The Causes and Fixes for “Mobile Network Not Available” Error on Android Devices

“Mobile network not available” is a common problem experienced in Android devices when your device cannot connect to the internet.

In some devices, you can see the error messages like: “cellular network not available,” “no mobile network”, or “mobile network unavailable.”

It can be unclear especially when you have full signal but mobile network not available. This problem is most common in Samsung brands like the Samsung Galaxy S2, S3, S4, Note, and Nexus.

You are also likely to experience it in other smartphone brands like LG, Alcatel, Motorola, etc.

Do you wish to know how to fix mobile network not available error? Are you asking yourself questions like; why does my phone say “mobile network not available”? Why is my mobile network not available?

Read on for possible reasons and methods for fixing ‘mobile network not available’ error.

How to Fix Mobile Network Not Available Error

#1. SIM Card Displacement

Sometimes the problem might be as a result of wrongfully inserting the sim card.

To solve the mobile network issue, you should switch off the phone, and remove the battery and your SIM card.

Wait for almost five minutes or so and then carefully place the SIM card and battery back.

Switch on your device and see if it connects to the internet.

#2. Missing SIM card

If your phone is not able to identify the sim card, you may see error messages like: “insert sim card to access network services.”

If you do not have a SIM card, or you had removed it, find it then switch off your phone, insert the SIM card then turn on the phone.

#3. Sim Card is Damaged

If a sim card is damaged, your mobile phone can not be able to read it.

To be sure your sim card is working fine, try removing it and testing it in another phone if it does not work then replace the SIM card.

If it works, then there might be a problem with the sim card slot on your phone, consider contacting customer care service providers for repairs.

#4. Airplane Mode

Such a problem is common in Samsung Galaxy S5. Sometimes the phone goes on silent Airplane mode which fails to show on the screen.

To solve this, enable the ‘Airplane Mode’, wait for a few seconds then disable it once again.

When you finish this step, your mobile phone should pick network connectivity, and you see updates and notifications streaming in.

If this did not solve the issue, there are more tips you can use below.

#5. Broadcasting Improper Radio Signals

Sometimes your Samsung Android device might be broadcasting improper radio signals hence causing mobile network not available error. To fix the issue, just follow these steps.

1. Dial *#*#4636#*#* from your Android phone.
2. A “Testing Menu” appears. Select “Phone Information” from the category.+
3. An option “Run Ping Test” appears. Tap on this option.
4. Scroll down to reveal a drop down menu. Tap on this menu to show its option. Click “GSM Auto(PRL)
5. Below the drop down menu is the option for “Turn Radio Off”. Click on it.
6. Reboot your phone and see if it successfully connects to the internet.
7. Choose Mobile Network Manually

Usually, the default setting for selecting cellular network in any phone is set to automatic. However, you can also choose it manually, and this method is applicable to any Android phone. Follow these steps to solve the mobile network not available problem.

1. Open Settings menu on your device
2. Tap on wireless networks
3. Tap on Mobile Networks
4. Select Network Operators. As you can see, it is on Automatic Mode by default.
5. Select your mobile network manually.
6. Restart your device to see if the error has been resolved.
7. Firmware Problem

Occasionally the mobile network not available error can be as a result of firmware issues which needs updating to fix them.

Since you do not have mobile network connectivity, you need to find Wi-Fi connectivity to access the Internet and make the updates.

Follow the below steps once you are connected to a Wi-Fi hotspot.

1. Go to Settings Menu on your Android device
2. Tap on “About Phone”, usually at the bottom of the menu.
3. Select Check for Updates
4. Install the Latest Update on your device.
5. After the install, your mobile phone should restart automatically.
6. Switch off the Wi-Fi and check if you can connect to the internet using your cellular network.
7. Signal Reception

This problem can be as a result of poor signal strength, cellular network coverage of your location.

The problem seems to affect Straight Talk, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless users.

To solve the problem, try moving around and see if you get a better signal and connect.

#9. Fix for Verizon Users

Verizon mobile plan users face this issue because of wrong configurations on their APN. If you are a Verizon subscriber, then follow the below steps to update your APN settings.

1. Go to settings and tap on “More”,
2. Tap on Mobile Networks.
3. Select “Access Point Names” under this tab, then choose your default “Verizon” saved configurations.
4. Fill the fields as per the below details.
   Name: VerizonAPN: Internet
   Proxy: Default
   Port: Default
   Username: Default
   Password: Default
   Server: blank
   MMSC: http://mms.vtext.com/servlets/mms
   MMS Proxy: blank
   MMS Port: 80
   MCC: 310
   MNC: 012
   Authentication Type: Not set
   APN Type: Internet + MMS
   APN Protocol: Default
   Bearer: Default
5. Save the configurations and check if you can connect to the internet successfully.

#10. Enable Roaming

Sometimes you may experience the network not available problem when you are out of your network coverage zone.

To solve the problem, you can enable roaming service on your device. Follow these steps;

1. Go to settings.
2. Tap on “More” under Wireless & Network category.
3. Select “mobile networks.”
4. Enable Data Roaming by tapping on the switch on the right side.

#11. Boost Signal Strength

You can also try third-party apps available on Google play to boost the signal strength of your Android device. They can fix your phone’s connectivity issues and get rid of the ‘Network not available’ issue.

#12. Factory Data Reset

If all the methods have failed to work for your device, then you should consider factory resetting your device.

You are going to lose all your data so you should create a backup first.

After this procedure, your phone should be as good as you had bought it. Follow these steps:

1. Go to Settings
2. Find the Category “Backup and Reset.”
3. Tap on the Option “Factory Data Reset”, usually at the bottom of the list. Confirm and wait for the phone to erase all of its data and reboots itself.
4. Factory Reset is the surest method as it restores the phone to the initial working condition.