The age of touchscreens hasn’t stopped pocket dialing. Here’s how you can put an end to it once and for all.

For years, my dad has regularly pocket dialed me and my siblings. I thought this annoyance would die after smartphones took over, but the mans pocket is talented, and still manages to leave me wordless voicemails every few weeks. If your friends and family are hounding you about regular butt calls, a few tweaks to your settings may help solve the problem.
First things firstand I shouldnt have to say this, but apparently I dolock your phone before you put it back in your pocket. Ive seen people just slide their phone into their pocket without turning the screen off, which is a perfect recipe for pocket dialing. Just press the button on the side of your phoneit only takes a second, and itll save your friends some headache.
Furthermore, its important to use a passcode (and/or fingerprint, and/or face unlock) on your phonenot just to prevent pocket dials but to prevent thieves from gaining access to all your personal information. You can add these security measures from Settings > Touch ID & Passcode on an iPhone, and Settings > Security > Screen Lock on Android-based phones. (This may vary from phone to phoneSamsung devices call this section Biometrics and Security, for example.)
You may think the information on your phone isnt that sensitive, but youd be surprised. Even if you dont use, say, banking apps, your phone has your email on it, and if a thief gains access to your email, they have access to pretty much any account you own. And a device that portable is easy to lose, giving neer-do-wells free reign over your information. Lock. Your. Phone.
OK, now that were past the obvious, lets assume you lock your phone before putting it awayhow the heck are you still butt dialing people?
There are a few settingsor, rather, combinations of settingsthat can lead to your phone accidentally unlocking in your pocket. First up is Tap to wake, the feature that lets you wake up your phones screen by tapping on it (rather than pressing a physical button). Turning this off should decrease the frequency of accidental wakeups in your pocket, thus leading to fewer accidental calls. You can disable this feature on the iPhone in Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Tape to Wake (it only appears on the home-button-less iPhones like the X and newer), and Android phones at Settings > Display > Lock Screen Display > Double-Tap to Check Phone. Samsung users may find it under Settings > Advanced Features > Motions and Gestures.
If you have a passcode, tap-to-wake alone shouldnt cause any pocket dials. Often, its a combination of tap-to-wake and auto-lock functionality. By default, most phones wont reenable the passcode for about 30 seconds. That means you can lock your phone, put it in your pocket, and if the screen wakes back up within 30 seconds, your pocket can unlock the phone with a simple swipe rather than a passcode. Bad news bears.
To change this auto-lock setting on the iPhone, head to Settings > Display & Brightness > Auto-Lock. Thirty seconds is, unfortunately, the shortest amount of time you can choose herethough on Android phones you may be able to auto-lock the phone after 15 seconds, 5 seconds, or even immediately, every time you turn off the screen. You can find that setting under Settings > Security, tapping the gear icon next to Screen Lock. On Samsung phones, this is under Settings > Lock Screen > Secure Lock Settings.
Finally, many Android phones have a feature that keeps your phone unlockedthat is, no passcode requiredwhenever youre at home or connected to a specific Bluetooth device (like your car). This may be convenient, but it also allows your pocket to more easily crank call your grandma, so you may want to disable it if you find youre often pocket dialing in those situations.