There is nothing more frustrating than trying to use a cell phone in an area where the signal is weak or absent. While this problem may actually depend on the fact that the area in which you are located is isolated, on other occasions it seems almost inexplicable. If it is true that there are many external areas where the signal is poor and even if at home it may be that in some rooms it is not at its best, on the other hand it would also be normal that, even with a single "notch", the mobile phone it works normally, not only to make calls and send messages, but also to connect to the internet. In addition, there are significant differences in signal reception based on the phone used, while some seem to always and in any case, others instead have frequent sudden drops and go as if they get stuck on the absent signal for several minutes before resuming normal operation.
Fortunately, there are several ways to solve the problems of weak cellular signal reception on Android smartphones and iPhones, with quick solutions or more drastic measures and also apps that are designed specifically to awaken the phone and connect it to the nearest cell, rather than the distant one. In very simplified terms, in fact, the signal problem often depends on the fact that the phone connects to a distant cell instead of the neighboring one and is slow to make the cell change.
On Android you can activate the Airplane mode by dragging down to the notification bar to bring up the quick keys at the top where you will find the Airplane icon.
On iPhone the same thing can be done from the Control Center, which appears by scrolling up from the bottom of the screen or, on iPhone X, scrolling down from the top right corner.
To restart an Android smartphone, keep the power key pressed until the menu appears on the screen with the Restart key or, if it does not appear, until the screen turns black and then turns on again.
On Android smartphones you can go to Settings> Wireless and networks> Mobile Network to find different options to support the problem of weak or absent signal. In particular, you can change the option of the preferred network type, setting only 3G or only 4G and avoiding the automatic one or, vice versa, try the automatic option with also 2G if the phone always takes little.
We talked about this in a very detailed article on how to optimize signal and data reception on Android.
On the iPhone there is, however, an option to restore network connections . This option clears all Wifi passwords and APN settings, so it should only be used if the reception problem is too frequent or impeding. To do this, go to Settings> General> Reset> Reset network settings .
Furthermore, the signal can be disturbed by more powerful wireless transmissions, such as that of a crane nearby for example.
If you are in an area with little signal, and if at home the cell phone never takes really well, you can consult the coverage map of the mobile operators in Italy, available for free and very precise. It is obvious that if you notice poor coverage, it will be better to change operators.
At other times, the signal problem found may be due to a defect in the phone itself, or even the SIM card. Testing the card on another smartphone can be useful to understand if the cell phone that takes badly is broken and to be repaired or if the SIM is not working properly.
In other articles we have also seen other resources to check or optimize the mobile data connection.
- App to speed up the internet on Android
- Test app for the cellular data network
- Repair the data connection if it doesn't work
- How to improve cellular signal or increase reception
Fortunately, there are several ways to solve the problems of weak cellular signal reception on Android smartphones and iPhones, with quick solutions or more drastic measures and also apps that are designed specifically to awaken the phone and connect it to the nearest cell, rather than the distant one. In very simplified terms, in fact, the signal problem often depends on the fact that the phone connects to a distant cell instead of the neighboring one and is slow to make the cell change.
Article Index
- Method 1: Awakening the cellular connection
- Method 2: Restart your smartphone
- Method 3: Remove the SIM and reinsert it
- Method 4: Reset the cellular network in the phone settings
- Conclusion and other resources
Method 1: Awakening the cellular connection
Switching your phone connection is the quickest and easiest way to try to fix signal problems. To do this, all you have to do is activate Airplane mode for at least 30 seconds, but not even for up to a minute, and then deactivate it to get the phone back online.On Android you can activate the Airplane mode by dragging down to the notification bar to bring up the quick keys at the top where you will find the Airplane icon.
On iPhone the same thing can be done from the Control Center, which appears by scrolling up from the bottom of the screen or, on iPhone X, scrolling down from the top right corner.
Method 2: Restart your smartphone
As with any computer, even on modern smartphones, many problems can be solved only by turning the phone off and on again.To restart an Android smartphone, keep the power key pressed until the menu appears on the screen with the Restart key or, if it does not appear, until the screen turns black and then turns on again.
Method 3: Remove the SIM and reinsert it
Removing and replacing the SIM card in the phone can only take a couple of seconds in some cases, while in others it can be more complicated and daunting. If you have a smartphone in which to pull out the SIM is simple, then this is a way to resume the reception of the signal, otherwise, if you do not have the key for the extraction at hand, we skip the point.Method 4: Reset the cellular network in the phone settings
It is possible to reset the settings of the cellular network in each smartphone, so that the phone can then receive the signal correctly.On Android smartphones you can go to Settings> Wireless and networks> Mobile Network to find different options to support the problem of weak or absent signal. In particular, you can change the option of the preferred network type, setting only 3G or only 4G and avoiding the automatic one or, vice versa, try the automatic option with also 2G if the phone always takes little.
We talked about this in a very detailed article on how to optimize signal and data reception on Android.
On the iPhone there is, however, an option to restore network connections . This option clears all Wifi passwords and APN settings, so it should only be used if the reception problem is too frequent or impeding. To do this, go to Settings> General> Reset> Reset network settings .
Conclusion
There are cases where unexpected signal problems can be traced back to the operator, so if you don't take Wind, Vodafone, Tre or Tim, you can ask the call center or check the status of the service on social channels, Twitter and Facebook first .Furthermore, the signal can be disturbed by more powerful wireless transmissions, such as that of a crane nearby for example.
If you are in an area with little signal, and if at home the cell phone never takes really well, you can consult the coverage map of the mobile operators in Italy, available for free and very precise. It is obvious that if you notice poor coverage, it will be better to change operators.
At other times, the signal problem found may be due to a defect in the phone itself, or even the SIM card. Testing the card on another smartphone can be useful to understand if the cell phone that takes badly is broken and to be repaired or if the SIM is not working properly.
In other articles we have also seen other resources to check or optimize the mobile data connection.
- App to speed up the internet on Android
- Test app for the cellular data network
- Repair the data connection if it doesn't work
- How to improve cellular signal or increase reception
