How to Fix the “Phone Not Registered on Network” Error on Android

A guide to fixing your phone’s network issue once and for all

Co-authored by Darlene Antonelli, MA Reviewed by Luigi Oppido

Last Updated: January 8, 2025 Fact Checked

Are you seeing a "not registered on network" error on your Android or Samsung phone? A misaligned SIM card, a network outage, incorrect settings, or old software can be causing the "not registered on network" error message. Since this may not be only a carrier-related issue, here are some troubleshooting steps you can take to fix the network issue yourself.

Quick Steps

Toggle Wi-Fi on an off, then do the same with airplane mode.
Restart your phone.
Check for and install updates.
Remove and reinsert the SIM card.
Reset your network settings.
If supported, select a network manually, or change the network mode.

1

Restart Wi-Fi.

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After rebooting your phone, turn off Wi-Fi, wait a few seconds, then turn it on again to reload the connection. This step may clear temporary glitches in the network that cause the "not registered to network" error.

2

Restart your phone.

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A quick reboot will often fix network problems. To turn off your phone quickly, swipe down from the top of your screen to open the Quick Settings panel, then tap the Power icon and select Power off.
- Alternatively, press the Power button on the side of the phone and tap Power off.

3

Update your Android software.

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Out-of-date software can cause network error messages. If you recently updated, see if you can download and install the update again since the previous update may have been corrupted.
- Update your Android or Samsung phone in Settings > System Software.

4

Reinsert the SIM card.

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A misaligned SIM card won't work properly. You'll get the network message if the SIM card is inserted wrong. Dropping your Android or jostling it can unseat the SIM card, too. Use a paperclip or thin tool to remove the SIM card tray so you can remove and reinsert the SIM card.
- Taking it out and putting it back in can also fix your "No SIM" error.
- Not all phones have physical SIM cards, so skip this step if you have a digital SIM card.

5

Turn Airplane Mode on and off.

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You can turn on Airplane mode quickly by swiping down from the top of your screen to open the Quick Settings Panel and then tapping the Airplane Mode icon to turn it on. Tap it again to turn Airplane Mode off.

6

Reset network settings.

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To reset network settings for Samsung, go to Settings > General management > Reset > Reset all settings.

7

Manually select your network.

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Software glitches can cause the wrong network to be chosen. To select your mobile carrier, go to Settings > Connections > Mobile networks > Network operators > Search now > Your Carrier.
- Not every phone has the ability to select the network manually. Most locked phones don't have this feature and have a greyed-out toggle for "Select automatically." In this case, skip this step.

8

Change the network mode.

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Switching to a more available network can get rid of the network message. For example, if you're visiting an area with 2G or 3G coverage but are used to getting 5G, you'll most likely get the "not registered on network" error message until you switch your phone to use the slower networks.
- Newer phones like the S21+ may not support this customization. Instead, the switch is supposed to be automatic so your phone will use whatever network offers the strongest connection.

9

Contact your carrier.

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If you tried everything in this troubleshooting guide and still see a "not registered on network" error message, you might be experiencing something that only the carrier can handle. For example, there might be an outage in your area, or the SIM card ports in your phone are damaged. But your carrier will be able to help further.^{[1]
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