SIM card problems can lead to real headaches. That a mobile phone does not detect it or has problems reading it intermittently, is somewhat frustrating and sometimes it is difficult to find the solution. The Samsung forums also have user threads that report problems with the detection of the SIM card on their mobile. That is why we wanted to take a look at the best solutions to banish the problem.
The SIM card usually offers two clear problems: the first is non-detection by our mobile, and the second is intermittent detection. This means that the signal can be lost at any time or never connect to our network provider. Before diagnosing a problem with the SIM card reader , we will have several possible solutions in our hands that we should try first.
Fix SIM problems
Update mobile
Before trying anything else, we should check if there is any pending update on our mobile. There are some Samsung models, which after a security patch update have had problems with SIM card detection . The first step is to go to Settings / System / System Updates and check that we are operating with the latest version of OneUI.
If not, we will have to update, restart the mobile and check if the problem has disappeared. In some cases, it was the latest Android 9.1 security patch that caused the error, which was fixed by moving to Android 10.
Extract the SIM
The next step is to remove the SIM card from our Samsung mobile. For this we will have to make use of the extraction tool. Once the tray has been removed , we must replace the card , which may have moved, and re-insert the carriage to check if the problem has disappeared.
Clean the chip
It is very possible that dust and dirt have made an impression on the chip of our SIM card. To solve it we will have to extract the card and rub its metallic part with a damp cloth (preferably in alcohol) and clean the SIM circuits. Once done we will test again to see if the SIM is detected.
Similarly, it is advisable to clean the SIM card slot, because the accumulation of dust and dirt may be interfering with the reading . For this we can gently “blow” inside or use compressed air to try to remove dirt from the inside.
Turn off signal
SIM problems can be caused by network problems and not by the SIM card , which can sometimes be confused. To get rid of doubts, we will have to enter the telephone dialer of our Samsung mobile and write * # * # 4636 # * # *. Once inside, click on “Information on the phone” and then on “Deactivate mobile signal”. Then we wait for about a minute and activate the option again. Now it only remains to restart the mobile and check again if everything has been solved.
Reset network settings
This method allows you to reset the mobile network and to have the network and SIM card settings automatically reconfigured. To do this, we will have to remove the SIM card from the device and follow the following steps: We enter Settings> General administration> Reset> Reset Network Settings and then press the button to start the process. Now the insert the SIM card again, we will receive a message from the mobile operator to check if the problem has disappeared.
Test the other mobile
It is another method to discard and check where the fault comes from. In this case we need to have the help of another smartphone, since we must test our SIM in its slot. If the SIM works on the other mobile, we can rule out the problem on the card and think that the reader may need to be reviewed by a specialized technician.
