You inserted your SIM card into your phone’s SIM slot and powered on your phone. Suddenly, all you saw was “no service.” After several trials or attempts to get the SIM to work, all failed.
This bring us to this very post SIM card is not working on my mobile phone, the reason why such is happening, and lastly the solution to the problem.
I know how it feels that you inserted your sim into your mobile phone and there’s no network coverage, at first you will get confused as to the cause of the problem, but I’m here to help you out in solving the problem.
Now let’s look at the topic or the issue we have here, SIM card is not working on a mobile phone.
SIM card is not working on a mobile phone
There are different causes for this problem. It may be from the phone, the SIM card itself, or even your network provider having a technical issue at that very moment.
In order to see the solution to this problem, I will first start with the SIM card and the phone because they are the major causes of a SIM card not working on a device.
1. Fix sim card not working by checking the sim card
This is the first and foremost thing to do: check the SIM card and make absolutely sure that it is not deactivated and is still wo
Checking the network coverage
For this, you will begin by checking if indeed there is network coverage on the SIM card after you insert it into your phone.
To begin, power off your phone and remove the SIM card from your mobile phone.
Use a soft, clean cloth to clean the SIM chip. Put the SIM back into your phone and power it on. Wait for it to boot completely and check the network coverage to see if you will indeed see network coverage on your mobile phone.
If you do not see any network and it states “no service available,” there’s a likelihood that the problem is with the SIM card, which may have been damaged.
THE SOLUTION
Reboot your phone three times and see if the problem persists. If it still shows no network coverage, remove the SIM from your phone and insert it into another phone.
Check to see if you will see network coverage on the other phone. If you do see a network, then the problem is with your phone and is likely caused by the SIM slot.
In order to be sure that the problem is caused by your phone sim slot, insert another compatible sim into your phone and check if it will see a network coverage.
If there is still no network coverage, I’m sorry, but the problem is likely caused by the SIM slot and should be replaced immediately.
What I’m trying to tell you here is that one of the causes of a SIM card not working on a mobile phone is a faulty or damaged SIM slot. Once the SIM slot is damaged, you won’t be able to see a network on the mobile phone.
■ Related How to check if sim card is working on phone
However, if after inserting the SIM card in another phone, you still do not see any network coverage on the mobile phone, then be assured that the SIM card is damaged and should be replaced.
Check if you can make and receive calls, send and receive messages on the SIM.
In order to check the causes of why a SIM card is not working in a mobile phone, you need to be sure whether the problem is with the SIM card or the mobile phone.
So in this case, to determine if the problem is with the SIM card, you will need to make calls using the SIM card or send a text message using the SIM card.
Use another phone and SIM number to call your line and check if the call will go through; likewise, send a message.
If the calls didn’t go through, remove the sim from your phone and insert it into another phone.
Call the SIM number again and check if the call will go through. If it doesn’t go through the second time, and on another mobile phone, it simply means that the SIM card is no longer working or valid.
If the calls went through, then the problem is with your phone.
THE SOLUTION
If the problem is with your phone, such as your phone showing network coverage but you can’t make or receive calls and messages, I recommend that you request your network provider to send network settings to your phone.
If they send the WAP and web settings, save them on your phone and it should resolve the problem you’re having.
If you couldn’t make or receive calls from the sim after inserting it into another phone, then the problem is from the sim. Try it multiple times and if the problem persists, then you will have to change the sim card.
■ Related Can you receive text messages without a sim card
So if you’re asking why is my sim card not working on my mobile phone, you should first check to see if maybe the problem is caused by the sim itself.
2. Check your mobile phone
Having checked the SIM card and seen that indeed the problem is not with the SIM card because it works on other phones, you have to consider your phone. Perhaps the problem of the SIM card not working on your mobile phone is caused by your phone.
So this is what you will need to do.
Reboot and restart your phone for at least twice
Yes, rebooting a mobile phone can help fix SIM card issues. To do this, reboot your phone and check if you see network coverage as it boots up.
Instead of rebooting your phone, I will also recommend restarting your phone as it also helps fix technical issues caused by the network on the SIM card.
If there’s no network coverage, you will have to move on to the next solution to fix a SIM card that is not working on a mobile phone.
Check the sim slot to see if it is the cause
This is the second option you need to look out for when fixing a SIM card that is not detected in a mobile phone. What you need to do is obtain an additional, compatible, working SIM card so you can perform a test on your mobile phone.
To begin, remove your SIM card from your phone. Insert any of the three SIM cards you want to test and power on your phone. Now, check if you see network coverage on your phone or if it shows “no service available.”
If the phone shows network coverage on all three SIMs, you can be assured that your SIM card is damaged and the issue is not with the SIM slot.
However, if there is no network coverage shown on the phone and it states “no service available,” there’s a high chance that the problem may be caused by the SIM slot.
■ Related What can someone do with your sim card
In this situation, you have no other option but to change your SIM slot. However, before doing that, see more about SIM problems and solutions below.
Clean the sim slot with clean soft cloth
Before you can go ahead to change the sim slot, first try and clean it using a clean soft cloth but damped with normal water and no detergent of any kind.
After cleaning, allow it to dry properly for a good 30 minutes.
Then, insert your SIM card into the SIM slot. Power on your phone and check if the problem you’re having is resolved. If the SIM card is still not working, then it’s high time you change the SIM slot.
However, you need to read more of the solutions before doing that.
Turn on the airplane mode on your phone
All you need to do is to pull down your mobile phone control panel and tap on the airplane mode to turn it on.
Wait for 30 seconds or more and turn off the airplane mode on your mobile phone.
If the problem is caused by technical hitches, it does help to resolve the problem unless it is the case of a damaged SIM card or SIM slot.
To resolve the problem of SIM card is not working on a mobile phone, you should try this very method as it is very much helpful and have helped me twice on my samsung galaxy phone.
Switching the sim card on your mobile phone
This is another method in solving SIM card is not working on a mobile phone, but mind you this is not available on all mobile phones.
I’m talking about this feature where you can switch off or switch on the sim card on your mobile phone. Not every phone has this feature and if you happen to see it on your mobile phone, then let’s proceed.
What you have to do is to open the Settings app and tap on Network & Internet, followed by tapping on SIM cards, then tap the slider next to your SIM card so it is “On.”
■ Related Should i remove my sim card before factory reset
In some rare cases, you will find out that the button is toggled off and that’s why SIM card is not working on your mobile phone. So all you have to do is to slide on the sim card and you’re good to go.
Request a network settings from your service provider
This case is rare but it does happen, not having the proper network settings making you to have sim card problems and not being able to use the sim card for it’s purposes.
What you have to do is to contact your service provider and request that they send a network settings to your mobile phone through the sim card number. After they must sent the settings, save it on your mobile phone and use it as your network settings.
3. Contact your network service provider
All in all, this is the last resort and action which you have to take before making any haste decision like changing the sim slot on your mobile phone.
Contact your network provider and inquire if they are having a technical issue as your SIM card is not working on your mobile phone at that very moment. If there’s no network issue, give them your sim card number and let them run a check to see if at all the sim card is valid and active.
From there, they will give you their answers and the next step which you’re to take.
How to check sim card is working or not
To check if sim card is working or not, check to see if you will see a network coverage on your mobile phone, make calls and see if it will go through, or send a message using your sim number and see if the message will be sent.
These are how to check if a sim card is working or not on a mobile phone be it iphone or android phone.
What to do if sim card is not working
If a sim card is not working, kindly contact your network provider and request for a sim replacement immediately. Mind you, the new sim card will bear your other sim number and they usually call it a sim swap.
A sim swap is the process of switching a mobile number to a new sim card which has never been used or assigned to a person. This usually happens if a user misplaced or damaged it’s sim card.
If your sim card is not working, kindly contact your network provider and they will help you out in resolving the problem.
■ Related What is the difference between a sim card and an sd card
All these I have for you on SIM card is not working and all you need to know about it. Generally, when such happens, you will first have to be sure that the sim card is still valid and active before taking any decisions.
