Many people associate the phone primarily with communications, calls, and messaging. But it was thanks to a small module in a smartphone (SIM card) that cellular communication services became possible.
When a smartphone stops “reading” a SIM card, this entails a lot of problems, because now it is one of the means of identifying a user on the network. A Google account and other services that most of us use every day can be linked to a phone number. Let's look at the main reasons for this problem.
Hardware problems
In this category, we will consider problems associated with the module itself that cannot be solved with buttons. These include various damage to the SIM card itself, the mobile device tray, and the like.
SIM card activation required
If a newly purchased SIM card is inserted into the slot, but there is no incoming call, activation is most likely required. This can be done using an outgoing call or dialing a command to check the balance.
The problem may also be due to the SIM card being misaligned. All phones have a slot where the contacts make contact with the SIM card chip. If you move it a little, it won't work. This can happen due to the mobile device falling or improper installation of the module in the tray. You need to remove the SIM card and insert it as indicated on the smartphone label.
If the problem is not solved, then try installing it on another phone. This way you will understand whether the card is damaged or the problem is in the device.
Broken SIM card or tray
Often the mobile device does not read the SIM due to its damage. In this case, all contacts are intact, but the defect may be on the plastic, which is broken or chipped, and the shape of the card itself is uneven. Sometimes users cut the mini card to make it into a nano card. Often it becomes damaged or is not located quite correctly in the slot - it needs to be replaced.
The SIM holder or tray may also be defective. To check this, you can insert the module into any other device. If it sees the network, it means the slot is broken or the reason is in the smartphone itself. To do this, it is better to contact a service center, which will accurately determine the reason for the SIM card’s inoperability.
Do not try to repair the holder yourself, firstly you will need a soldering station. Secondly, without repair experience, you can worsen the situation by damaging or deforming some components and, as a result, the SIM card will get stuck in the phone.
Contact contamination and oxidation
As you use your mobile device and SIM card, it may happen that the module simply becomes dirty. Even dust can interfere with chip recognition.
Depending on the type of SIM card, its contact area usually contains 6 main elements (sometimes even 8):
- Nutrition.
- Control.
- Frequency.
- Data recording.
- Input and output.
- Grounding.
The presence of dirt on at least one part is enough to stop the module from functioning. The reason may be rust, dust on the chip or oxidation.
Step 1: Clean the SIM using an eraser or cotton pad soaked in pure alcohol. Do not use water or detergents.
Step 2: If oxidation is severe, use fine-grit sandpaper. Use it carefully so as not to damage the chip.
Step 3. Wipe the contacts with an alcohol wipe to completely remove dirt.
If cleaning does not give a positive result, then it is better to replace the SIM card.
After flashing the phone does not see the SIM card
The problem in the firmware is immediately visible; in addition to the smartphone’s refusal to detect the SIM card, some functions stop working.
There are two solutions - returning to the restore point or replacing the firmware. You can do it yourself by connecting the gadget to your computer via a USB cable and downloading licensed software from the official website, or contact an ASC (authorized service center).
Invalid IMEI
After checking the IMEI, you realized that it is worn out or does not match. How to recover? Open the service menu using the code (for all operating systems):
| Universal code | *#3646633# | *#*#3646633#*#* |
| Samsung | *#*#8255*#*# | *#*#4636*#*# |
| HTC | *#*#3424*#*# | *#*#4636*#*# |
| Sony | *#*#7378423*#*# | |
| IPhone | *#*#4634*#*# | |
| Huawei | *#*#2846579*#*# | |
| Philips, Fly, Alcatel | *#*#3646633*#*# | |
| Processor MTK | *#*#54298*#*# | *#*#3646633*#*# |
- dial the combination as a number and press the “call” key;
- go to “CDS Information – Radio Information – Phone1”;
- at the top under the AT+ item, enter in the field EGMR=1.7 “enter the correct IMEI” – for the first SIM card or EGMR=1.10 “enter the correct IMEI” – for the second;
- press the “SEND AT COMMAND” button and the new settings will take effect;
- restart your smartphone.
You can fix it using the Chamelephon application if you have ROOT rights. You can always contact the service center to resolve the issue.
Software problems
The second category is problems that can be easily corrected directly in the smartphone system. Sometimes the device does not see the SIM card for the most trivial reasons, which can be eliminated by pressing a few buttons.
Airplane mode activated
The first and simplest thing you can do if your phone doesn’t see the SIM card is to make sure that airplane mode on the device is not activated, as it disables all wireless modules.
You can do this as follows:
Step 1. In your smartphone settings, go to “Network and Internet”.
Step 2. Next, expand the full list of options by clicking on the “Advanced” button.
Step 3. On the screen you will see the words “Airplane Mode”, opposite which the slider should be disabled. If the feature is enabled, simply turn it off. Thus, all wireless modules and services will be launched, including cellular communications, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc.
Requires SIM card to be enabled
Next, you should check whether the SIM card is activated at all in the settings of your mobile device. If desired, it can be turned off very easily without having to remove it from the special tray.
To see if the SIM card is enabled on your device, do the following:
Step 1. Open your smartphone's settings and click on "Network and Internet".
Step 2. Click on “SIM cards”. A window will open in which you will see whether the modules installed in the tray are enabled or not.
Step 3. If they are disabled, then click on the corresponding sliders located opposite the operator’s name.
If everything is activated in the settings or the SIM card is simply not displayed there, then see the following possible reasons and their solutions.
Changing the network configuration
Problems can also occur on the telecom operator's side. It happens that the SIM card is detected by the smartphone, but there is an inscription “Emergency calls only”. After purchasing a SIM card, it must be configured so that the smartphone has access to the network. For this, APN technology is used, which determines the network path for data exchange when a new subscriber connects.
Traditionally, manual configuration was required on older mobile devices. Everything should configure automatically today, but if for some reason it doesn't, do the following:
Step 1: Go to settings and go to the “Network and Internet” tab.
Step 2. Click on the “Mobile network” section, and then select the “Advanced settings” line.
Step 3. Scroll to the bottom of the window and find the “Access Points (APN)” item. Click on it.
Step 4. Take any other device and enter “apn *** access point” in the browser, where instead of “***” is the name of your cellular operator. Find connection information on the official website.
Step 5: Go back to your smartphone and tap on the “+” button to add a new access point. Now set the necessary parameters, as indicated on the operator’s website, by filling in the required fields.
Step 6: Click on the “three dots” and select “Save.” Select the point you just created by clicking on a specific line.
Step 7. Also make sure that in the “Network” section the “Select a network automatically” option is activated. If necessary, move the slider to the “On” position.
Don't rule out technical glitches and problems with your cell phone tower. If your phone doesn't find the network, there may be a problem with the coverage area. The fact is that operator towers may not cover the area in which you are located. In this situation, reboot your device or try going to another location.
System failures
We should not rule out the presence of any conflicts or failures in the smartphone system, which is why it does not find the SIM card. To eliminate them, you can first try simply rebooting the device. All services will be restarted, which often resolves the issue.
If this does not help, there may be problems with the system files. In this case, you need to do a factory reset. But first you need to save your files and contacts, since the function deletes all data and applications from the device. You can move them to cloud storage or to your computer.
Step-by-step instructions for resetting settings:
Step 1. Go to the settings of your mobile device and go to the “System” tab.
Step 2. Click on “Advanced”, then select the “Reset” section.
Step 3. Open the item called “Reset settings”, scroll down the window below and click on “Reset phone settings”.
After this, you should wait for the process to complete, which can take up to 5-10 minutes. The smartphone will turn on and have standard settings. See if he sees the SIM card.
OS reinstallation required
Sometimes the operating system on a smartphone may not work correctly. This usually applies to inexpensive “third-tier” devices (from dubious and little-known manufacturers), which often have faulty firmware.
Along with such updates, bugs and serious shortcomings often appear in the system along with new “features”, which can lead to the failure of various modules, including cellular communications, Wi-Fi and other things. Fortunately, in some cases, developers quickly notice their mistakes and roll out new firmware versions that fix certain problems.
To check for updates, do the following:
Step 1. In your smartphone's settings, go to the "System" tab.
Step 2: Here, click on “Advanced” and open the “System Update” section.
Step 3. A message should appear on the screen indicating that the search for updates has begun. If this does not happen, click on the appropriate button yourself.
If you do find a new firmware version ready for download and installation, be sure to charge your phone to 80-90% before doing so so that it doesn’t turn off during reinstallation. Sometimes you can’t wait for new updates from the official developer. In this case, you will have to scour the Internet and find unofficial firmware in which the network problem will be solved by enthusiasts.
Viruses on a smartphone
Virus files can negatively affect the operation of the device, including network reception. To avoid getting caught downloading malicious files and opening dangerous web pages, you should avoid suspicious links, dubious emails, and advertising banners.
On Android devices, antiviruses are much more useless in the fight against malware than on a Windows computer, for example. The fact is that the user himself can grant a couple of permissions to a dangerous program that is hidden under the guise of an ordinary harmless application. Using these permissions, it becomes inaccessible even to the antivirus.
The only way to combat such a threat is to switch to safe mode. How to do this is described in detail in our other article, available at this link. Now check if the SIM card has received communication. If yes, then the reason is viruses that need to be found and removed.
Step 1. Open your smartphone's settings and find the "Applications and notifications" section. Go to it and click on the “Show all applications” button.
Step 2. Carefully look at the list of installed software. Remove suspicious software (usually programs with a questionable name). It’s better to just select from the list everything that you don’t particularly need and leave only those applications that you are sure of. Virus utilities may look something like the screenshot below:
For protection, you can, of course, download an antivirus to scan all files, but as already mentioned, this is not so relevant on a smartphone. It is enough to download any applications only from the official Google Play store and use browsers protected from suspicious sites (Chrome, Yandex), and be extremely careful yourself.
Gadget repair
If you find a problem with the phone itself, you need to contact it for repair. The situation may arise not through the fault of the user, but even at the program level. If the phone has a valid warranty, contact an authorized service center. They will diagnose your device for free.
The cost of repair depends on the nature of the damage. If this is a software “bug,” then restoration of the device’s functionality will be carried out at the company’s expense. If the breakdown is caused by mechanical damage, then the owner of the device pays for repairs.
Most often, this problem occurs among those who constantly change SIM cards in their phone, which can lead to damage to the contact field, as well as when the gadget is dropped, or liquid or dust gets into it.
If a malfunction occurs after flashing the device, you can try to restore correct operation yourself. To do this, you will need to reset the settings to factory defaults. More detailed instructions can be obtained from the user manual, or from a representative of the device manufacturer.
Attention:
If you installed unofficial firmware and a problem arose, then before contacting the official service you need to restore the original software on the device - flashing the phone with custom firmware may void the warranty.
Other reasons
The third category is other situations due to which the SIM card may become inoperable.
The smartphone works with a SIM card of a specific operator
In the Russian market, as a rule, smartphones work with all cellular operators. The only exceptions are cheap devices or operator branded phones that come with a SIM card. They do not work with other operators, and to fix this, a flashing will be required.
Be also careful when purchasing mobile devices from AliExpress and other foreign online stores. It’s better to immediately check whether the smartphone works with all mobile networks. If it is “locked”, it will need to be unlocked. You can do this yourself by opening the bootloader and installing another firmware.
The SIM card has not been used for a long time
It happens that the SIM card has not been used for a long time, perhaps the operator has already automatically terminated the contract. As a rule, this happens within 60-180 days (depending on the company), if no calls or messages have been sent from the number. The issue is sent to the archives and after some time goes on sale again.
In this case, all you have to do is throw away the SIM card and buy a new one. To ensure that the contract is not cancelled, you must make calls, send SMS messages, or at least top up your account. This way the operator will see that the number is not just “hanging” in the air, but is actually being used, and in this case automatic termination will no longer be possible.
In addition, few people know that a SIM card has its own expiration date. This is not related to the duration of the tariff. If the module is more than 7 years old, it has probably lost its functionality due to contact wear. After all, over time they become overwritten, especially if you often move your SIM card from one device to another. It is better to contact the operator's office to replace it. If you wish, you can even leave your previous number absolutely free and continue to use cellular services.
Note
Regarding termination of the service contract in the event of a long period of inactivity, you can also submit a corresponding request to the nearest operator service office. If your old number was not activated by another client, you can restore it. Otherwise, a re-conclusion of the agreement with the issuance of new contacts will be required.
It is recommended to periodically check your personal account balance, top it up and perform USSD requests. This way you guarantee the safety of the number for future use.
How to avoid losing contacts
To prevent contacts from disappearing from your phone book, and not to look for ways to restore them in the future, you should follow the following recommendations.
Vyacheslav
For several years he worked in mobile phone stores of two large operators. I understand tariffs well and see all the pitfalls. I love gadgets, especially Android ones.
Ask a Question
Question to the expert
How to avoid losing contacts?
Use the gadget correctly: do not give it to children; Do not experiment with changing system settings.
How necessary is a backup?
Saving contacts, and especially confidential information, in cloud storage or an email service helps to avoid problems if they are lost.
Where is the safest place to store contacts?
It is generally accepted that on a SIM card, but in reality, the optimal option is the device memory or cloud service. The postal medium is also considered relevant.
4.2/5 — (20 votes)
How to set up the correct display of contacts
Almost half of the owners of mobile gadgets face the problem when subscriber numbers regularly disappear from their phones. You can return your contacts to their original state and configure their display correctly by following the instructions:
- Call the “Phone” application;
- Select the “Contacts” tab;
- Go to the settings menu (it is hidden under the “three dots”, “three stripes”, “gear” icon);
- Select the “Contact Options” option;
- Select display of contacts from any available directory (from the phone memory or from the SIM card);
- Combine duplicate numbers into one position and create an optimal list of contacts that are used regularly.
Usually these manipulations are enough to avoid the disappearance of subscriber data at the most inopportune moment. But before proceeding with this operation, it is advisable to simply reboot the device. Sometimes using this action it is possible to return the phone book to its place.
When to contact an operator
- If the Megafon SIM card does not work, dial the support number 88005500500, or +79261110500 (toll-free from anywhere in the world). Tell us under what circumstances your SIM card stopped being read. The operator will tell you what to do.
- If the MTS SIM card does not work, call the single number 88002500890. For international roaming +74957660166. Perhaps one call will be enough to get the SIM card working again.
- If the Beeline SIM card does not work, contact the 24-hour support center by calling 88007000611, 0611 (mobile), +7 (495) 7972727 (in international roaming). Tell us in detail what is wrong with the SIM card.
- If the Tele2 SIM card does not work, dial 84959767611, or +79515200611 when roaming, and voice the problem. Or contact support on the operator's website.
- If the Yota SIM card does not work, you can contact the chat on the website or in the mobile application.
Airplane mode
Often, difficulties arise due to the inattention of users - you may not have to take any measures to restore the functionality of the device.
- Swipe up or down on the screen to open Quick Settings;
- Make sure airplane mode is turned off;
- Turn it off if necessary.
Ready! Try calling or connecting to the network again.
Moisture ingress
Has the gadget been exposed to negative effects of liquid - dropped into water, caught in the rain, etc.? Then the contacts are likely to oxidize (both in the smartphone itself and on the SIM). Try removing the card and wiping it with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol:
Even after repair, the phone does not recognize the second SIM? Most likely, the “specialists” did a poor job and used non-original modules and adapters, which can move with the slightest impact and lead to signal loss.
I would like the methods listed above to help you resolve the problem. Unfortunately, most often you have to contact the service.
06/11/20196:0019283 Victor Felk Information portal IT Technician
Sources used:
- https://geekhacker.ru/telefon-ne-vidit-sim-kartu/
- https://www.lumias.ru/chto-delat-esli-telefon-samsung-ne-vidit-sim-kartu/
- https://poandroidam.ru/samsung/smartfon-ne-vidit-sim-kartu.html
- https://mobila.guru/faqsingle/samsung-ne-vidit-sim-kartu-chto-delat/
- https://it-tehnik.ru/androids/no-sim.html
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