How to Fix Android Phone Says No Service

One fine day, you pick up your phone to call someone and your Android phone starts showing the no service message. This error is accompanied by your phone has no network coverage. You are probably going to question why this happened all of a sudden where you did not do anything at all.

That is exactly what you are going to learn in the due course of this guide.

Reasons Why Your Android Says ‘No Service’

There are many reasons your Android phone says no service but there are some common ones. One of these is when your SIM card is not working or it has not been properly inserted. Another reason is that your phone’s software has an issue.

How to Fix Android No Service and Signal

In most cases, you can fix the no service issue using some quick and easy methods. There is no guarantee which method will work for you but you should keep trying the following methods until the issue is gone.

Fix 1. Reboot Your Phone

Many times, the no service issue actually occurs due to a minor software glitch on your Android phone. When this happens, the best way to get around the issue is to reboot your device. Rebooting your Android phone fixes many minor issues and there is no harm in giving it a go.

Step 1. Press and hold down the Power button for a few seconds.

Step 2. Choose the Restart option to reboot your device.

Fix 2. Toggle the Airplane Mode

Since the no service problem occurs due to your phone being unable to connect to your network provider, you can force your connection by toggling the Airplane mode option. When you enable this option, your phone disconnects from all network services.

Then, you can disable the service to reinitiate a connection with your carrier.

Step 1. Pull down from the top of your phone to open the notifications panel.

Step 2. Tap Airplane mode to turn the mode on.

Step 3. Tap Airplane mode again to turn the mode off.

Also Read: How to Fix Android Phone Say No SIM Card Error >

Fix 3. Re-insert Your SIM Card

Most network issues are due to improperly inserted SIM cards. This might be the case with your device and an easy way to fix this is to reinsert the SIM card into your phone. This does not require any technical skills.

Step 1. Enable the Airplane mode on your phone.

Step 2. Pull out the SIM card tray and take the SIM card out of the tray.

Step 3. Put the SIM card back on the tray and put the tray into the phone.

Step 4. Disable the Airplane mode.

Fix 4. Manually Select Your Carrier

By default, your phone automatically scans for and selects your carrier for you. However, when issues like no service occur, you can turn this automatic carrier selection into a manual one and see if that resolves your issue.

Step 1. Open the Settings app and head to Wi-Fi & network > SIM & network > [your SIM] > Network operators on your phone.

Step 2. Turn the toggle for Choose automatically to the OFF position.

Step 3. Manually select your carrier in the list.

Fix 5. Use Safe Mode

If your Android phone says no service even when you have service, something might be wrong with your phone’s system or apps. Your phone comes with something called safe mode and you can use this to troubleshoot your issue on your device.

Step 1. Press and hold down the Power button for a few seconds.

Step 2. Tap and hold on to the Power off option.

Step 3. Select OK to reboot your phone into safe mode.

Step 4. If you get service in safe mode, uninstall suspicious apps from your device.

Fix 6. Change Your SIM Card

If your SIM card is properly inserted but you still have no service, this might be due to a faulty SIM card. Your SIM card might be physically damaged and this makes it difficult for your phone to recognize it.

One way to fix this is to visit the nearest carrier shop and get your SIM card replaced. You will retain your number when you do this. Then, put the new SIM card into your phone and your issue should hopefully be resolved.

Fix 7. Check for Null IMEI

Every phone on this planet has an IMEI number for it and this number uniquely identifies your device. Sometimes, due to some reasons, this IMEI number gets corrupted and so your carrier finds it impossible to recognize your device. This causes the no service error on your phone.

To check if this is the case with your phone, dial *#06# from the dialer on your phone. If you see a valid IMEI number, use other methods in this guide. If the IMEI says null or invalid, you need to fix your phone.

Fix 8. Factory Reset Your Phone

Lastly, if nothing else works, you can try resetting your phone to the factory defaults to see if that fixes no service on your device.

Step 1. Launch Settings and tap System at the bottom.

Step 2. Select Reset options on the following screen.

Step 3. Tap Erase all data (factory reset).

Further Reading: How to Fix Android Recovery Mode Not Working >

The Bottom Line

No matter the reason, if your Android phone says no service, one of the methods above should hopefully fix the issue on your phone. Keep trying the methods until you find the one that brings network coverage to your device.