Weak signal or lost network issue is one of the most common that almost every one of us experience. Making or receiving calls and sending or receiving text messages are the most basic functions of a smartphone. Weak signal or lost network issue make you paralyzed towards even these basic and important features for which you carry the device in your pocket. This gets more disturbing especially when you do not have access to a Wi-Fi connection nearby.
You become void of doing almost everything on your smartphone-from watching movies, surfing the web, accessing social media to making or receiving calls and messages. This problem is quite general and not only depends on how far you are from the nearest mobile tower but also depends on the availability of the network, signal strength, device condition, network interference by obstacles and other tons of conditions. You don’t need to panic in such situations as solutions to such problems are not complex and can be tried by ourselves. This article would help you identify where the issue lies and allow you to fix Elephone weak signal or lost network issue by yourself.
Guide to Fix Elephone Weak Signal or Lost Network Issue
Method 1: Toggle Airplane/Flight mode
Airplane mode helps in breaking all networks when turned ON. Later when turned OFF, the smartphone reconnects/re-establishes the network fixing tons of issues including network issues. Turn ON the airplane mode when you are not able to find a network or are experiencing poor reception. It basically inhibits the phones to stay connected to any incoming or outgoing cellular network. Wait for a few seconds or a minute and power it OFF.
Method 2: Toggle your SIM
Before trying any other method, check for any issues on your side by reconnecting the SIM. This can be done by navigating to Settings » SIM Management. Tap n the SIM on which you are experiencing issues. Turn it Off. Wait for a few seconds before turning it ON.
Method 3: Check for intermittent issues
You should also check for any issues on your network carrier’s side. Ask your service provider for any problem on their part. There could possibly some maintenance or repair going on in your area or nearby mobile towers that might be causing network issues. This is mostly the culprit when you experience no network reception at all. Wait until they resolve the issue.
Method 4: Restart your device
Rebooting fixes tones of issues. It also helps in refreshing the network and re-establishing the connection. Rebooting should be done before going on to any other method. This would also close any faulty application and resolve any software crash that might have occurred earlier. Turn OFF the device. Give it some rest and turn it back ON. Check if network connectivity improves or not.
Method 5: Change the selection of networks
By default, your smartphone is set to automatic selection of networks which allows you to access the best and most suited network in your area. But you can also try manually selecting the network if you cannot connect to a network automatically. Jump to Settings» Mobile Networks» Network Operators. Select the desired SIM and then tap on ‘Select manually’. This may help you get the better network hence improving network reception and fixing weak signal or lost signal issue.
Method 6: Check for network inhibitors
Just as Wi-Fi signals or any other signal get interfered due to particular substances, there are several inhibitors that interfere with the cellular reception. Even other electronic gadgets such as laptops, speakers, microwaves, and even your phone case result in poor network reception. Identify such network inhibitors and remove them if you can. The way the device is held in hand also affects signal reception as you might be covering the device antennas that result in poor signal catching.
Method 7: Go outside
Just like signal inhibitors blocking radio signals, construction material, such as concrete, steel, earth as well as thick walls also result in poor network reception. Since you cannot remove them, try to come outside from buildings, basements, etc. This would surely fix the weak signal or lost network issue.
Method 8: Check for damages in SIM card or the SIM card tray
Over regular use, the chances of the SIM card or the SIM tray and other small, fragile components damaging themselves are fairly high. Try inserting insert the SIM in another device and check for issues with the SIM tray or the SIM itself. If you notice that your SIM/SIM card tray is the main culprit, replace it at once. You can purchase a new SIM-tray from third-party centers or retailers or from authorized service centers. A new SIM card can be purchased/replaced from the carrier itself.
Method 9: Swap SIM cards
If you find that a particular SIM slot isn’t working, swap between SIM cards by removing the SIM card and re-inserting your SIM in another slot. Check for signal availability after swapping.
Method 10: Switch bands and frequency
An advantage of using a 4G smartphone is that you can always switch to lower bands such as 2G, and 3G by sacrificing on some network speed. Navigate to Settings » SIM & Network » Preferred network type. Slide the band from 4G to 3G to 2G that’ll give you a decent network coverage. This will obviously be not as fast as 4G but it is better than weak or no reception.
Method 11: Update the OS and applications
All applications should be updated to avoid any related to lost network leading to a dire result on the phone’s performance. Jump to the Google Play Store » My apps and games » Update all. Next, navigate to settings. Applications accumulate bugs over regular use thus becoming corrupt or harmful. Device firmware should also be updated. Go to Settings » About Phone where you will be able to see if there is an update available for your device. Developers often send an update to resolve bugs, add new features and improve security towards viruses and threats. Updating both applications and software should be done from time to time.
Method 12: Try a Hard Reset of your device
Hard reset gives your phone a fresh start by uninstalling all applications and placing all settings to default. So, if none of the above methods fixes the weak signal issue on your smartphone, you can try is a hard reset. Turn OFF the device. Press and hold the Volume down button simultaneously until you see an Android logo flashes after which you enter the Recovery mode. Use the Power button as a selector to select ‘Wipe data/factory reset’ option which can be highlighted amidst the menu using the volume buttons as navigator to choose ‘Wipe data/factory reset’. After the completion of the process, check if the issue is resolved.
Method 13: Invest in a signal booster
If you often encounter poor network reception or find yourself often in places such as basements or rural areas where there is weak or little mobile coverage, invest in a signal booster which will surely improve the network reception.
Method 14: Approach the smartphone’s service center
If the issue cannot be resolved by yourself, the issue could be a major one that could be hardware or software related such as damage in the antennas or the network ICs which cannot be repaired by ourselves. Therefore, it is recommended to approach our service center and get assisted by a technician.
