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You are here: Home / iPhone / Fix ‘No Service’ or ‘No SIM Card Installed’ Message on iPhone

Fix ‘No Service’ or ‘No SIM Card Installed’ Message on iPhone

By Sudz Kar 11 comments Last updated April 16, 2021

It has been reported that iPhone may not recognize a micro-SIM card. This may result in receiving an error message stating “No SIM Card installed” or “Invalid SIM”. Use these troubleshooting steps to solve this issue.


Restart device

Try a simple reboot before delving too deep into the problem.

  • iPhone 8 or later: Press and release Volume Up button, press and release Volume Down button,  then press and hold the Power button until the Apple logo appears.
  • iPhone 7 & 7 Plus: press and hold Volume down and Power buttons simultaneously until the Apple logo appears.
  • iPhone 6S or earlier: Press and hold the Home button and Power buttons until the Apple logo appears.

Reseat SIM Card

Try reseating the SIM card with these steps:

  1. Power the iPhone off completely.
  2. Locate the eject hole on the outer frame of the device.
  3. Using the SIM eject tool (or paper clip), insert it, and gently push the button inside.
  4. The tray will eject.
  5. Carefully remove the tray from the frame.
  6. Remove the SIM card from the tray.
  7. Ensure the SIM card is free of debris. Use a
  8. Reseat the SIM card into the tray.
  9. Gently insert the SIM card tray back into the iPhone.

Update the Software

Ensure that your iPhone has the latest version of the iOS software. You can check this by tapping Settings > General > Software Update.


Replace SIM Card

If you have tried all of the above steps and are still receiving the ‘No Service’ or ‘No SIM Card Installed’ messages on your iPhone, you will want to see if another SIM card will work with your device. You can get a new SIM card from your wireless provider.

sudz - apple
Sudz Kar

Obsessed with tech since the early arrival of A/UX on Apple, Sudz (SK) is responsible for the original editorial direction of AppleToolBox. He is based out of Los Angeles, CA.

Sudz specializes in covering all things macOS, having reviewed dozens of OS X and macOS developments over the years.

In a former life, Sudz worked helping Fortune 100 companies with their technology and business transformation aspirations.

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Reader Interactions

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Show 11 Comments

  1. Hilda crawford says

    October 16, 2013 at 3:18 PM

    Everytime I pull up my mail it said cannot connect server failed what do I do

    Reply
  2. Tam says

    November 26, 2012 at 8:49 AM

    I get no service very frequently on my iPhone 3GS it’s iOS is 5.1
    The signals come for a moment then no service appears

    Someone please help!

    Ps I’ve been having this problem for a month

    Reply
    • RambooG says

      May 30, 2021 at 8:36 PM

      I have the same problem before and my friend recommend me TunesKit iOS System Recovery for Mac, it work, so maybe you can have a try on it.Hope it helps you.

      Reply
  3. robinqris says

    November 19, 2012 at 10:35 PM

    I also have the same problem with my ipad2 3G. I installed cydia to get blobs then downgraded to ios5.1.1 and it worked for ipad..

    Reply
  4. Ankit says

    November 14, 2012 at 8:48 AM

    Same problem my iPhone 4 shows “no sim card installed “. What happen please give me solution

    Reply
  5. Doro says

    August 31, 2012 at 8:28 PM

    My problem also the same, but it is on my ipad2. How can I deal with it?

    Reply
  6. Mathan says

    August 14, 2012 at 6:30 AM

    iPhone 4S running on 5.1.1(9B206), I have the same problem since the last two days. Many SOFT reboots, back-up- restore options, have not helped. I get this message at-least 5 to 6 times a day. It is a really painful. Any support will be great.

    Reply
    • Ken says

      August 21, 2012 at 4:41 PM

      Same phone, same version of OS, same problem. Wish I’d stuck with Android.

      Reply
  7. Islam says

    May 21, 2012 at 2:07 PM

    hey
    my iphones 3gs and i have on it 5.1.1 but typed no sevices please advice i have 6 days till now on this problem

    your’s
    islam

    Reply
  8. Mike O'Brien says

    May 11, 2012 at 5:35 PM

    My iPhone 4S running on 5.1.1(9B206) and it just had this problem. A soft reboot (hold down the power switch and home button simultaneously) fixed it. I then got a ‘SIM Failure’ error message. Verizon rep says not to worry, SIM card is not used in US, is for travel outside US. Phone now seems to be working OK.

    Reply
  9. Mark Jenkins says

    May 10, 2012 at 11:37 PM

    not completely fixed in latest firmware, had the No Service problem after coming out of airplane mode yesterday. Had to restart phone to fix

    Reply

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