eSIM No Service? Fixes for iPhone and Android

If your eSIM is installed but the phone shows No Service, SOS or no bars, start by checking that the line is turned on, toggle Airplane Mode for 15 seconds and restart; if that fails, update carrier settings, check the network mode, and then ask your carrier whether the line is active, ported and not blocked. Apple's No Service page, published on 23 June 2026, gives that same order, and Google's Pixel connectivity help and Samsung's no-signal guide follow it closely.

This guide is for an eSIM from your own carrier at home: a new line, a SIM converted to eSIM, or a number moved to a new phone. If you are abroad with a travel eSIM, the causes are different (roaming, coverage, the provider's network list): use our fixes for a travel eSIM not working abroad instead. If the line still says "Activating", see our guide to an eSIM stuck on Activating.

What do No Service, SOS and no bars mean?

All three mean the phone is not registered on your carrier's network. Apple's page says "No Service" or "Searching" means the iPhone "isn't connected to a cellular network". SOS or SOS only is a variant: the iPhone is not on your network, but can still make emergency calls through other carriers' networks. Apple lists this for Australia, Canada and the United States.

Samsung uses different wording. Its US page on SIM cards not detected says "Emergency calls only" appears at the top of the screen when there is no active eSIM or SIM. On a Pixel, Google says a carrier name in grey with "No SIM" means the SIM is missing or inactive.

A different symptom is bars but no data. Calls and texts work but apps do not load. This is nearly always a setting on the phone (data line, APN) and has its own section below.

Which case are you in?

The quick checks: line on, Airplane Mode, restart

These three steps fix temporary problems and take two minutes. After each one, check the status bar for your carrier's name before moving on, as Apple's eSIM set-up help suggests.

On iPhone

1. Check the line is on. Go to Settings > Cellular (Mobile Data on many UK iPhones), tap the line and make sure Turn On This Line is on. If the line is on, Apple's set-up page suggests turning it off and on again.
2. Check which line carries data. With two lines, Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data chooses the line used for data, according to Apple's cellular data page.
3. Toggle Airplane Mode. Apple says to turn it on for at least 15 seconds, then off.
4. Restart the iPhone.

If the line is not listed at all under Cellular, Apple says to contact your carrier to set up the eSIM. On iOS 18 or later, the Apple Support app can also run extra diagnostics.

On Google Pixel

1. Open Settings > Network & internet > SIMs. Check that Mobile data is on.
2. Tap your carrier's name and check that Use SIM is on.
3. Check that Airplane mode is off.
4. Power the phone off. Google's advice is "Don't select restart": wait 30 seconds, then turn it back on.

On Samsung Galaxy

1. Check Settings > Connections: Airplane mode must be off.
2. In Settings > Connections > SIM card manager (the name used on Samsung UK's eSIM page; some One UI versions show SIM manager), check that the eSIM's toggle is on.
3. Restart the phone.
4. To see whether the phone has registered, Samsung suggests Settings > About phone > Status information > SIM card status and checking that the carrier name appears under Network.

Update carrier settings and the phone's software

An out-of-date carrier profile or system version can stop a new eSIM from registering. Apple and Samsung both put updates early in their lists.

iPhone: carrier settings update

1. Connect to Wi-Fi.
2. Go to Settings > General > About.
3. If an update is available, a prompt to update carrier settings appears. You can also scroll to the eSIM section and tap the version number next to Carrier (Network Provider on UK iPhones) to check again.

Apple notes that a new SIM needs the carrier settings for the new carrier, which matters if you just switched carriers. Then update iOS under Settings > General > Software Update.

Android

Android has no separate carrier settings button. Carrier configuration comes with system updates and from the SIM. On a Galaxy, Samsung says to go to Settings > Software update > Check for updates. On a Pixel, Google asks you to make sure you have a current version of Android.

Network mode, 5G and automatic network selection

If the line is on and up to date but the phone still cannot register, the network type it is trying to use may be the problem. One example is a 5G setting your plan does not include. Switching to LTE (4G) is a useful test.

iPhone: Voice & Data

Go to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options (with two lines, pick the line first) > Voice & Data. Apple's 5G page lists three options: 5G Auto, 5G On, and LTE, which "uses only LTE network, even when 5G is available". Choose LTE, test, then go back to 5G Auto if it makes no difference. Apple also says that on iPhone 6 or later, Enable LTE must be on under Cellular Data Options. 5G iPhones are not affected by 3G networks closing.

Pixel and Galaxy

• Pixel: Settings > Network & internet > SIMs > your carrier > Preferred network type. Google lists 5G (recommended), LTE, 3G and 2G, depending on the carrier.
• Galaxy: Settings > Connections > Mobile networks > Network mode. Samsung says to try the available modes and check the connection after each one.

Calls over 4G (VoLTE) are a carrier feature. With 3G gone in many countries, calls need it. If data works but calls fail, ask your carrier whether VoLTE is enabled on your line and your phone model.

Automatic network selection

If you once picked a network by hand, the phone stays on it even where it has no signal. On iPhone, AT&T's guide for the iPhone 17 Pro gives the path: Settings > Cellular > Network Selection, with the Automatic switch. Make sure it is on for a home line. On a Pixel, the mobile network settings include a Network option for choosing an operator. On a Galaxy, look in Connections > Mobile networks for the network operator option and set it back to automatic.

Bars but no mobile data: data line and APN

If calls work but nothing loads, the line is registered and the problem is the data setup.

1. Mobile data on, right line chosen. On iPhone: Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data, then pick the eSIM line. On a Pixel: Settings > Network & internet > SIMs. Turn on Mobile data and, under "Your primary SIMs", pick the SIM for data. Google notes that only one SIM can be the default for data.
2. APN reset (Android). The access point name tells the phone how to reach your carrier's data network. On a Galaxy, Samsung's path is Settings > Connections > Mobile networks > Access Point Names > More options (three dots) > Reset to default > Reset. On a Pixel, the Access point names entry is in the same SIM settings.
3. Do not type an APN from a forum. If resetting does not bring back data, ask your carrier for its APN values. iPhones normally get them from the carrier settings described above.

On a dual-SIM phone with a travel eSIM still installed, check that the travel line is not the data line. That mix-up is common after a trip.

When the problem is on the carrier side

If none of the steps above helps, the eSIM is usually fine and the carrier has not finished its part. Apple's No Service page asks you to check with the carrier that your account is "active and in good standing", that the device is not blocked or barred, and that you have the right plan.

The line is not provisioned yet

Most carriers activate a new eSIM in minutes, but some publish longer limits. O2 UK says some activations take up to 24 hours and asks you to get in touch after that. Three UK says "up to 7 hours" in some cases. Wait for the carrier's stated window before trying anything drastic.

Your number is still being ported

The FCC adds that porting from a landline to a mobile can take a few days. If the date has passed, ask the new carrier for the port status rather than reinstalling the eSIM.

The old SIM still holds the line

When you move a number to a new iPhone, Apple's eSIM set-up page, published on 22 October 2026, says the new plan "deactivates your previous SIM when it activates". If the old phone still has service and the new one shows No Service, the switch has not happened yet. If a banner says Finish Setting Up Your Carrier's Cellular Plan, tap it: Apple says it takes you to the carrier's page. Samsung adds another cause: some carriers run SIM protection services that stop a line from being activated on a new device until you turn them off with the carrier.

IMEI not registered or device blocked

Apple tells you to ask whether your local government requires IMEI registration for a phone bought outside your country, and whether the device is blocked from cellular service. A phone reported lost or stolen, or imported where registration is required, can show No Service on a perfectly good eSIM.

Carrier lock

A phone bought from one carrier may refuse another carrier's eSIM. On iPhone, Apple says to check Settings > General > About: an unlocked iPhone shows No SIM Restrictions next to Carrier Lock. On Android there is no single screen for this, so ask the carrier that sold the phone. Our guide on whether you need an unlocked phone explains unlocking. If the phone is unlocked and the carrier still refuses, read why a carrier won't activate a compatible phone.

Outages

Before resetting anything, check for a local outage. Carriers publish status pages, such as Verizon's network status, AT&T's outage page and Vodafone UK's status checker. Google's Pixel help also says to contact your carrier "to check for any outages in your area".

Turn the eSIM off, never delete it

Deleting an eSIM is not a reset. It removes the profile from the phone, and you then need a new eSIM from the carrier. Turning the line off keeps the profile and is the right test.

Sources: Google's dual-SIM help and Samsung UK's eSIM page. Samsung adds that removing a plan does not end your contract. On a Pixel, Settings > Security > Advanced > Confirm SIM deletion makes the phone ask for a password before an eSIM can be erased.

If you have already deleted it, read our guide on getting a deleted eSIM back before you pay for a replacement.

Reset network settings: the last fix on the phone

Resetting network settings clears configuration errors and keeps the eSIM, but it also erases other things. Do it after the steps above, not before.

iPhone

Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Network Settings. According to the iPhone User Guide, this removes all network settings, including:

• saved Wi-Fi networks;
• VPN settings not installed by a configuration profile or MDM;
• the trust you gave manually to certificates;
• the phone's name, which goes back to "iPhone".

"Cellular data roaming may also be turned off." In the same menu, Delete All eSIMs erases every eSIM on the phone. Do not tap it.

Pixel

Settings > System > Reset options > Reset mobile network settings. Google lists a separate Reset Bluetooth & Wi-Fi, which deletes saved Wi-Fi networks. You do not need it for a No Service problem.

Galaxy

Settings > General management > Reset > Reset mobile network settings > Reset settings > Reset. Samsung says this "removes saved mobile network configuration information and reconnects the device to the carrier network using default settings".

When to call your carrier, and what to ask

Call your carrier when the quick checks, the update and the network reset have not helped. Call straight away if you are porting a number, have a new phone, or the carrier's activation window has passed. Have these ready, as Apple recommends:

• the exact message on screen (No Service, SOS, Emergency calls only), ideally as a screenshot;
• your phone number and your account password or PIN;
• the phone's IMEI and EID. On iPhone, both are in Settings > General > About. On a Galaxy, Samsung lists the EID under Settings > About phone > Status. EE notes that dialling *#06# shows it on eSIM phones. Our guide to finding the EID on Android, Samsung and iPhone has every path.

Questions that get to the cause quickly:

1. Is the eSIM on my account active and linked to this EID?
2. Is my number ported, and is the old SIM deactivated?
3. Is this IMEI allowed on the network (not blocked, registered where required, approved for VoLTE)?
4. Is a SIM protection or number lock service turned on?
5. Is there an outage at my address?

If the carrier finds nothing wrong on its side, Apple says a hardware fault is possible and points you to its repair service. Check your model on our iPhone eSIM page, Samsung Galaxy page or Google Pixel page. If you are setting up from scratch, our guides on activating an eSIM on iPhone and converting a physical SIM to eSIM are the next step.

How we checked

We read every source on 27 October 2026. These were Apple Support (the No Service page, eSIM set-up, 5G, cellular data and the iOS 27 iPhone User Guide), Google's Pixel Phone Help pages and Samsung's US and UK support pages. We also read the eSIM help of O2 UK, Three UK and EE, and the FCC and Ofcom porting rules. Menu names come from those pages. Samsung and Google both say labels vary by model and software version, so your screen may differ slightly.

We left out steps no official source supports, such as manual APN values. Travel eSIM problems are covered in our separate guide to a travel eSIM not working abroad.