No SIM Card Detected
Android Android Phone or Tablet
Severity: ModerateWhat it means
'No SIM card detected' (or 'No SIM card', 'Insert SIM', 'SIM not provisioned') means Android can't see a working SIM in either the physical tray or in the phone's eSIM profile.
The usual reasons are a SIM that's worked loose in the tray, dirt or oxidation on the SIM's gold contacts, a SIM the carrier has deactivated, an airplane-mode glitch, or — less often — a damaged tray or SIM reader.
eSIM phones can also show this if the eSIM profile is disabled.
Affected Models
- All Android phones that use a SIM (Samsung, Pixel, OnePlus, Xiaomi, Motorola, Realme, Oppo, Nokia)
- Common after dropping the phone or after a recent carrier change
- Also affects eSIM-only phones (Pixel 9 in the US, eSIM-only iPhones aside; on Android, eSIM is shown as 'No SIM' if the profile is off)
Common Causes
- Physical SIM not seated properly in the tray
- SIM's gold contacts dirty or oxidised, or the tray pins are bent
- Airplane mode left on, or the SIM was disabled in dual-SIM settings
- Carrier has deactivated the SIM (number ported, prepaid expired, account suspended)
- Phone was recently dropped — SIM tray or reader knocked loose
- Software glitch after a reboot or update
- eSIM profile turned off or removed
- Phone is locked to a different carrier
How to Fix It
-
Turn airplane mode on for 10 seconds, then off.
Swipe down the quick settings and toggle Airplane mode on, count to ten, toggle it off.
This forces the modem to re-scan for the SIM and the network.
A surprising number of 'No SIM card' messages clear right here. -
Restart the phone.
A proper power-cycle clears glitches in the modem and re-reads the SIM on next boot.
Hold the power button and Restart, or hold power + volume-up for 10 seconds on phones without a software restart option. -
Reseat the physical SIM.
Power the phone off.
Use the SIM-eject tool (or an unbent paperclip) to pop the SIM tray out.
Take the SIM out, look for visible dirt or scratches on the gold contacts, wipe them with a soft, dry cloth (no liquids), and put the SIM back in flat in the tray.
Push the tray fully home until it sits flush.
Power on. -
Test the SIM in another phone.
If you have another phone, drop your SIM into it and see if it reads.
If the second phone also says 'No SIM', the SIM itself is bad — your carrier will replace it for free in most cases.
If the second phone reads it fine, your phone's SIM reader is the problem. -
Check dual-SIM and eSIM settings.
Settings > Network & internet > SIMs (or Mobile network on older versions).
Make sure your SIM is turned on, and that the right one is selected for calls and data on a dual-SIM phone.
For eSIM, confirm the profile is downloaded and active — if it shows as removed, contact the carrier to re-issue it. -
Call your carrier.
If the SIM is fine in another phone and the settings look right, but your phone still says No SIM, ring the carrier.
They can confirm the SIM is active on their network, send a new SIM if needed, or — for eSIM — reprovision the profile.
If the line is suspended over a missed bill, they'll tell you, and a 'No SIM' message clears as soon as it's reactivated. -
If nothing works, the SIM reader may be damaged.
If a known-good SIM doesn't work in this phone but works in another, the phone's SIM reader or tray has likely failed — common after a hard drop or water contact.
This is a hardware repair; carriers and Samsung/Pixel service centres can replace the SIM reader, usually for a fixed fee.
For older phones near the end of their life, switching to an eSIM (if the phone supports both) can bypass a broken physical reader.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my Android say No SIM card after a software update?
Updates sometimes reset modem firmware in a way that loses the SIM until you nudge it.
The fix is almost always one of three things: toggle airplane mode on and off for ten seconds, restart the phone, or — if those don't do it — power off, pop the SIM tray out, reseat the SIM, and power back on.
If the SIM still isn't seen after an update on a phone where it was working an hour before, check Settings > Network & internet > SIMs to confirm the SIM is enabled.
A factory reset is almost never needed for a post-update SIM issue.