Why Does My Cricket Phone Say No Service?

If you’re asking why does my Cricket phone say no service, let me share with your the steps on how to fix it.

We’ve recently come across this error with one of our Cricket phones, and it’s as frustrating as it sounds.

However, we have proven solutions that can help you fix it in minutes.

Let’s check them out!

To fix your Cricket phone that says No Service, restart your device to refresh your network connections. Simply turn off your phone, then turn it on again. If this doesn’t work, update your carrier settings and reset your phone’s network settings.

Before we discuss in detail the troubleshooting steps of fixing your Cricket service not working, we’ll help you understand why this happens.

Why Does My Cricket Service Not Working

If you see No Service in the status bar of your Cricket device, it means you are not connected to a mobile network.

Make sure you check your phone’s settings and that they match Cricket’s.

You also want to check your SIM card’s condition as it can cause this problem.

1. Cricket Wireless Outage

Check if all Cricket users in your neighborhood are affected by the No Service problem. If yes, then there is probably a Cricket Wireless outage in your area.

2. Wrong Carrier Settings

You may be traveling and forgot to set up data roaming. Or, you failed to download the carrier settings for your new carrier.

3. Damaged SIM Card

Either your SIM card isn’t seated properly or dust particles could be interfering with your card. A chipped or broken SIM card can also be the culprit.

4. Connection Issues

Your Cricket device may have lost its connection to a signal tower. It is also possible that it is having trouble finding your network, so you have to select it yourself.

5. Missed Payments

If you neglect your bill and miss your due date, your service will be suspended.

Hence, the No Service notice is on your status bar. Luckily, you can still change your plan.

Let’s find out how you can successfully get rid of this error and get your Cricket phone to start working again.

It’s time to go through the different solutions that will help you achieve this.

How to Fix Why Does My Cricket Phone Say No Service

Before you apply more elaborate solutions, let’s start with the basic yet effective method – restarting your phone. This will fix minor bugs and connectivity issues.

Issues with your account or carrier might also affect your service. So, make sure there are no service outages in your area.

You also want to make sure that your account is active and your phone isn’t blocked.

If your carrier establishes that there are no issues with your account or network, but you still can’t connect to a mobile network, proceed to the solutions below.

Solution #1: Take Out the SIM Card on Your Phone

If your Cricket phone displays the No Service alert, one of the first things you want to look at is a faulty SIM card.

It doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s damaged.

There are instances when the contacts just don’t align well enough that your phone is unable to detect the SIM.

The most effective way to deal with SIM issues on your phone is to take it out.

This will realign it and even knock off some of the dust and dirt that’s causing the issue.

Here’s how to take out the SIM card on your phone:

1. Insert a paper clip or the eject tool into the hole beside the SIM tray.
2. Push it in towards your phone.
3. The SIM tray will pop open.
4. Take out the SIM card and check for damage.
5. Place it back in and insert the tray into your phone.

Note: Don’t worry about the placement of the SIM card, as it will only fit one way.

Solution #2: Enable Airplane Mode to Refresh Your Connection

After checking your SIM and finding no issues with it, if you’re still getting the No Service error, you’re going to want to refresh your connection.

It’s not necessarily a service outage, but a connectivity problem could be between your phone and the Cricket network.

This is where Airplane Mode becomes handy, as it will totally block off your phone’s connection to the towers.

Here’s how to use Airplane Mode to refresh your phone’s connection:

1. Go to your phone’s Settings.
2. Search for Airplane Mode.
3. Tap the toggle beside Airplane Mode to turn it on.
4. Wait for at least 2 to 5 minutes.
5. Tap the toggle again to switch Airplane Mode off.

Note: The reconnection process can take a couple of minutes after you switch off Airplane Mode.

Solution #3: Update Your Carrier Settings

Carriers like Cricket regularly update their settings. This can improve connectivity and performance, so you always get the best out of your network.

However, these updates don’t come regularly, and you don’t always get notified.

Whenever this happens, it can cause your phone to disconnect from Cricket and display the No Service error.

Updates like are also easy to overlook as you can disregard them, and they never come back up. At this point, you’re going to perform this update manually.

Here’s how to update your carrier settings manually:

1. Connect your phone to WiFi or data.
2. Open your phone’s Settings app.
3. Go to General, then tap on About.
4. If a carrier settings update is available, it will prompt you.
5. Tap on Install to get the latest update.

Tip: After the settings update is completed, we recommend restarting your phone so that it can reconnect to the network.

Solution #4: Manually Select Cricket as Your Carrier

Software errors can cause your phone to choose to connect to a different carrier.

Since the settings and the SIM card information won’t match, your phone won’t be able to connect to the network.

If this happens, you want to check and select that your phone connects to Cricket. This process is usually automated.

Your phone can detect the information on your SIM card and connect to that network.

However, if it doesn’t, you’ll have to select your carrier manually to get the settings aligned.

Here’s how to manually select a carrier on your phone:

1. Open your phone’s settings.
2. Go to Mobile Data.
3. Select Mobile Network.
4. Tap on Automatic to disable it.
5. Select Cricket from the list.

Note: After your phone connects to Cricket, you can now set it back to Automatic.

Solution #5: Reset Your Phone’s Network Settings

If you’re still having trouble connecting to the Cricket network, you want to make sure your network settings are in order.

This is something that can happen if you’ve used different SIM cards on your phone and connected it to different networks.

Your phone can get confused about which network to connect to. Resetting your network settings will clear up all your connection data and will only use the one it can detect from your SIM card.

Here’s how to reset your phone’s network settings:

1. Go to your phone’s Settings app.
2. Select General.
3. Choose Transfer or Reset iPhone.
4. Tap on Reset.
5. On the pop-up that appears, select Reset Network Settings.

Note: Resetting your phone’s network settings won’t delete any of your apps and files.

Solution #6: Check Your Account for Missed Payments

Deficiencies in your account can cause your Cricket service to be suspended.

When this happens, your phone won’t be able to connect to the network. It will also show the No Service error, so you’ll know that something is wrong.

If you think you’ve missed your monthly payments, you’ll want to check out your account and pay it to resolve this issue.

Here’s how to pay Cricket Wireless plan online:

1. Go to the Cricket website and log in to your account.
2. Check your account for any outstanding balance.
3. Navigate to the Payments section.
4. Enter your credit or debit card details and the amount.
5. Click on Review Payment, then Submit Payment.

Tip: It will show you the payment confirmation screen to verify that your payment has gone through.

That’s how you get rid of the No Service error on your Cricket Wireless phone.

If you’re still seeing it after working on these solutions, you can contact Cricket Wireless customer support to help you resolve this issue.

Read Next: Why is Cricket Wireless Not Receiving Calls?

Bottom Line

Why does my Cricket phone say no service? Now you know the reasons, and how to fix it, you should be able to use your phone once again.

Simply follow these surefire solutions, so you don’t have to worry about your phone’s connection.