Cellular networks have transformed the way we’re able to connect with people and information. You can check facts, get directions, or speak to anyone in the world using the device in your pocket without needing any wires. Well, all of that’s true unless your iPhone isn’t connecting to a cellular network.
iPhones and cellular iPads, use cell networks to access the internet, make phone calls, or send text messages. If your iPhone cellular data isn’t working then you won’t be able to get online. If your iPhone cellular network isn’t available then you also won’t be able to make or receive phone calls and text messages. When that happens your iPhone might say Searching or No Service in the status bar.
Either way, we’ve probably got the solution in this post. Read on to find out why your iPhone cellular data isn’t working and what you can do about it.
Contents
- 1 How do I get cellular data to work on my iPhone?
- 2 Why is cellular data not working on my iPhone?
- 3 What can I do while cellular data doesn’t work?
- 4 Troubleshooting iPhone cellular network or data problems
- 5 How do I fix cell carrier problems?
- 6 How do I fix iPhone software problems?
- 7 How do I fix iPhone hardware problems?
Related:
- iPhone Searching or No Service, how-to fix
- How do I know if my iPhone is unlocked?
- SIM Pin? Here’s what to do if you’re locked out of your SIM card
- iPhone: “Could not activate cellular data network”; fix
How do I get cellular data to work on my iPhone?
Normally, to use cellular data all you need is a working SIM with a data contract or credit in your iPhone. Make sure you haven’t used up your data allowance and turn on the cellular settings for your device at Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data. You can also turn on cellular data using the green button in Control Panel.
You can test whether your cellular data is working or not by turning off Wi-Fi and trying to load a webpage, social media stream, or online video. If nothing loads, follow our troubleshooting steps below to find out how to resolve it.
Why is cellular data not working on my iPhone?
There could be many different reasons why your iPhone cellular data is not working or why your iPhone is not connecting to a cellular network. We can group the potential causes into three categories: problems with your cell carrier, problems with your iPhone software, and problems with your iPhone hardware. We’ve explained how to troubleshoot each of these issues in the guide below.
What can I do while cellular data doesn’t work?
It can be time-consuming to troubleshoot iPhone cellular problems, and while you’re without a cellular network your iPhone, or cellular iPad, can’t get online or make and receive phone calls.
In the meantime, you can still get access to the internet by connecting to Wi-Fi at home or in many public spaces. Of course, you still can’t make or receive phone calls and send or receive texts, but Wi-Fi access will allow you to reach other people using internet services like iMessage, FaceTime, WhatsApp or Messenger.
Troubleshooting iPhone cellular network or data problems
We’ve grouped our troubleshooting steps below into three categories: cell carrier problems, iPhone software problems, and iPhone hardware problems.
Be sure to test your cellular data again after each step to find out if it’s working. And remember to let us know in the comments which fix works for you!
How do I fix cell carrier problems?
If your iPhone cellular network is not available, it’s possible that the problem lies with your cell carrier. Maybe they’ve got a cell tower down or there could be an issue with your account. Either way, you can find out find by following the steps below.
Check your cell coverage
No cell carrier offers worldwide coverage. If you’re abroad or using your iPhone in a new place, there’s a chance your carrier doesn’t offer service in that location. Visit their website and look for a coverage map to find out.
Of course, if you’ve used your iPhone in this location before without problems then skip this step and move to the next one.
Check your data allowance
For us mortals without unlimited data plans, it’s entirely possible you’ve used up your allowance. Log on to your account with your network provider’s app or website to check your remaining data. If it’s at zero, you’ll either need to pay extra or wait for the next contract month to start.
If you’re surprised at how much data has been used, you can see exactly where it’s been going in your iPhone settings.
- Go to Settings > Cellular.
- Scroll down to the Cellular Data section.
- The Current Period started on the date listed at the very bottom of the page.
- Scroll through the list to see how much cellular data each app, or system service, has used.
- Turn off any apps that are using too much data.
You can see that I’ve barely used any data since the reset date.
Make sure your device is unlocked
Not all iPhones are created equally. If your device was bought through a cell contract, it could be locked to that particular carrier. That means if you switch providers your new SIM card might not be compatible with your iPhone or cellular iPad.
Check out this post to find out if your iPhone is locked to a network and what you can do about if it is. Usually, you need to call your previous or current cell carrier to have them unlock it, sometimes at a cost.
Contact your carrier
Cell carriers might lock your account if there’s been a delay in payment or if they suspect you of breaking the contract Terms & Conditions. When this happens, you should receive a notification, however, if your iPhone is not connecting to a cellular network it makes sense that you might not get it!
Contact your carrier over their website or social media. Explain the issue to them and ask if they can check your account. You might find out that they’re experiencing widespread issues affecting multiple users. In which case, you should ask when they expect to resolve it.
How do I fix iPhone software problems?
Software issues come in a range of forms and have an equal range of potential solutions. Fortunately, you can usually fix them yourself from the comfort of your home. Follow our troubleshooting steps below to find out exactly what to do.
Toggle your cellular settings
Go to Settings > Cellular on your iPhone and toggle all the following settings on and off, testing your cellular network connection each time. Don’t worry if you find that any of the settings below are missing from your device, sometimes they’re network specific.
Turn off and on the following cellular settings on your iPhone:
- Cellular Data
- Cellular Data Options:
- Voice & Data
- Enable LTE
- Data Roaming
- Network Selection:
- Automatic (manually select your network if possible)
- Cellular Data for the specific apps you’re using
Close every app and restart your iPhone
Have you tried turning it off and on again? This is a classic troubleshooting step for good reason. When done correctly, a device restart, also known as a reboot, can resolve countless software issues.
Begin by swiping up from the bottom of the screen or double-clicking the home button to view your all open apps. Close everything by pushing it up off the screen. Then restart your device by holding the Sleep/Wake button until you’re prompted to slide to power off.
Leave your iPhone powered off for 30–60 seconds before switching it on and testing the cellular network connection again.
If that failed, try a force restart. On iPhone 8 or later, quickly press Volume Up, then Volume Down, then hold the Sleep/Wake button until you see the Apple logo. On iPhone 7 you will need to hold the Sleep/Wake and Volume Down buttons until the device restarts. And on older iPhone models, hold the Sleep/Wake button and the Home button.
Update your carrier settings
Carrier settings should update automatically, but in case your iPhone is lagging behind you can prompt an update yourself. Go to Settings > General > About and leave your iPhone on that page for a minute or so. It will check for Carrier Settings Updates in the background, and prompt you if it finds any.
Update to the latest iOS
iOS is the operating software for your iPhone or cellular iPad. It often picks up small bugs that get patched in new updates. So if you haven’t updated in a while, it could be the reason your iPhone is not connecting to a cellular network properly.
Go to Settings > General > Software Update to check for new updates. Be sure to download and install any that you find. Or if you don’t have Wi-Fi access, connect your iPhone to a computer running iTunes to update instead.
Reset your network settings
You can reset your network settings by going to Settings > Reset > Reset Network Settings. Doing so will delete all your saved Wi-Fi passwords, but it might also fix whatever was making your iPhone cellular network unavailable.
Backup and restore your iPhone
A full software restore will return your iPhone to factory settings and eliminate any chance of software problems. Before doing so, you should make a backup of all your data, otherwise you could lose photos, videos, notes, messages, and anything else that isn’t backed up.
Erase and restore your device by going to Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings. After a moment your iPhone will behave as though it’s fresh out the box, allowing you recover from a backup or set it up as new.
If you’re still experiencing cellular network issues after, try restoring again but don’t recover a backup. If that doesn’t work, you’ve probably got a hardware problem.
How do I fix iPhone hardware problems?
iPhone hardware problems could arise when your iPhone gets wet or is dropped. These accidents are often unavoidable, but sometimes they damage the antenna or other internal components of your device.
Re-insert your SIM card
Use a SIM pin, paperclip, or safety pin to eject the SIM tray on the side of your iPhone. Carefully remove your SIM card and examine it for damage or watermarks. If the SIM card looks damaged, contact your carrier for a replacement.
Take this opportunity to also look inside the SIM tray slot on your iPhone. You’re looking for a small round liquid indicator tab. It should be white, but if it’s come into contact with liquid it will turn pink, orange, or red.
If the tab is discolored there’s a good chance your device is liquid damaged and will need to be replaced.
Book in for a repair
Visit Apple’s Get Support website to speak to their customer advisors and book an appointment for repair. Save time by explaining all the troubleshooting steps you’ve already taken.
Apple authorized technicians can run diagnostics to determine if a hardware fault is the reason your iPhone cellular network is not working. Hopefully, they’ll be able to offer a repair or replacement under warranty.
We hope that helps and your iPhone cellular data is working now. Tell us your stories in the comments so we can share them with other readers!
Dan is a freelance writer based in South West England.
He spent two years supervising repairs as a Genius Admin for Apple Retail and uses that knowledge to keep our troubleshooting guides up to date.
Long before that, Dan turned to Apple products from a musical background. Having owned iPods for years, he bought a MacBook to learn sound recording and production. It was using those skills that he gained a first-class Bachelor of Science in Sound Technology.
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I have an iPhone 6s. Recently it has started dropping the cellular signal and about 5 days after the first issue will not connect to it at all–just says searching or no signal. I have done every step in this article multiple times. I tried my husband’s SIM card and he tried mine… it was definitely not the sim card.
So I bought a new phone. Now I have an iPhone 7. After setting it up, it has the exact same issue as the iPhone 6s which leads me to believe it is a software issue, but even backing it up to the earlier of the 2 options given, it will not work.
Any advice? Feeling very frustrated and wishing I had just stuck with Android.
iPhone 8 cellular won’t turn on and just keeps searching for cellular then pops up no service when have new sim and at&t
I am having trouble using my cellular data. it will not work with any of the apps that try to connect to. the message that pops up is “could not activate cellular data network”. I am not sure how to fix this problem.
Hi there,
take a look at the tips in this article: iPhone: “Could Not Activate Cellular Data Network”; fix
my iPhone 5s doesn’t have network but I have inserted the sim card and it is a contract sim card
Hi Lebogang,
Contact the company that provides your SIM and mobile network service. It’s likely something on your service account side.
Hiya,
This weirdly occurred on my Iphone 8 with a Vodafone network. A reset network settings did the trick.
Thanks for your article.
Ta.
My iPhone 6 was working well until it did an automatic update overnight to iOS 12.4.2 and now it will not connect to the cellular network!
I’ve tried everything I can find on the subject yet still does not work.
I’ve now put the same sim card back in my old Android phone and it works perfectly.
Unless I can find a solution to this, I will NEVER EVER buy another iPhone!
what can I do when my network is showing but I have no access to use it
Hi Taonga,
Try forgetting the network and reconnecting to it.
To forget it, tap the “i” next to the network’s name and choose Forget this Network.
Then, restart your device and try connecting to it again.
If that didn’t work, perform a reset on your network’s settings: Go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings.
You will need to re-enter the network’s password for both of the tips above, so make sure you have those available to re-enter.
Liz
I have an iphone6 which is only 3yrs old. I’m currently having issues with my cellular data not working and wifi not connecting. I called my cell phone carrier and he walked me through the necessary steps to hopefully fix the problem.
1) General, reset, reset all settings, reset Network Settings.
2) Cellular data is turned on but still not working.
3) cant connect to wifi either
3) Enabled LTE Data Only
4) Switched SIM cards with husband and my SIM card worked on his phone.
Nothing has worked to fix the problem. Unfortunately my warranty has run out. I was told it’s not my carrier causing the problem. It’s my phone!
Very disappointed that I spent almost $1000.00 on an iPhone that only lasted 3 yrs. I’ll never buy another iPhone. I think I’ll go back to a Samsung!
How do i activate the celural network on my i phone x i cant use my net and cant call
Hi Zan,
Not having cellular service is likely a carrier issue, so please call your current mobile plan’s customer service and ask them to walk you through the steps of activating your call service.
SK
My iPhone 6+ which I bought when it first was released all of a sudden is having this issue. I was not on the latest iOS. I did update after this in attempt to fix the issue, but it didn’t. Tried all the steps including swapping for my wife’s SIM card. At this moment, it randomly kicked back on after doing my 20th hard restart and toggling switches but I have doubts that it is resolved. I’m going to try a new SIM card from AT&T today.
Drop test you hear about works for iPhone 6 but only temporary. Try packing your sim card. I’ve owned iPhone 6 128GB since launch and now suffer from the searching issue or just not connected to mobile/cellular network. Drop test can work in an emergency but be careful, wouldn’t really recommend unless you are desperate. Drop it on carpet, turn phone off, drop flat from 20 to 30cm and then turn phone back on. I then searched for other solutions and had better luck making the sim card a little bit thicker with clear scotch magic tape (not sellotape), one layer on the sim card and another layer over top on the sim holder. This gave much longer lasting results but still not perfect. In fact, it would appear connected but I’d still sometimes be unable to make or receive calls. Another thing that this fixed was my notifications on home screen, hadn’t realised I hadn’t been receiving my app notifications until packing the sim card. I still need to talk to Apple to see if they’ll do a proper fix, there does seem to be a widespread problem with this for iPhone 6 users. Good luck
Hi Jim,
Thanks for sharing your insight and experience dealing with your iPhone 6 cellular connection issues! We’ll add in your tips of using tape into our reader tips section–I’m sure this helps some folks out there experiencing similar issues with their iPhones.
Thanks again for sending us your tips and tricks!
SK
iPhone 7 couldn’t connect to Verizon! 🙁 it happened not long after updated iOS
I have the iPhone 5s my phone is unable to connect with mobile network.
when i have checked my sim in another phone there are proper working.
please suggest me how to connect mobile network.
Hi Mubarak,
It sounds like your iPhone 5S is locked to a certain carrier. Check out this article How Do I Know if My iPhone is Unlocked? for more info.
Best of luck and let us know what happens…
SK
Latest iTunes on both of my laptops. One laptop with WiFi off and then connected to iPhone which has Hotspot, shows as the iPhone’s name. Fine. And any updates to internet from laptop work fine.
Move onto my other laptop and the internet connection says Network 3. It can find an internet site, but is not able to upload data to it.
How do I get the second laptop to be recognised as the iPhone name ?
I was on phone with Tracfone for literally 2 hours. They counld’t figure anything out about my loss of data usage. I then scoured the internet for another two hours to no avail. Until I found your page.
Your solution (Turn LTE off) was successful, and I thank you.
i phone 6plus won’t connect to network♂️
Hi Boris,
There’s a lot of different reasons for this, so here are some tips that might help:
make sure that cellular data is on in Settings > Cellular*. On your iPad, go to Settings > Cellular Data
if travelling to a different country, go to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options > Data Roaming and enable it. This might result in additional charges depending on your plan
look and see if there’s an update from your mobile carrier, go to Settings > General > About. If an update is available, you’ll see an option to update your carrier settings
take out your SIM card and put it back in
try resetting your network, go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings
perform a forced restart by pressing both Power and Home until you see the Apple logo
Hope one of these tips helps you out!
Liz
Something is going on at AT&T. I kept data switched off to avoid accidentally using it. I had a Tracfone SIM on ATT’s network. Suddenly with data switched off, I could not get a signal and could not make nor receive voice calls. Turning data on restored signal and voice service, turning data off kills voice service. After a replacement SIM from Tracfone and two service calls, same problem. I ported number over to Puretalk USA and same exact thing.
Did ATT make a network change or “upgrade” that caused this after New Year’s?
I have the iPhone 5s and this happened after my phone died and I charged it to make it turn on and once it did it says I have no carrier and its searching. I went to At&t and we reset the settings, tried turning on/off airplane mode, SIM’s card replacement nothing works. I’m wondering if I should even replace the phone or go to apple since when i connect to wifi it works for all my apps that aren’t anything like iMessage, Facetime, and Phone. I called At&t the night before going into the actual store with someone and they said its connected with my service. Can someone please tell me what i should do or any advice if its my carrier or the phone??
yea i think its apples method to generate revenue from data overages because your forced to use data you normally wouldnt be useing because the wifi software has been bugged so this connection issue has now became an issue and just think of all the revenue apple is makeing on unsuspecting customers thinking the are connected to thier home networks when in reality they arent better keep an eye on your data useage lets see how much of a spike in income occurs from this that apple inc generates due to thier own bug purposely injected to our phones knowingly by apple to generate income or revenue to help the company do something either for stock holders or new projects thats what i think anyone else agree
I have iphone s6 but i cant connect to cellular data services, what can i do people coz am confused
hi all my iphone 4s doesn’t not find network it is always on NO SERVICE state and searching day and night please help guys .
I switched on my mobile data but the 3g symbol on the top left doesn’t show up. Please help
My 5S stopped getting any network service on Friday, but worked when I went into my local telephone service provider’s shop and help centre. They have a transmitter in the shop, do signal is very strong. As soon as i left the shop, I had no service again. I have tried everything, taking out sim, putting it back in again, replacing the sim, restoring the phone etc. Oddly for a brief few seconds at the end of the restore the service returned, ( I photographed it using my Ipad), but then reverted to No Service again. This is just so frustrating, it can’t be a physical problem with the aerial if it can pick up a signal even if it is for just a few seconds.
Hope everyone updated the new software to fix the cellular data problem. Just thought I’d add this since I just now was trying to use cellular data and I couldn’t get the settings to stay on, but I had a software update notification that I ignored. Updating it will fix the bug
The same is happening with my iPhone 6. I tried calling the AT&T store, they have tried two different ways of fixing it. Neither have worked so far.
I phone 5S with IOS9 Cellular data is on but no apps are working ?? I tried Settings> Cellular date – ON > then tried to on all the apps
once i went back to app the cellular data is automatically turnign off 🙁
any one having the same prob ? any solution ?
Thanks in advance
My iPhone 6 Plus is messing up I go into my cellular data and try to turn the app on and as soon as I leave it turns it off ..
Mine is doing the same thing, how did you fix it?
I have the same problem with my 5s, what did you do to fix that?
The same is happening with my iPhone 6. I tried calling AT&T, so far neither of the things they tried have worked.
My wife has a IPhone 6 and had the same issue! I resolved the issue by connecting to my home wifi and then updated the OS.
I have the same problem, if someone could help it would be great
Me too. Did anyone help fix yet?
i’ve some trouble cellular,when i turn off that cellular the cellular turn on back.how to fix this??help me
I am having a problem with network connections I am using an iphone 4 it keeps saying searching nd than results are no service
We had an iphone 4s in which the wifi would not turn on. My husband actually opened it up and soldered the wires back together, because they had become disconnected. Worked fine after that. Apple Store will fix it for about 100.00, but the phone isn’t worth that. . .
no Wi-Fi connection. nothing works. seems to have happened after updates of software.
no-one can fix it
My iphone5c’s ios version is still in 7.1.2 i tried many many times to update my ios to 8.1 but it cant it appered “AN ERROR OCCURED IN DOWNLOADING IOS 8.1” kindly help me.. thank u
Try putting it right next to your wifi router, that happened to me with my iPhone 4 and all I had to do was put it RIGHT next to or even on top of the router
My iphone5c’s cellular data was already turned on and there’s 3G appeared but still i can’t connect to my internet and then when i browsed it hanged pls help me what to do? And sometimes it hang when it is on Lockscreen and it cant be unlock its just like a blackout on the screen but if i plug it to charge the iphone i heard the sound when it plug.. i dont know what to do now kindly pls help me.. thank u..
I have the same problem now . What did you do to fix your problem?
iphone4 no network connection
i prefer samsung because they didn’t had troubles
my wifi was disabled until now i tried all the procedure mentioned but still not working.. plsss help