Verizon Mobile Network Not Available? – (Quick Fix!)

The Verizon mobile network not available error can be frustrating, especially when you’re trying to make a call. Luckily, we know how to fix it!

This is an error you won’t expect to happen to you. However, when it does, you’ll be ready to take it on and fix it in as short amount of time as possible.

How do you fix it? We’ll walk you through the steps, but here’s a brief solution first. 

A power cycle might fix the issue you are having. If this doesn’t work, manually update your phone’s carrier settings. Your phone may have outdated settings that cause your phone not to connect to Verizon. 

If you see the error, don’t panic. There are reasons behind this. 

Why My Verizon Phone Says Mobile Network Not Available?

If your Verizon phone says Mobile Network Not Available, it may be because there is no connection in your area.

You may be too far from the nearest tower to get a signal. It is also possible there’s a region-wide outage. Check if there are outage reports in your area. 

• Roaming settings on your phone are activated
• Your phone’s SIM card is damaged or not inserted properly
• There’s a problem with Verizon’s towers
• Your phone’s hardware could be damaged
• Old or incompatible phone software that needs an updated

These are the possible causes of the Mobile Network Not Available error.

Below are the things you can do to solve the issue.

Full Guide on How to Fix Verizon Mobile Network Not Available

Before taking more advanced steps, ensure your phone is not on Airplane Mode. Then, restart your phone to reestablish your connection with your network provider.

These simple fixes work as a solution to your Verizon mobile network not available problem.

Solution #1: Check Your Phone’s Data Roaming Settings

If you have just arrived from traveling abroad, there’s a good chance that you have switched on your phone’s data roaming feature.

It’s certainly convenient as it allows you to use your phone even if you don’t have Verizon coverage.

However, the issue with forgetting to switch it off the moment you arrive is that it can cause a few issues.

The thing that happens when you have data roaming turned on and are receiving a strong signal from Verizon is that your phone can try to connect to other carriers.

Your phone could be locked or incompatible with their network infrastructure, causing the mobile network unavailable to appear.

Here’s how to switch off your phone’s data roaming:

On iPhone:

1. Go to your phone’s Settings menu.
2. Select the Cellular or Mobile Data item.
3. Choose Cellular or Mobile Data Options.
4. Toggle the switch on Data Roaming to disable it.

On Android:

1. Open the Settings menu on your Android device.
2. Tap on Network and Internet.
3. Select Mobile Networks.
4. Tap on the Data Roaming switch to toggle it to the Off position.

Pro Tip: If you have just arrived from abroad, this is the most likely culprit, so you will need to check on it and ensure it’s turned off.

Solution #2: Remove and Clean the SIM Card on Your Phone

Your SIM card contains all of the information that your phone needs to connect to the Verizon network.

Even though it’s located inside your phone in a relatively sealed environment, years of use can cause it to get dirty. There are also cases when other factors like moisture and impacts damage your SIM card.

If you’re getting the Mobile Network Not Available alert on your phone, one of the things you want to check out first is the condition of your SIM card. Removing and cleaning it is often the quickest way to deal with this.

Here’s how to check on your phone’s SIM card to see if it’s in good condition:

1. Shut down your phone to avoid any problems while accessing your SIM card.
2. Locate the SIM tray of your phone.
3. Use the SIM eject tool and push it into the hole beside the tray.
4. Remove the SIM card and wipe the gold contact with a soft cloth.
5. Reinsert the SIM card and make sure that it’s aligned with the tray.

Note: If using a dry cloth is not enough to clean the contacts, an option that you have is to use a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol.

Solution #3: Set Verizon Manually as Your Phone’s Carrier

As long as you have inserted a SIM card, your phone usually does a great job detecting which carrier it needs to connect to.

However, there are instances when your phone can have a hard time doing it automatically. Factors such as interference and congestion can cause your phone not to connect right away.

To remedy this, you can set the carrier on your phone manually.

If you’re on Verizon and using a Verizon SIM, you’ll want to set it so it only connects to that network manually.

Here’s how to set your phone’s carrier to Verizon:

iPhone:

1. Open your phone’s Settings.
2. Go to Cellular.
3. Tap on the Network Selection menu.
4. If it’s Automatic, toggle the switch to turn it off.
5. Select Verizon from the list of carriers on the list.

Android:

1. Go to your device’s Settings app.
2. Select Mobile Networks.
3. Tap on Network Operators.
4. Wait for the list of carriers to appear.
5. Choose Verizon or Verizon Wireless.

Note: Doing this will force your phone to connect to Verizon so it does not attempt to seek out other networks.

Solution #4: Set Your Phone’s Network Mode to LTE

If choosing your carrier manually does not resolve the issue of your phone not detecting the Verizon network, you can set it to a specific network type.

Your phone can connect to different network modes or types, and each has its own set of considerations. 

In your case, you want to set your phone to always connect to LTE, as it’s faster and should make connections a lot easier.

Here’s how to select the network mode on your phone manually:

iPhone:

1. Go to your phone’s Settings.
2. Tap on Cellular or Mobile Data.
3. Select Cellular Options.
4. Choose LTE Only rather than the Auto Connect option.

Android:

1. Open your phone’s Settings app.
2. Select Network and Internet.
3. Go to Mobile Networks.
4. Select Preferred Network Type.
5. Choose LTE or 4G as your preferred network type.

Solution #5: Update Your Phone’s Carrier Settings

Carriers such as Verizon are constantly working to improve their service and network. One of the ways they can do that is by sending out updates to their users.

However, your phone may not receive this update automatically, and you have outdated settings. Whenever this happens, incompatibilities can occur and cause your phone to not connect to Verizon.

To resolve this, you can manually update your phone’s carrier settings.

Doing this ensures that your phone has the latest settings from your carrier and features like 5G and WiFi calling.

Here are the steps to update your phone’s carrier settings:

iPhone:

1. Go to your phone’s Settings.
2. Select the General menu.
3. Tap on the About option.
4. A pop-up will appear on your phone’s screen if an update is available.
5. Tap the Update button to start the process.

Android:

1. Open your phone’s Settings app.
2. Go to the About Phone menu.
3. Tap on the Check for Updates option.
4. If an update is available, your phone will download and install them now.

Tip: When performing a carrier settings update, you want to ensure your phone is connected to a stable internet source like WiFi.

Solution #6: Reset Your Phone’s Radio Signal via Service Mode

If your phone loses signal with Verizon, it could be due to its malfunctioning radio signal. To resolve this issue, you will force your phone to refresh it to detect the signal coming from the nearest Verizon tower.

You’re going to need to access your phone’s Service Mode to get the radio signal to reboot.

Here’s how to reset it via your device’s Service Mode:

1. Open the Phone app on your device.
2. Dial ##4636##.
3. Wait for the Service Mode menu to open.
4. Tap on the Device Information option, then Run Ping Test.
5. Select the Radio Option to turn it off, then turn it on again.

Note: You will need to reboot your device for the settings to take effect and get your phone to connect back to Verizon.

These steps should help you get your phone to reconnect to the Verizon network.

If you still have issues, you can update your phone’s software or reset it to factory settings.

You can also contact Verizon customer support and ask if there’s an outage in the area or ask for technical assistance regarding your issue.

Bottom Line:

Now that you know the many causes and solutions to Verizon mobile network not available, you can take the steps to resolve it and use your phone.

All the troubleshooting steps we included are not difficult to follow, and you don’t even need any technical expertise to get this particular issue fixed.

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