it might be wise for them to reach out to T-Mobile just to ensure their accounts are secure.
It's highly unlikely that what you experienced was due to the 5G network itself. 5G employs a protocol called Voice over New Radio, and encryption is mandatory, making it impossible for calls to just drift over like that. Your description suggests it was more likely an acoustic issue, especially since your dad was down the hall and not on the call as you initially thought. Great catch on that!
Just because it's confusing doesn't mean it's not possible. Your parents might need to check on their settings to avoid any weird audio overlaps in the future.
You might want to check the call log to see if both phones show the same incoming call. It's entirely possible they accidentally tried to connect your call to one another, creating a glitch. That might explain the confusion.
Are their phones signed in to the same Samsung account? There's a feature that lets calls come through on linked devices, like tablets. It’s worth investigating if that’s how both ended up hearing the call.
That sounds like a likely scenario! It could have been any of the connected devices picking up the call.
Exactly! If she was connected to a smart speaker or something, that could definitely be a factor.
Exactly! It sounds like a classic case of acoustics playing tricks. Glad you figured out it wasn’t a network issue. It happens more than you'd think!