No Carrier

[Turtluv]

my phone no longer shows PM as a carrier.  It is just continually searching.  I can't make phone calls and if I send a text, it shows undeliverable.

[Turtluv]

I was unable to try out my daughter's SIM card but after a few days my phone started working again.  This is what my son told me would happen.  It doesn't mean the issue won't come up again it's just a warning that I need to replace my phone.

Thank you everyone for all your input.  Really helpful and makes me thankful I'm part of the Public Mobile Community.  I'd rather chat over the internet about phone problems than sit on hold for hours waiting to speak to someone on the phone.

[Luddite]

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@Turtluv wrote:

My d-i-l went through the same scenario with her phone.  Nothing was a permanent fix as it was the problem of the phone.  She ended up buying a new one.

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That would be frustrating. If you do need to do that check out Koodo especially combined with offers at WOW Mobile (Vanilla prepaid Mastercard) or The Mobile Shop (Loblaws Optimum Points). In last 2 months I picked up iPhone SE for $135 and iPhone 8 for $650 net cost; this included creating the Koodo accounts. The deals do vary but you should be able to save versus buyiing from the Apple store. If you do decide to use the Koodo route post here; someone will likely be able to give you a referral code to save $50.

[Turtluv]

My d-i-l went through the same scenario with her phone.  Nothing was a permanent fix as it was the problem of the phone.  She ended up buying a new one.

[Turtluv]

@Luddite Thank you so much for all your suggestions.

Airplane Mode is off.

Software is updated

Carrier - my phone says there's no SIM card

I'm trying to avoid the Factory Reset.  Will try my daughter's PM SIM card in my phone when I go to her house in an hour.  That will at least tell me if it's the card or my phone.  If it's my phone I'll do the Factory Reset for sure.

[Luddite]

@Turtluv I use an iPhone 5. I assume you are able to connect the phone to wifi even though the cellular connection is lost?

Couple of suggestions:

a) go to Settings >> General >> About and wait a moment; if a carrier update is offered accept it.

b) go to Settings >> General >> About >> Software update; again if an update is offered install it.

c) backup the phone as you normally do. If you have never done a backup, connect your phone to wifi, then go to Settings >> tap your name at the top of the page >> iCloud >> scroll down to iCloud backup and turn ON. This is in case you must try a "Factory Reset".

BTW: looking at your screen shot I think you cannot see Carrier because the SIM card is not detected. Are you sure Airplane mode is OFF?

[Turtluv]

For sure!  Thanks for the reminder.  The closest Apple Store is 5 hours away but I happen to be going to that city tomorrow morning.  Just can't imagine being without a phone until I can get in to the store.  Sigh...

[Turtluv]

Okay

[srlawren]

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@Turtluv wrote:

Still searching.  I guess, from what the article says, I need a new phone.  I'm not happy at all... boohoo

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@Turtluv might be worth dropping by an Apple store to see if they can assist, before dropping some dough on a new phone.

[cmatassa]

As long as her phone is unlocked, you can try popping your SIM card in and see if it finds the Public Mobile network.  It will not work if the phone is locked.

[Turtluv]

No.  I could try my daughter's phone but she may not be happy with that.  She's with a different carrier. Hmmmm....  I may have a very old iphone.  let me try to find it and try that.

[cmatassa]

Try doing a full factory reset on the phone, just make sure you have it backed up first.  As @mimmo said, if you can try the SIM in another phone it would be ideal.

[Turtluv]

Still searching.  I guess, from what the article says, I need a new phone.  I'm not happy at all... boohoo

[mimmo]

Do you have a different phone you can try your sim in?  This will help isolate phone vs sim/carrier issues.

[Turtluv]

I'm doing a reset of the netword settings and waiting for my phone to reboot....

[cmatassa]

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@Turtluv wrote:

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Odd, normally it would be below Personal Hotspot.  Take a look at the article linked above.

[Turtluv]

[cmatassa]

That's weird.  Take a look at this arcticle, maybe it can help.  This arcticle seems to describe your issue exactly.

http://thecellguide.com/iphone-stuck-on-searching-and-cant-connect-to-network/

[Turtluv]

I hate to sound dumb but I can't find anything in Setting > Carrier.  I can't find Carrier.  Under cellular I can see Carrier Services but there's no auto toggle

[cmatassa]

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@Turtluv wrote:

iphone 5

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Open Settings, Click on Carrier, Toggle 'Automatic' Off.  You will then get a list of available carriers and select Public Mobile from that list.

[MacMe]

..

[Turtluv]

iphone 5

[cmatassa]

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@Turtluv wrote:

Rebooting didn't help

Removed the sim card and reinstalled.  No change.

How do I manually choose my carrier?  When I go into settings, PM is the one already there.

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What kind of phone do you have?

[Turtluv]

Rebooting didn't help

Removed the sim card and reinstalled.  No change.

How do I manually choose my carrier?  When I go into settings, PM is the one already there.

[cmatassa]

Try rebooting the phone and removing and re-inserting the SIM card.  Try going into your carrier settings, and manually selecting the Public Mobile carrier (as opposed to letting your phone select it automotically).