iPhone No Service Or Searching: How to Fix It

Your iPhone is not registered on any cellular network. This page explains what it does, how to use it on an iPhone and which carriers it applies to.

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Why does this happen and how do I fix it?

No Service means your iPhone has given up looking for a network. Searching means it is still trying. Both indicate the same underlying condition: the device is not attached to a cellular network, so calls, texts and cellular data are all unavailable.

The cause is usually one of four things — genuine lack of coverage, a line that has been suspended or deprovisioned by the carrier, a SIM or eSIM that has stopped being read, or a modem that has got stuck and needs to re-register. The first three need the carrier or a SIM change. Only the last is fixed on the device, and it is fixed quickly.

Work through the steps in order and test after each one. If you reach the end and still see No Service in a place where your phone normally works, the fault is on the carrier side or is a hardware fault, not something another setting will cure.

Important: Reset Network Settings erases every saved Wi-Fi password, preferred network, VPN and APN configuration. Make sure you can get back onto your home and work Wi-Fi before you use it.

What should I try, in order?

1. Turn Airplane Mode on for at least 15 seconds, then off. Apple specifies 15 seconds because the network detach has to complete before the device re-attaches.
2. Restart your iPhone. This clears a stuck modem state that Airplane Mode alone does not always release.
3. Open Settings, tap Cellular and confirm the line is present and switched on. On a dual-SIM iPhone, tap the line and tap Turn On This Line if it is off. If you use a physical SIM, remove the tray, reseat the SIM and close it fully.
4. Check for a carrier settings update: Settings, General, About, then wait about 30 seconds for a prompt. Then install any pending iOS update.
5. Call your carrier from another phone and ask them to confirm the line is active, has no billing block, is not barred, and that there is no outage at your location.
6. If the carrier confirms the account and network are fine, the remaining likely cause is hardware. Book a Genius Bar or authorised service appointment.

Which carriers does this apply to?

Published for	any iPhone, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and UScellular
Type	iOS setting
Good to know	The steps are the same on every US carrier. What differs is how quickly the carrier can re-provision a line once you reach that stage.

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See all fix iphone phone problems or every category of iPhone codes.

How Secret Codes helps

Secret Codes keeps this and every other entry a search away. Pick your carrier once and each entry says whether it is published for your line. You can save favourites, add a private note, and record whether a code worked on your line.