Feeling stressed out and want to know how to fix Visible SIM card not working? Let’s talk about it in detail so you’ll know the exact steps to take to resolve it.
It’s important that you understand the reasons why you’re experiencing this particular issue. Once you have a better grasp of it, you can get your SIM working again in less than 10 minutes.
Here’s how you do it!
If the Visible SIM card is not working, remove it from your phone, put it back in, and restart your phone. Checking the phone’s carrier settings is one of the best ways to get it up and running.
Before we go ahead and check out the different solutions for this error, let’s take a closer look at the various circumstances that can cause this in the first place.
Why Is My Visible SIM Card Not Working? – Different Causes
A lot of factors can contribute to why your Visible sim card may not be working.
You don’t need to be an expert or someone technical to identify the possible culprit of your problem.
The main things to look at here are phone compatibility and its settings as these can cause your SIM to malfunction and not connect to the network.
✅ Phone not compatible with Visible
Compatibility issues with your phone can be the root of your problem. Visible Wireless has some required phone specifications in order for its SIM to function.
And if your phone cannot conform to its requirement, you surely won’t get any signal at all.
✅ SIM card not activated
New SIM cards need to be activated before you can use them. Until you get your Visible SIM card activated to the network, it won’t connect leaving you unable to use it.
✅ Using outdated carrier settings
Not having the latest carrier settings installed on your device may result in network connection issues and poor performance.
✅ Active SIM profiles disrupting Visible
New phones come with options that allow you to save SIM profiles. Having this turned on can disrupt your current SIM from connecting.
Now that you know what causes your Visible SIM to not connect properly, let’s look at the troubleshooting steps that can help you get it to work in no time.
Complete Steps to Fix Visible SIM Not Working
After establishing what might be preventing your sim card from working, you can take the necessary steps to fix it.
A simple approach is usually the best way to start. The steps here include resetting your Visible SIM by taking it out and putting it back in again.
After that, you can reboot your phone to see if it starts to get a signal.
These simple steps are usually enough to fix your Visible SIM problems, but if they don’t there are more advanced solutions to check out.
Solution #1: Activate Your Visible SIM Card Using the App
If rebooting your phone or reseating the SIM card does not work out, you want to check if it’s activated or not.
If it isn’t it won’t be able to get a signal from Visible’s towers. You want to make sure that the SIM you’re using is activated and working.
The good news is that it’s easy to activate it by using the Visible app. All you need is to download it and set it up so it works and receives a signal from Visible.
Here’s how to activate your Visible SIM:
- Open the Visible app on your phone.
- Log in to your Visible account on the app.
- Insert the Visible SIM card into your phone.
- Switch off your phone, and turn it back on again.
- Go back to the Visible app to complete the SIM activation process.
Note: After completing the process, wait for the SIM to start getting a signal from the Visible network.
Solution #2: Confirm that Your Phone is Compatible with Visible
One of the reasons why your Visible SIM card won’t work with your phone is that your device is not compatible with the Visible network.
If you have a fairly newer phone model, you should not have any issues with network compatibility.
However, if you’re using a relatively older phone, it’s wise to check if it can work with the Visible network.
Here’s how to check your phone’s compatibility using Visible’s tool:
- Go to Visible’s website and go to the Shop menu.
- Select the Bring Your Own Phone option.
- Scroll down and find the Compatibility Checker link.
- Click on it and choose your phone software.
- Enter your phone’s IMEI to check if it’s compatible.
Pro Tip: You can get your phone’s IMEI by going to your phone’s Settings and going to the About option.
Solution #3: Update Your Phone’s Carrier Settings
Updating your phone’s carrier settings is necessary to optimize the functions of your phone.
While some updates are prompted by your carrier to be automatically installed on your phone, there are still some that require you to do it manually.
If your Visible SIM does not work even if you have activated it using the app, you will want to check if there’s an available carrier setting update for your phone.
You will want to get it so your phone can have the latest network settings from Visible to optimize its connection.
Here are the steps you to follow to update your phone’s carrier settings:
On iPhone:
- Open your phone’s Settings app.
- Go to General.
- Select the About option.
- You will see here if there’s a carrier update available.
- If there is, tap on it to install the update.
On Android:
- Go to your phone’s Settings.
- Select the More option, then Mobile Networks.
- Choose Carrier Settings.
- Tap on Update Profile to get the latest settings.
Solution #4: Manually Select Your Carrier
Even though you’ve inserted a new SIM on your phone, it doesn’t mean that it will automatically choose the preferred carrier.
In most cases, you won’t have a problem with this, though.
However, it can also happen that a different carrier can be chosen and it’s not going to let your SIM connect to its network.
You’ll need to manually select Visible as your carrier so your phone won’t be confused about what network it needs to search for to get the SIM to work.
Here are the steps on how to manually select Visible as your carrier:
On iPhone:
- Go to the Settings app on your phone.
- Choose Mobile Data.
- Select Mobile Network.
- Tap on Automatic to select manually.
- Choose Visible from the list
On Android:
- Open your phone’s Settings.
- Go to More Settings.
- Tap on Mobile Networks.
- Select Network Operators.
- Choose Visible from the list.
Note: If you want to change SIM cards later on, you will need to change your carrier so it connects to your new network.
Solution #5: Reset Your Phone’s Network Settings
Resetting your phone’s network settings is one of the more reliable ways to get your malfunctioning SIM card to work.
Performing a network reset will get your phone to remove all its connection settings and allow it to connect fresh.
If you’re having issues with your network connections like your SIM card, this is the way to go.
Here’s how to reset your phone’s network settings:
On iPhone:
- Go to your phone’s Settings.
- Select General.
- Tap on Reset iPhone.
- Choose the Reset option.
- Select Reset Network Settings.
On Android:
- Open your phone’s Settings.
- Go to System, then Advanced.
- Select Reset options.
- Choose Reset network settings.
- Tap on Reset Settings to confirm.
Solution #6: Delete the Previous SIM Profiles on Your Phone
You might have decided to change your old SIM card to that of a new carrier.
And chances are those old files are getting in the way of you enjoying a better signal.
Removing previous SIM profiles on your phone can improve your phone’s efficiency.
Here’s how you delete those old SIM profiles:
On iPhone:
- Open your phone’s Settings.
- Go to Cellular or Mobile Data.
- Select the plan you want to remove.
- Choose Delete eSIM.
On Android:
- Go to your phone’s Settings.
- Select Connections, then Mobile Network.
- Choose Advanced, then select SIM card Manager.
- Tap on the profile you want to remove.
- Select Remove.
Note: If your phone has multiple profiles, it’s recommended that you delete all of them so your Visible profile will be left.
These troubleshooting techniques should help you fix your Visible SIM card to work on your phone. You don’t even need to be an expert to follow these easy steps.
Now, if you’re still getting this error after going through these steps, you can check for software updates or reset your phone to factory settings.
Bottom Line
Your Visible SIM card not working issue should be resolved by now.
Knowing the various causes and the most likely fixes, you should be able to get your Visible SIM card to work on a compatible phone.
If you still can’t get it to work, we recommend contacting Visible’s customer support for additional guidance to fix this error.‘
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Finn Wheatley holds a Master’s Degree in Computer Science from UCL, London. He helped small data science consultancy firms, helping large corporations to grow their data capabilities, deploy advanced machine learning-based analytics and troubleshoot tech-related issues. Check out more about him here.