Like WiFi, mobile data is a necessity especially where you need to connect to the internet on your phone or other mobile device, and you can’t access any WiFi network. However, sometimes you can lose that connectivity and access to apps that require the internet to function, such as Google Maps, email, WhatsApp and many more.
If your mobile data isn’t working on Android, you can use a few fixes to get it back and get connected again.
How to fix mobile data not working on Android
Check Network mode
This is one of the first fixes you should take. Network modes vary from 3G to 4G and others, which can be set during an update or in your phone’s default settings. For 4G phones, you need to enable the right network mode by selecting 4G. However, if your phone doesn’t run 4G but your operating system has it as a network mode, the phone can try to connect to such signals but it can’t get through.
You can change this by doing the following:
- Open Settings>Mobile data
- Tap Network mode
- Switch to the suitable mode for your phone to connect to the best signal
Remove and re-insert the SIM card
This fix, just like doing a reboot, should be one of the preliminary things to try when your mobile data won’t work on Android. You can remove and re-insert the SIM card or test it on a different phone or with a different SIM and see if the problem is with the phone or the card.
You can also do the following:
- Enable Airplane/Flight mode
- Wait a few seconds and disable it again
- If mobile data isn’t available, enable airplane/flight mode again
- Turn off the phone and wait a minute before turning it back on
- Disable airplane mode and try to turn mobile data on after thirty seconds
Reset APNs
An Access Point Name is used by your mobile carrier to connect your phone to mobile internet by setting up critical settings like gateways and IP addresses. You can reset APNs by doing this:
- Open Settings>Mobile Data/Wireless & Networks/Wireless Controls
- Tap Mobile Networks and then tap Access point names. A list of APNs will appear
- Tap the menu icon and then tap Reset to default
Enter APN settings manually
To do this:
- Go to the APN list from the previous settings menu
- Tap + icon and then tap New APN
- Enter all the details of your APN for your network
- Save the new APN settings
- Select the new settings from the APN list
Elsie is a tech writer with 8+ years professional experience. For Tech News Watch, she brings rich experience contributing to topics such as Windows, MacOS, Android, and iOS among others. In her spare time, she loves checking out the latest tech trends, gadgets, and news, listening to music and cars.