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7 Ways To Troubleshoot If Your Phone's SIM Card Isn't Working

There are several steps to troubleshoot a SIM card that is not working: 1. Toggle airplane mode on your phone or restart your phone to reset any software issues. 2. Remove the SIM card from the tray and reinsert it to ensure it is properly seated. You can also clean the SIM card contacts. 3. Try the SIM card in another phone to isolate whether the issue is with the SIM card or your phone. 4. Update your carrier settings in case of any configuration changes on your provider's network. As a last resort, reset your phone's network settings.

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Elham jan
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102 views5 pages

7 Ways To Troubleshoot If Your Phone's SIM Card Isn't Working

There are several steps to troubleshoot a SIM card that is not working: 1. Toggle airplane mode on your phone or restart your phone to reset any software issues. 2. Remove the SIM card from the tray and reinsert it to ensure it is properly seated. You can also clean the SIM card contacts. 3. Try the SIM card in another phone to isolate whether the issue is with the SIM card or your phone. 4. Update your carrier settings in case of any configuration changes on your provider's network. As a last resort, reset your phone's network settings.

Uploaded by

Elham jan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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7 ways to troubleshoot if your phone's

SIM card isn't working


Writen by Dave Johnson; editedby JohnLynch 

Jul15,2022,8:01 PM

Diy13/Getty Images

 Toggle airplane mode

 Restart your phone

 Remove and reinstall the SIM card

 Carefully clean the SIM card

 Try the SIM card in another device

 Update your carrier settings

 Reset your phone's network settings


 If you can't make a call or if you see an error message that your phone's SIM card
is not working, there are several ways to troubleshoot the problem. 
 Ther error might not be related to your SIM card; you should toggle Airplane
mode as well as reset your carrier and network settings. 
 Cleaning or reseating the SIM card can also fix problems associated with the SIM
card. 

Your SIM card is what enables your smartphone to work on the wireless cellular

network; it identifies you and your phone and contains information about your cellular

provider so you can complete calls and transfer data. 

Usually your SIM card works exactly as intended, but there are a few reasons it might

not be working. You might not get a specific error message — your phone simply can't

connect to the network — but more commonly you'll see an error that says your SIM
card isn't working or isn't installed. If that's happening to you, here are the most

common ways to troubleshoot your phone and get your SIM card back up and running. 

Toggle airplane mode

If you suspect there's a problem with your SIM card, it might actually be a software issue

with your phone that's easily remedied with a few simple troubleshooting tricks that

don't involve opening your phone and touching the SIM card at all. For example, some

SIM card errors can be remedied simply by switching your phone into Airplane mode

and then back again.

On most phones, including iPhone and Android, just swipe down from the top right of

the screen to show the Control Center or quick settings. Tap Airplane mode to turn it

on, wait a few seconds, and then tap it again to turn it off. Try to make your call again to

see if this solved your problem. 

Swipe down to open the Control Center, where you can toggle Airplane mode on and
off. Dave Johnson

Restart your phone

Another way to clear out a temporary glitch is to turn your phone off, wait about a

minute and then turn it back on again. Here is how to restart an iPhone. If you have an

Android device, you can generally swipe down from the top of the screen and tap

the Power icon.

Remove and reinstall the SIM card


If you still see an error message or otherwise can't complete a call, you might need to

reseat your SIM card. To do that, find the SIM card removal tool that came with your

phone — you can also use a pin or very thin paperclip and insert into the hole near the

SIM card try until the tray pops out. Make sure the SIM card is seated properly in its

tray and then reinsert it carefully.

For more detailed instructions, here is how to remove a SIM card from an iPhone and

here is how to remove the SIM card from a Samsung phone.  

Use the SIM card removal tool that came with your phone to pop out the SIM card
tray. Steven John/Insider

Carefully clean the SIM card

If simply reseating the SIM card didn't do the trick, your phone might benefit from

ensuring the card is clean and the contacts are clear. Remove the SIM card from your

phone, carefully extract it from the tray and then use a microfiber cloth to wipe away

any dust, dirt, or debris. A can of compressed air can help blast away any grime, but

don't get the SIM card wet — always use a dry cloth.  

Try the SIM card in another device

If you've restarted the phone and the card has been cleaned and reseated, it's entirely

possible there's something wrong with the SIM card. The easiest way to find out? Install

the SIM card in another device and see if it works there. You'll need to test it in an

unlocked device, or a device that works with the same cellular carrier as the SIM card

you're testing. If the SIM card works, it's probably an issue with your phone rather than

the SIM card. 


If that's not an option, you can try the opposite test: Put another device's SIM card in the

phone that's not working and see if the problem persists. If it works, then the SIM card

is to blame, not your phone. 

Update your carrier settings

It's possible that your phone's carrier settings might be to blame, especially if your

cellular provider has recently updated its configuration and the changes update

automatically on your phone for some reason. 

If you have an iPhone, start the Settings app and then tap General, followed

by About. If there's a carrier update available, you'll be prompted to install it now.

If there are carrier settings that need updating, you'll see them on the iPhone's About
screen. Dave Johnson

Like iPhone, Android phones should update carrier settings automatically — but if

something goes awry, not all versions of Android OS allow you to update your carrier

settings manually. To check your phone, start the Settings app and then search

for Carrier Settings. If you have that option, tap Update Profile. 

Reset your phone's network settings

If you're still offline, try to reset your phone's network settings. Treat this as a last

resort, because it will also reset your Bluetooth paired devices and Wi-Fi network

passwords. But if your SIM card is still not working, it might be worth the

inconvenience.
On the iPhone, start the Settings app and then tap General, followed by Transfer or

Reset iPhone. At the bottom of the screen, tap Reset, then Reset Network

Settings. 

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