Top 8 Ways to Fix Cellular Data Not Working on iPhone

Wi-Fi and cellular data are the two main ways to connect to the internet on almost any smartphone. Whichever you decide to use, you cannot rule out the possibility of both failing. In this guide, we will cover 8 ways to fix cellular data not working issues on an iPhone. If what you are using is Wi-Fi, refer to this guide to fix Wi-Fi related internet connection issues on iPhone.

Cellular data issues on iPhone can be caused by poor network signal strength in your location or glitches on the network provider’s end. Other times, your phone is the culprit. Try the troubleshooting tips below to get cellular data working again on your iPhone.

1. Disable Cellular Data

This is a trick that works pretty well most of the time. If you have cellular data enabled on your iPhone but there is no internet or you cannot use internet-based apps, try disabling cellular data and enabling it again. This has worked for me a few times when I have problems using cellular data on my iPhone. You must try too.

2. Airplane Mode

You can also use Airplane mode to restore cellular data to your iPhone. Turn airplane mode on and off again. This will help refresh your device’s network and get cellular data working again.

You can enable Airplane mode from the iPhone Control Center or the Settings menu.

3. Check Signal Strength

Sometimes the problem can be caused by your network operator/provider. If you are in an area/region where your network provider does not have service, the phone’s cellular data may not work. A good way to determine network availability is to check the network signal strength on your iPhone. You can do this by taking cues from the network bars in the status bar of your iPhone, that is, in the upper right corner of your device.

If there is no active network bar, you may have difficulty using cellular data on your iPhone. The same can be true for having only one (out of four) active network sticks. What you can do is move around the area to get a better network signal/reception. You can also call your carrier to verify the availability of network and data services in the area.

4. Restart iPhone

This is another effective fix for an iPhone with cellular or mobile data not working. So, restarting your iPhone can help you fix phone or network related issues that might be preventing cellular data from working normally.

5. Remove the SIM card

If you’re having trouble using certain SIM-related activities on your device, consider removing and reinstalling your phone’s SIM card. For example, if you are experiencing some strange phone calls issues on your iPhone, this SIM card troubleshooting fix might help. You should also try this when cellular data is not working on your iPhone.

Carefully remove the SIM card from your device and insert it again. You should also make sure that the SIM card is inserted correctly. Several iPhone users have successfully restored their device’s mobile/cellular data using this method.

6. Disable Wi-Fi

iOS (and almost every other mobile operating system) is designed to prioritize wireless (Wi-Fi) over cellular connections. If both Wi-Fi and mobile/cellular data are enabled at the same time, your iPhone will automatically switch to an active, pre-registered Wi-Fi network.

If you need to use cellular data, make sure Wi-Fi is disabled. Otherwise, your device will disable cellular data and switch to any nearby Wi-Fi network even if there is no internet on the network.

7. Reset Network Settings

Cellular data may not work on your iPhone if some cellular network settings are corrupted or misconfigured. Fortunately, this can be easily fixed. By resetting network settings, you are instructing your device to return all network-related settings to their original state.

Note that resetting network settings on an iPhone will also reset settings for other non-cellular features like Wi-Fi, VPN, and Bluetooth. Check out our detailed guide on resetting your iPhone’s network settings and how to do it.

8. Update iOS

The cellular network issue can be caused by a bug in the version of iOS installed on your device. Some iPhone users have reported that they noticed that cellular data stopped working properly on their devices right after upgrading to one of the oldest versions of iOS 13. If cellular data is not working on your iPhone, make sure you have the latest version of iOS installed. on your device.

Go to Settings > General > Software Update and click ‘Download and Install’ to update your iPhone’s operating system.

Fix Connection Issues

At this point, we are sure that cellular data is now working on your iPhone. True? If you answered ‘No’ you should contact your network provider; The problem is most likely due to their end. It is also worth mentioning that extreme/bad weather conditions such as heavy rain, lightning, snow or ice can interfere with cell phone signals and thus cause cellular data to not work on your iPhone.

Next: If you are unable to unlock your device or authorize payments and apps because your iPhone’s Face ID is not working, read the guide linked below to fix the problem.