Making and receiving calls is still an essential purpose for all phones, new and old. And network coverage issues are never good — sometimes they lead to bad call quality and other times you can’t make or receive calls at all. But what to do if you have a great signal, with full bars but no service on your Android? We have a few troubleshooting steps to recommend.
Table of contents:
- Restart your device
- Enable Airplane mode and disable it after 20 seconds
- Remove the SIM card and add it again
- Reset Network Settings
- Contact your carrier
Why does my phone show full bars but have no service?
If your phone show full bars but have no service, check with your carrier. It most likely has something to do with the provided services. Alternatively, try fixing the problem by restarting the device, enabling and disabling Airplane mode, or resetting Network Settings.
You can also go for the factory reset if there are reports about a major system bug that causes this behavior. Just make sure to inform yourself before starting from scratch.
1. Restart your device
The first thing to do whenever your Android starts behaving erratically or certain features stop working is to restart the device. It usually fixes the majority of temporary problems with apps, services, and system processes. Don’t see why this wouldn’t be the case with network coverage issues.
On the other hand, if you still get full bars signal in the Status bar but can’t make or receive calls because there’s no service, make sure to try with the next step.
2. Enable Airplane mode and disable it after 20 seconds
Some users suggest enabling and disabling the Airplane mode. This will stop all outgoing and incoming signals (cellular, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth) and, after you disable it, the device will start acquiring signals. Hopefully, once the cellular signal is acquired, you’ll be able to make and receive calls again.
You can enable Airplane mode from the Quick Access menu. Alternatively, you can find this option in Settings > Connections. Enable it and wait for 20 seconds. After that, disable it and wait until you get the signal again.
Also, you can navigate to Settings > Connections > Mobile data and disable VoLTE.
3. Remove the SIM card and add it again
Another thing you can try is to remove the SIM card and place it again. The fact that there’s the full bars signal but you don’t have service makes us believe that the SIM card placement is not the problem. However, since the troubleshooting options are limited, we suggest giving it a try. Especially if you have a dual-SIM/hybrid option on your device.
Just make sure to remove the SIM carefully to avoid possible damage. You can power off your phone before doing so but that’s not mandatory.
4. Reset Network Settings
If the problem persists after the previous steps, you can reset the Network settings. This isn’t a certain solution but you can give it a try. If that fails and you’re sure that the problem is not on the carrier side, you can also try resetting your device to factory settings and restoring it from a backup.
Here’s how to reset the Network Settings on Android:
- Open Settings.
- Tap System or General management.
- Tap Reset or Reset options.
- Reset Network Settings and confirm when prompted.
5. Contact your carrier
Finally, make sure that you have enough credit if you’re on a prepaid package or that your monthly fees are paid because the carrier can stop outgoing or incoming calls until you pay your dues. That’s how it works in most regions. In addition, you can contact your carrier to get more information or ask for a SIM card replacement. There’s always a chance that something’s wrong with your SIM card.
And, with that said, we can conclude this article. Thank you for reading what was, hopefully, a helpful article. Do you have any alternative solutions that we forgot to add to the list? Share them with us in the comments section below.
Editor’s note: This article was initially published in March 2022. We made sure to revamp it for freshness and accuracy.
