How to Fix the ‘Cellular Issues Detected’ Error
There may be an issue with your cellular connection, and you might receive this error message:
Cellular issue detected. There is an issue with your iPhone’s ability to access cellular data. Go to Settings for more information.
This message indicates that the cellular connection won’t work unless you fix the problem. When there is a cellular connection issue, you may experience several problems:
- No Signal or Searching: The iPhone shows “No Service” or is constantly “Searching” for a network.
- Cannot Make or Receive Calls: Calls are not going through, or you cannot receive incoming calls.
- No Internet Connection: Cellular data is not working, and you cannot access the internet without Wi-Fi.
- Dropped Calls: Calls may frequently drop due to weak or no cellular signal.
- Messages Not Sending: SMS or iMessages are not being sent or received without a Wi-Fi connection.
If this issue occurs on your iPhone, there are several tips you can try to fix it. I will start with the easy and non-invasive ones and move on to the more advanced solutions.
- Toggle Airplane Mode: Go to Settings > Airplane Mode and toggle it on, wait for 10 seconds, and then turn it off.
- Check for Carrier Updates: Sometimes, carriers release updates that need to be installed to ensure proper cellular connectivity. Go to Settings > General > About. If there’s an available carrier settings update, you’ll see a prompt to install it.
- Check the SIM Card: A damaged or improperly inserted SIM card can cause connectivity problems if your phone uses a regular SIM card. Remove the SIM card using a SIM eject tool, check for any visible damage or dust, and reinsert it properly. You can also try using a different SIM card to see if the issue is with the card itself. Your cellular provider can provide you with a replacement SIM card.
- Update iOS: Ensure that you are running the latest version of iOS. Go to Settings > General > Software Update to check for updates. If you are running a beta version, this may also cause this issue. You can wait to update to a stable version or downgrade.
If the above solutions do not work for you, it is time to do more advanced fixes.
- Reset Network Settings: Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Network Settings. Note that this will erase saved Wi-Fi passwords and VPN settings. I have previously explained what exactly resetting network settings does on your iPhone. You may want to read that if you are interested.
- Reset All Settings: If resetting network settings is fruitless, it is time to reset all settings. As the name implies, resetting all settings restores your settings to the factory defaults. However, this does not delete your content. Again, I have previously explained what resetting all settings does on an iPhone. You may want to check that out. To reset all settings, go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset All Settings.