Why does my phone say no service? This is a question so many of our readers have been sending in recently. It’s interesting because they all mention that they get this ‘no service’ notification even when they are in an area with really good mobile and internet coverage.
From it being an issue with your phone hardware in the worst-case scenarios to just being some glitches at the mobile carrier’s end, I’ll be exploring a couple interesting things you can try if your phone starts showing “no service” and you’re unable to make calls or use the internet.
Why Does My Phone Say No Service on Android and iPhone?
The most common reasons why your android phone says “No Service” would include poor network coverage in your area, some bug on your device, a misplaced SIM card, or hardware issues on your phone, making it impossible for your phone to connect to the closest network tower.
On your iPhone, the phone showing “no service” is sometimes caused by a misplaced SIM card, the phone is put in airplane mode unknowingly, or just a need to do a system update. Occasionally, you might need to reconfigure your SIM card and confirm that there is no issue with your cellular service package.
Why Does My Phone Say No Service? Best Fixes
These are some of the easy-to-do fixes when your phone says no service.
Fix 1: Try Rebooting your Phone
The quickest and most straightforward solution to most issues on an android is to restart.
- Press and hold the power button
- Wait until a prompt telling you to restart appears on your screen
- Next, select restart and wait for the device to complete the process
This process enables your phone’s RAM to filter out unwanted data to start over the operating system. Typically, this will resolve any issues that one may experience with their gadget.
Fix 2: Turn ON and OFF the Airplane Mode
If rebooting your phone doesn’t resolve the “no service” issue, another solution you can try is to turn ON and OFF your phone’s airplane mode.
This disconnects the phone from the mobile tower and then reconnects it. When this procedure resolves the issue, it is often because the phone could not move from one cell tower to another.
- Pull down the tray at the top of your phone’s screen to see your notification bar
- Search for the Airplane Mode and click on it (it’s the airplane icon)
- Once you’ve clicked on it, a prompt will appear on your screen to confirm your selection
- Tap OK and wait a few moments
- Repeat the same steps to turn OFF the Airplane Mode.
Fix 3: Manually Search Carrier
Android is programmed to search for a carrier automatically. So whenever your phone says no service, you can override that selection process and manually select one yourself to see if it remedies the issue.
Locate and open the Settings app on your phone
- Then navigate till you get to Wi-Fi & network
- Tap on SIM & the network
- Then select your SIM and your Network provider
- Turn OFF the automatic selection process
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Fix 4: Properly Insert Your SIM Card
Incorrectly placed SIM cards can be the cause of service issues on your phone. So remove and reinsert your SIM card. It is a straightforward procedure:
- Toggle your phone’s Airplane mode
- Extract the SIM card tray and remove the SIM
- Replace the SIM card in the tray and reinsert it into the phone.
- Turn on the Airplane mode.
Fix 5: Enable the Safe Mode on your Phone
It is possible that you recently downloaded an app on your phone, after which you started noticing the service issue. If that is the case, you can try restarting it to determine if this is the cause of your phone saying no service. In safe mode, only essential resources will be loaded, leaving all other unnecessary app resources.
To enter safe mode:
- Press down the power button
- Click and press down the Power OFF option
- Click OK when a prompt comes up on the screen
- Afterward, your phone will be rebooted into safe mode
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Fix 6: Replace your SIM Card
Another reason why your phone say no service could be the SIM card. We previously talked about SIM card placement. If it isn’t placed correctly in your phone, it could get damaged, not receiving any network connection. So remove the SIM Card and inspect it. If it appears damaged, get a new one or have it replaced.
Fix 7: Factory Reset Your Phone
This is a last-minute resolve. If all others fail, try resetting your phone. There is a possibility it might solve the issue.
- Go to your phone settings
- Scroll down to System, click on it
- Next, click on the Reset options
- Select delete all data (factory reset)
Conclusion
If you are plagued with the question, “why does my phone say no service,” we’ve got you covered. Hopefully, one of the options listed above will resolve the issue on your phone. Continue experimenting with the approaches until you discover one that successfully returns network service to your phone.
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