5 Common SIM Card Failures: How to Fix Them?

SIM cards have been around for a long time, and worst of all, they have never been problem free. And, it seems, until we enjoy 100% eSIM technology we will continue to have to live with the different most common failures that we suffer when inserting the card into our mobile phones in order to have a mobile line and data.

And, in the meantime, we will have to continue facing the most common problems that may appear when trying to insert any SIM card into our mobile device. Luckily, today we will see the five most common failures and, above all, how we can fix them. However, it must be made clear that some will be easier than others, but the positive part is that we will always find a solution.

5 Common SIM Card Failures: How to Fix Them

SIM is not active

One of the first errors that, normally, any user who inserts this card into their smartphone for the first time is that they are not able to enable the SIM . And, although it may not seem like it, it is one of the most common failures. However, this is not usually our fault but our own operator.

SIM LG

Basically, when picking up the terminal at the operator, the SIM or both, in some cases we get to receive these objects before the actual portability from one company to another has been successfully carried out, so it is impossible that we can enable the card with our number.

But, it is not usually the only error, since it could also be that we have the correct portability, however, the failure has been that the store that sent us the card has not proceeded to activate it correctly . So the error will not be from us or from the card itself. To fix it, we will have to call your operator, as they may give you the option to activate it from the company’s own customer area, without having to go directly to the store.

It is not detected by the mobile

If we have already verified that it is active, but we cannot get the phone to detect it, the first thing we will have to do is clean it. And not only the card itself, but also the mobile slot, since this is one of the most common causes in the event that any smartphone is not able to recognize it .

To do this, we must remove the card and clean the gold contacts with a dry cloth carefully. And, in the same way, then we will clean the terminal slot with a soft cloth on the pins to remove possible dirt. When we are done, we will insert it again and turn on the device to see if it finally recognizes it.

SIM limpieza

If it is still not detected, it may be that the culprit is either the card is damaged or it is a problem with the phone’s own slot. So in order to check which of the two is the cause of the failure, we will have to try to insert the SIM card in another terminal , or try another card in our mobile and see if it works. In this way, we can make sure if it is a failure of the slot or the card.

Then, if the fault is in the card, what you should do is ask your telephone operator for a copy. And it is that, sometimes it happens that they are damaged by humidity or bad contact.

On the contrary, if the fault is in the slot where it is inserted, the fault may be due to a bad contact with the board . So we will have to contact the technical service of the brand of our phone.

It is misplaced

The last of the most common errors that will happen to us on many occasions is the simple fact that we have not realized it, but we have not placed the SIM in its slot or tray in the correct way, since, as it is not correctly placed, It is what prevents the mobile device from being able to recognize it without any problem.

SIM

Therefore, before continuing to look at other errors and their possible solutions, go on to check that both the SIM card and the tray are inserted correctly , since it may also happen that someone has put the tray upside down, causing the device to mobile will not be able to recognize your card in any way, no matter how much it is activated correctly and works well on another phone. If we have made this check and it still does not work, it will be the turn to continue moving on to the other solutions.

It is active, but does not give a signal

In addition, problems with the SIM can be of all kinds, since it is dirty to the culprit being some type of network problem and not the card, since, sometimes, they can be confused. However, if we have an Android mobile, so that we can get rid of doubts we will always have the option of entering the phone dialer of the terminal and writing * # * # 4636 # * # * .

Once an extra menu has been opened, we will have to click on Information about the phone and then on Deactivate mobile signal. Then we wait about a minute and activate the option again. Now we will only have to restart the mobile and check again if everything has been solved.

red movil datos xiaomi

In addition to this possible solution, this error can also occur because we have a wrong network mode selected on the mobile device. Therefore, we also recommend that you go on to setting the network mode to Automatic to try to solve the problem. Of course, the route to activate it will be different for each smartphone brand, as well as the fact that Android or iOS.

  • On Android mobiles: you can go to Settings> Connections> Mobile networks> Network mode. And then, look for the automatic connection option, which we must check to enable the function.
  • For iPhone: go to Settings> Mobile data> Select network. Next, you will have to touch the Automatic switch. After this, wait to see if the smartphone already manages to have a signal.

Blame the mobile?

It is time to question again whether the SIM itself is really the culprit in this case. And it is that we will not always have another card or another smartphone at hand to clear up doubts. Therefore, we will also have the option of checking if the card tray closes well and is not loose. In addition, it is important to check that we have all the smartphone updates up to date .

More than anything because, sometimes, data related to the operator and changes that may have been added related to the card are included, so they can affect its correct operation.

If we want to continue ruling out that it is the fault of the smartphone, we will have two more extreme options, such as going to do a factory reset of the phone in its entirety or only the network settings. In the first case, the phone will return to its original state, so it may help it to work normally again.

Although, it is something that can work in the same way if we go to reset the network settings . Of course, the steps for this will be different not only by the smartphone brand, but by the operating system:

  • On Android mobiles: open the Settings> System> Reset> choose to reset the network data or the entire phone globally> Press reset> Dial the PIN or key you use and press OK.
  • For an Apple phone: go to Settings> General> Transfer or reset iPhone> Reset> choose the option to Reset network settings or Reset settings> enter the code and click on accept.