In a perfect world, our phones would just work perfectly all the time, but we’ve gotten used to seeing the occasional error message. They’re never something we welcome, but most of the time, we can at least understand what the error means.
On the other hand, an error message like “Your SIM sent a text message” doesn’t make much sense. Is your phone sending messages without you? Why, and what is it sending?
“Your SIM sent a text message” is a cryptic error in the first place, but it doesn’t help that the error message doesn’t actually explain all of what is happening. Yes, your SIM is initiating a message without you, but it’s not just randomly texting your friends.
What this message means is that your SIM card is trying to connect to your cellular provider’s update server. Occasionally, this can fail and get stuck in an endless loop where your SIM is messaging your provider’s carrier update server but never getting an answer.
This error message is simply letting you know what happened, but a more useful message would make this less confusing. Fortunately, there are several methods you can use to resolve this problem.
Turn Your iPhone Off and On Again
Sometimes, an odd problem requires a simple fix. There are more complex ways to deal with this error message, but let’s start with the simplest: restart your phone.
Restarting your iPhone depends on the model, but you either hold the power button or the Siri button and the volume up button at the same time. After a moment, you’ll see a prompt to power your phone off or restart it.
If you restart your phone and don’t see the error message any longer, your issue may be resolved.
Check for a Carrier Settings Update
Since this error usually happens when your SIM is requesting a carrier settings update, the easiest fix is often to manually request an update. This is quick and could fix your issue immediately.
Open the Settings app on your iPhone, then scroll down and tap General. Here, tap About.
On the next screen, wait for at least a minute. If a message prompt appears reading Carrier Settings Update, tap Update, then wait while the process completes. Once this is finished, restart your iPhone.
If you don’t see an update message, you can try resetting your phone’s network settings. Just be warned that while you won’t lose any data, your phone will forget any Wi-Fi passwords or other related settings.
To reset network settings, go to Settings > General, then Reset or “Transfer or Reset iPhone” on newer versions of iOS. On the next screen, tap “Reset Network Settings” if you see it. If not, tap Reset, then “Reset Network Settings.”
Enter your passcode, then confirm that you want to reset network settings.
Remove and Replace Your SIM card
If refreshing your carrier settings or resetting your network settings didn’t work, it may be time for another low-tech solution. Most iPhones still use a standard SIM card instead of a newer eSIM. If this is the case for you, removing and reinserting the SIM could resolve your problem.
Using the SIM removal tool that came with your iPhone, insert it in the small hole next to your iPhone’s SIM tray. Pop out the tray, make sure the card is properly seated, then pop it back in.
To make sure this worked, you may want to restart your phone.
Last Resort: Contact Your Cellular Provider
If none of the above options have worked, the issue may not be with your phone. Instead, it could be on your cellular provider’s end. This means that you’ll have to get in touch with your provider.
This isn’t often fun, but if you’re constantly being annoyed by this message, it may be worth the time spent on hold waiting for customer service.
Kris Wouk is a writer, musician, and whatever it’s called when someone makes videos for the web. He’s an Apple nerd with a fondness for hi-res audio and home theater gear.
I tested to see if it was my VPN causing it to not work and sure enough when I stopped the VPN my phone worked normally. I found that my VPN was due a update. I updated the VPN and it now works fine. Thanks to your article here it made me use my head to figure it out. Thanks, I hope this is helpful.
I tested to see if it was my VPN causing it to not work and sure enough when I stopped the VPN my phone worked normally. I found that my VPN was due a update. I updated the VPN and it now works fine. Thanks to your article here it made me use my head to figure it out. Thanks, I hope this is helpful.
Hello i do refresh my mobile. I have apellid & pass but havent number phone for receive tow-factor authentication, please help me