visible activation problems

The Visible activation problems can be very frustrating, and my best guess is that you’re looking for the quickest ways to solve them.

This is a common issue, and you don’t need to be an expert techie to fix it. 

Once you figure out what causes the problem, fixing it will be a piece of cake.

The Visible activation problems could be caused by SIM incompatibility issues with your device, porting issues, and Visible service app problems. You can fix this problem by entering your correct information, troubleshooting your WiFi connection, or reinstalling your SIM.

Now that we know this problem is routine and there are many troubleshooting techniques to resolve it, let’s dive into the details about fixing it and learning how to do away with it once and for all.

What Causes Visible Activation Problems?

Your Visible SIM may not activate due to many reasons. Here are some of the most common issues:

1. Phone Incompatibility

You could experience activation issues due to Visible SIM incompatibility with your phone.

Visible supports many devices, both Android and iOS. While it doesn’t support all devices, it’s constantly trying to add more to its list of compatible phones.

2. Porting Issues

There are a couple of reasons a port could go wrong.

The most common is because the account number or PIN you keyed in conflicts with the one your old service provider has on their file or if you have a previous unpaid balance or a lapsed account.

3. Wrong Billing Information

If you’ve entered the incorrect billing information, the Visible SIM activation process will not go through.

4. Visible App Problems

Activation could fail if the Visible app is faulty. The Visible Phone Service app may not work due to issues with your device, or the Visible app server may be down.

5. WiFi Issues

The Visible activation process requires an internet connection. If there is an internet outage in your area, the SIM activation will experience problems.

6. Damaged Visible SIM

If the golden part of the SIM is damaged, it might not be detectable by your phone, causing activation issues.

Solutions For Visible Activation Problems?

fix visible activation problems

You can easily fix the Visible activation problems by following these troubleshooting tips:

Solution #1 Confirm Your Phone Compatibility

You should first check if your phone is compatible with the Visible SIM.

You can confirm your smartphone’s compatibility with Visible by using the compatibility checker on the Visible website.

Enter your device’s IMEI (the unique 15-digit code on your phone), which you can easily locate by navigating the Settings tab.

You can also dial *#06# and call Visible customer service, and they'll notify you if your phone is compatible with their network.

Phones Compatible with Visible

check phone compatibility

Any phone that you buy from a Visible shop is compatible with its network. Here is a list of some phones compatible with Visible:

  • The Samsung Galaxy (A, S and Note) series
  • Google Pixel
  • OnePlus (7T- 8 Pro)
  • LG (G8 and Stylo)
  • The Apple iPhones (iPhone 6 – iPhone 13 Pro Max)

If your phone is incompatible with Visible, the customer support team could offer you an option to acquire a phone from their list of compatible devices, which is the ZTE Blade A7 Prime at the moment.

For a stress-free sign-up experience and to also avoid Visible activation errors, it would be best to use an unlocked phone on their network.

Note: An unlocked phone implies that it's paid off fully and not linked to any contact.

An unlocked phone is beneficial because you can upgrade your phone at your convenience, and you’re also free to change your payment plans at any time.  

Solution #2 Request a Porting PIN

Here is how you can request a porting PIN from Visible:

  1. Create a Visible account and log in.
  2. Go to Account, search for your Account number, and press the button to request a porting PIN.
  3. For desktop users, ensure you’re on the Profile tab.
Note: Your PIN won't show in the Account section for the desktop, so you have to ask for it from Visible's customer care agents through email.

Solution #3 Hard Reboot your Phone

reboot phone

You could perform a hard reboot on your Android device to fix the Visible activation problems.

Here’s how to do it:

  1. Press and hold the Home and Power buttons simultaneously for about 10 seconds.
  2. Release the buttons and hold the Power button to turn on the phone.
  3. Open the app and try activating the SIM.

Tip: You could also wait for your phone’s battery to drain completely, and when the phone powers off automatically, let it charge and power it on when full. The activation process may work after this.

Solution #4 Fix Your WiFi Connection

fix wifi connection

You could also fix issues with your WiFi if you discover that’s what is causing the activation problems.

You can troubleshoot WiFi connectivity issues by doing the following:

  1. Check the lights on your WiFi Router.
  2. Get rid of any obstructions blocking the WiFi signal.
  3. Reboot the router.
  4. Ensure there’s no service outage in your area.
  5. Connect to your router using an ethernet cable.
  6. Check if your WiFi works on other devices.
  7. Factory reset the router.

Solution #5 Re-insert Your SIM

You could also re-insert your SIM and check whether the problem is resolved.

Sometimes the activation issue occurs if you didn’t insert the SIM card into the port correctly.

Here is how to do it:

  1. Find the SIM tray on your phone (the small slot with a hole on the side of your phone).
  2. Lodge the SIM tool (the small metal tool) into the hole until you pop out the SIM card tray.
  3. Put the Visible SIM on the tray. The golden surface might face up or down depending on your phone.
  4.  If you have to force the SIM tray back into the hole, you might have poorly positioned the SIM.
  5. Once you’ve correctly placed the SIM on the tray, shut it.
  6. Restart your phone and if you get a notification about updating your carrier settings, accept it.
  7. Go back to the Visible app and follow the instructions to complete the activation.
Tip: After re-inserting your SIM, the app will recognize it and prompt you to activate it. Additionally, it will trigger you to confirm the payment method you want to use.

Solution #6 Reset Visible Services

reset visible

If re-inserting your SIM didn’t fix the issue, you could try resetting Visible services on your phone.

Follow these simple steps to reset the services:

  1. Find an old SIM card from a different phone service other than Visible.
  2. Switch off your phone, remove the Visible SIM card and replace it with a different service SIM.
  3. Turn on your phone and let it stay on for more than 10 minutes.
  4. Remove the SIM, replace it with a Visible SIM card, and restart your phone.
Note: When you insert a SIM card from a different service, it resets your phone for it to work with the other SIM.

When you replace it with the Visible SIM, the phone resets again to work with it.

Thus, the Visible SIM not working during the activation process could be caused by network problems or problems with the SIM itself. Quick fixes for this problem include re-inserting the SIM, resetting Visible services, or troubleshooting the network connectivity issues.

Read Next: How to Fix Visible Wireless Voicemail Not Working?

Bottom Line

Now that we know why the Visible activation problems occur and we’ve also seen the different troubleshooting techniques to eliminate the issue.

Let us try putting what we’ve learned to practice and fix this nuisance once and for all.