Why Is My Mobile Data Not Working on My Samsung and iPhone?

By John Adebimitan

Why is mobile data not working on my Samsung and iPhone? This is one of the questions many of you guys have asked us. Obviously, mobile data is quite important to most people nowadays.

Some use it for social media chats, gaming, business meetings, and other purposes. So, it can be frustrating if a Samsung or iPhone user notices their mobile data not working.

Thankfully, in this article, I will cover a variety of reasons why your Samsung and iPhone mobile data isn’t working. I’ll also share some tips I used to get my mobile data on my phone working again.

Basically, this article has all the solutions to your mobile data challenges. So, I strongly advise you to read this article all the way through.

Why Is My Mobile Data Not Working on My Samsung and iPhone?

There are a few reasons for your mobile data not working on your Samsung and iPhone. First, it is possible that the network mode was not correctly selected, or you reset the APN.

Also, ensure you haven’t reached your data limit or aren’t behind on your payments; if you have, your ISP (Internet Service Provider) probably turned off your data.

An out-of-date Android or iPhone operating system could also be why your mobile data is not working on Samsung and iPhones’.

Updates

One reason why it is recommended to update your phone regularly is that each update contains bug fixes that are likely to resolve any underlying issues on your phone.

So, if you are experiencing mobile data not working on your Samsung or iPhone, your phone may be running an outdated operating system, and updating it could be the solution.

Sim Card

The SIM card is another common cause of mobile data not working on Samsung and iPhone. It could be faulty, old, incorrectly placed, damaged, dirty, or shifted due to falls.

Whichever way, if there is a problem with the SIM card, it can cause connectivity issues.

Data Saver

To preserve battery life, your phone may be set up to activate data saver mode automatically; some people also activate it on their own to manage data.

How I Fixed Mobile Data Not Working On My Samsung and iPhone – Tips I Recommend

In this section, I will discuss how I fixed it when I noticed my mobile data not working on Samsung and iPhone. To accomplish this, I will discuss the Samsung and the iPhone fix.

One of the first things we recommend to fix a mobile data not working on Samsung and iPhone, try restarting your phone by pressing the power button, turning your phone OFF, and waiting at least a minute before turning it back ON.

This will refresh your phone and most likely fix or correct whatever is causing your Samsung and iPhone’s mobile data to stop working. However, if that doesn’t work, here are a few more fixes to try:

Fix 1: Enable The Right Network Mode – For Samsung – Android OS

This is likely the most important fix; using mobile data will be difficult if you select the wrong network mode. It’s possible that the settings were changed accidentally or due to an OS update.

If you have a Samsung smartphone that supports 4G, the 4G setting will be visible in the network settings. Moreover, if you are using a Samsung phone that does not support 4G but has a 4G OS installed, your Samsung device will search for 4G signals even if the phone does not support them. Consequently, changing the option is simple;

  • Step 1: Launch the Samsung smartphone and navigate to Settings.
  • Step 2: Go to Mobile data and click on Network Mode.
  • Step 3: If your phone supports 4G, select 4G; otherwise, you can choose 2G/3G options.

Fix 2: Remove and Reinsert Your SIM Card

Removing and reinserting your SIM card is one of the best fixes. It’s one of the things you can try if your Samsung phone’s mobile data is not working.

To do this,

  • Turn off your smartphone,
  • Take the SIM card out.
  • Check to see if it works by inserting a different SIM card.

However, If mobile data is still not available:

  • Turn ON Airplane mode
  • Turn your phone OFF, wait a minute,
  • Turn it back ON, wait 30 seconds, turn airplane mode OFF, and enable mobile data.

Fix 3: Reset APNs

Your Samsung phone’s mobile data not working may have been caused by a change in the APN settings. The APNs (Access Point Names) are important when accessing the internet. The network provider connects your phone to the internet using the APNs. So, it’s vital that you set IP addresses and gateways correctly.

On the other hand, it’s possible that something went wrong with the setup and is now interfering with your mobile data connection, so a straightforward reset will work;

  • Step 1: Open the Settings menu on your Samsung mobile device.
  • Step 2: Go to Mobile Data/Wireless Controls/Wireless & Networks.
  • Step 3: Select Mobile Networks and click on Access Point Names from the menu.
  • Step 4: You will see a list of APNs.
  • Step 5: The final step is to tap those vertical lines to clear the APNs.

Fix 4: Remove Samsung’s Limit of Mobile Data Usage

Samsung has the option to limit mobile data usage. If you set it, you will receive a warning before exceeding your mobile data usage limit. Here’s how you adjust it:

  • Step 1: Open your Samsung smartphone and select Settings.
  • Step 2: Go to Mobile Data/Data Usage.
  • Step 3: Your data usage chart and a graph depicting the highs and lows of your data usage will now be visible on the screen.
  • Step 4: Disable the restrictions by deactivating the box next to Limit Mobile Information Use.

For iPhone – iOS

Fix 1 – Turn On Cellular Data

  • Step 1: Open the setting app
  • Step 2: Tap Cellular
  • Step 3: Make sure Cellular Data is toggled ON
  • Step 4: Ensure the apps you want to use cellular data for are toggled ON.

Fix 2 – Restart iPhone

Restarting the iPhone should be your next move if you’re still dealing with the mobile data not working on iPhone issue. Here’s a quick and straightforward guide to restarting your iPhone.

To restart:

  • Step 1: Hold and press one of the volume buttons and the side button.
  • Step 2: Slide the option available to power off.

However, to turn off the device via Settings:

  • Step 1: Open the Settings menu
  • Step 2: Select General
  • Step 3: Scroll down and click Shut Down
  • Step 4: Tap on the option and slide the power off icon to turn OFF your device. Then, wait 1 minute and turn the phone back ON.

Fix 3 – iPhone Update (iOS Update)

Is the iPhone’s cellular data still not working? A message like “an update is required to use cellular data” may appear, indicating that you need to update your iPhone. Here’s how to update your iOS device:

  • Step 1: Back up your device to iCloud or iTunes.
  • Step 2: Connect your device to power and ensure you’re connected to WiFi.
  • Step 3: Open the Settings app.
  • Step 4: Tap General.​
  • Step 5: Select Software Update.
  • Step 6: Tap Download and Install.
  • Step 7: This process will take a few minutes, and you’ll see a Verifying update.
  • Step 8: After downloading the new Operating System, tap Install Now.
  • Step 9: Agree to the Terms and Conditions.
  • Step 10: Your phone will power down. Then it will power back up and install.
  • Step 11: Unlock your iPhone once your Lock screen comes back up.
  • Step 12: Follow any on-screen directions to complete the update.

Fix 4 – Reset Network Settings on iPhone

Reset network settings and restart your iPhone if the previous steps fail to restore your mobile data.

Resetting your network settings will erase all WiFi networks, passwords, cellular, VPN, and APN configurations.

  • Step 1: Open the Settings app.
  • Step 2: Tap General.
  • Step 3: Scroll down and tap Reset iPhone.
  • Step 4: Tap Reset.
  • Step 5: Tap Reset Network Settings.
  • Step 6: Enter your iPhone’s passcode and press OK.

Fix 5 – Backup, Factory Reset & Restore iPhone

This is the most time-consuming option for troubleshooting because you must first back up your device; otherwise, when you factory reset your iPhone, all of your data will be lost.

After doing a backup of your device, follow these steps to factory reset an iPhone:

  • Step 1: Open the Settings app.
  • Step 2: Tap General.
  • Step 3: Scroll down to the bottom and tap Reset iPhone.
  • Step 4: Tap Erase All Content and Settings.
  • Step 5: Once you’ve checked over things on this information screen, tap Continue.
  • Step 6: Confirm by entering your iPhone passcode.

Once everything has been restored, recheck your Cellular Data. Hopefully, this was the last-ditch effort that fixed the problem.

Read also: How Much Data Does FaceTime Use Per Hour?

Best Data Connection Settings For Mobiles

Here is some excellent advice for improving mobile data connection on Samsung and iPhone:

  1. Turn off background data usage.
  2. Disable network-intensive apps
  3. Use signal boosters for cell phones.
  4. Change your location to find a better view.
  5. Turn off any services you are not using, such as Bluetooth or WiFi.
  6. Remove or deactivate any widgets or apps you don’t use.
  7. Install an ad blocker.
  8. Clear cache.
  9. Change the network types.

Why Is My Vodafone Mobile Data Not Working? And Things To Check

Sometimes, you are connected to the Vodafone mobile data, but the internet speed is too slow to perform any task on your mobile phone.

Let’s take a look at a few reasons why your Vodafone mobile data is not working on your iPhone and Samsung:

  1. Vodafone mobile data internet is unavailable in your area.
  2. Check if your mobile phone’s network and APN settings are correct.
  3. Check if your mobile phone has Vodafone Secure Net software enabled. You need to disable it.
  4. Check if you have enabled data saving mode on your mobile device.
  5. Check if something is wrong with your phone’s hardware or software.
  6. Check if you did not pay your Vodafone bill on time.

Read also: Clear Data Vs Clear Cache on Mobile – The Differences

What If Some Apps Are Not Working, But There Is Mobile Data? Tips To Get It Fixed

If the mobile data on a Samsung or iPhone is working, but apps like Netflix are not working, the specific app may be a problem. In that case, I advise you to reset the app and see if that fixes the issue.

  1. Go to Apps & Notifications in the Settings app.
  2. Select See all apps.
  3. Select the affected app
  4. Tap Storage and Cache.
  5. Click on Clear storage.

To see if the app connects to the internet, try using it once more. Otherwise, you could try these things:

  • 1. Ensure the app is updated.
  • 2. Update your device’s OS to the latest version via Settings System System Update Check for updates.
  • 3. Reset app preferences from Settings → System → Reset options → Reset app preferences. Confirm the action and reboot your device.

Conclusion

As you’ve seen in this article, there are a few fixes to the mobile data are not working on the Samsung and iPhone issue. If these fixes don’t seem to fix the issue, we recommend that you ask a qualified professional for help.

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