Wondering why is my Giffgaff data not working? Let’s unwrap this topic!
There are quite a few different possibilities why your Giffgaff data is not working and in this guide, we’ll explore all causes.
With a bit of luck by the end of this read, the issue will be gone!
The Giffgaff mobile data won’t work when you’re out of coverage or your Giffgaff GoodyBag data or credits have finished. Another reason could be the APN Network Settings of your device or the disabled Data Roaming feature when you’re abroad.
With this in mind we’re ready to proceed with learning more about the data issue:
Giffgaff No Mobile Data Issue – Explained
When your Giffgaff or any other operator’s mobile data is not working, you won’t be able to make calls, use your cellular internet or send messages in any variety.
However, this does not prevent you from connecting to WiFi and having internet access anywhere!
Here’s everything that could be preventing your Giffgaff data from working:
- No Coverage!
- Device Performance Issue
- No Credit or Data Available
- Bad APN Configuration
- Data Roaming Not Enabled
Before drawing conclusions we need to address each of the possibilities that could be causing the problem and only then devise the next step.
Let’s jump into the solution guide right away!
Why is my Giffgaff Data Not Working – 3-Minute Fix!
The quick guide below won’t take much of your time but will answer some of the questions you’ve got.
It’s important to follow the guide in order to be able to identify the cause as well.
Good Luck!
Solution #1 Check Your Coverage!
The very first thing to do is to make sure that you’re in a coverage area.
What you need to do is take a look at the top right corner of your mobile device to determine the connection strength.
You need to have 2 or more bards of coverage for your Giffgaff data to work!
To improve your current coverage strength, go outside or climb a hill if you’re in the wild.
The coverage will be lower when you’re outside the city and in some places even not existing.
When the operator is experiencing technical difficulties certain regions’ coverage could be affected. It’s something that happens every now and then so the issue could be temporary.
Note: In most cases, the technical maintenance doesn't last longer than a day!
Solution #2 Restart your Device
The next step is to perform a restart on your Giffgaff host device.
It does not matter whether you’re using an Android, Apple or Windows device, performing a restart refreshes the services!
- Simply turn OFF and ON your Giffgaff host device!
This will provide a fresh start to all processes, therefore also refreshing the connection.
Feel free to test whether you can now perform data-dependent tasks such as surfing online!
Reinsert Giffgaff SIM Card?
Another useful method against issues with the host device is to re-insert the Giffgaff SIM card into the device’s SIM Tray.
To re-insert the card, users need to reach into the SIM Tray pinhole with the ejector tool or something sharp to take out the holder.
Then the SIM card can come out and then embed again, this time with greater attention!
Note: Do not attempt to insert an unfit SIM card into a different-size, SIM Tray.
Solution #3 Check GoodyBag Data & Credit
In this solution, we’re going to determine whether you’ve got available credit or data in your Giffgaff GoodyBag.
In case you’ve got an Unlimited Data Plan, jump to the next step!
When your data is limited, based on what you’re doing online, this data is used and later renewed when the billing cycle repeats.
When the available mobile data ends, your speed will be decreased to the minimum and on some occasions, appears like it’s not working!
Jump into the Giffgaff Account Dashboard and check your GoodyBag Data & Credit.
You’ll need to Sign-in your account to do so but you’ll be able to determine whether the data issue is coming from a lack of available credit.
In case this is not the problem, proceed further!
Solution #4 Correct APN Settings
When there is a problem with the APN Settings of your mobile device, texts and calls will be active, but your mobile data, thus the online surfing won’t.
This is the reason why we’ll need to take a look at ALL configurations and align them with the correct values below.
On iPhones you can find the APN in Settings > Mobile Data > Options > Mobile Network
On Android locate the APN in Mobile Networks > Mobile Data Options > Mobile Network
When you reach the APN Network Settings Menu, correct the values:
- APN – Giffgaff.com
- Username – gg
- Password – p
- MNC – 10
- MCC – 234
- Authentication type – PAP
- APN Protocol – IPv4
- APN Roaming Protocol – IPv6
You can leave “Proxy” blank!
With the correct APN Settings, you can now test whether the Giffgaff data is now working!
Tip: On Android, you need to save the settings by tapping the three dots > Save.
Solution #5 Enable Data Roaming
When you’re abroad you should enable the Data Roaming setting, to be able to use your cellular data outside of your country.
This essentially allows your phone to connect to the internet via another network, rather than your home network. It has to be enabled.
Enable Data Roaming iPhone:
- Open the Settings.
- Press on Cellular/Cellular Data.
- From there tap on Mobile Data.
- Go to Cellular Data Options.
- Turn ON Data Roaming.
Enable Data Roaming Android:
- Go to the Settings.
- From there select Network & Internet.
- Navigate to Mobile Network.
- Turn ON the Roaming.
- Save the changes.
When you’re ready, test whether your Giffgaff mobile data is now working. The fastest way to check is by opening your mobile browser and attempting to open a website.
It’s important to double-check whether your cellular data is enabled from the settings of your device!
Tip: Feel free to toggle OFF/ON your cellular data to refresh the connection!
Solution #6 Perform a Manual Roam
Since all smartphones automatically attempt to connect to the new roaming network upon arrival, in this solution we’re going to help this process a bit.
If you didn’t know we can go into the settings and manually select the roaming network we would like to use. Let’s learn more!
The Manual Roam method can solve issues such as:
- No or Poor Signal
- Can’t Send SMS
- No Data Issues
- Roaming Not Working
Let’s next learn how to perform the manual roam process on various devices:
How To Manual Roam on Android
- Open the Settings.
- Go to Wireless Networks.
- From there select something else than O2-UK
- Wait until the device fails to connect.
- Repeat the steps and this time select O2-UK.
How To Manual Roam iPhone
- Navigate to the Settings.
- Select Mobile Networks.
- Go to Network Operators.
- From there search for networks.
- Select smelting different than O2-UK.
- When the process fails, select O2-UK.
When you’re now connected, it’s time to test whether our Giffgaff mobile data would work. In case you’re now able to access online content, congratulations you’ve made it.
However, when the problem is persistent we might need a bit of professional assistance to continue with.
Need Some Help?
When you’ve attempted everything in our guide but the Giffgaff mobile data is still not working, you know that there is something wrong.
You can read more about this problem or jump into a Chat With Giffgaff Support Representative to take a professional look at your issue!
Let’s next check what we’ve learned so far!
Quick Recap:
Thus, the Giffgaff mobile data is not working because you’re out of coverage or the Roaming is not enabled when you’re abroad. We’ve learned that we need to check the APN settings and whether they are correct and the final method is to do a manual roam.
Read Next: How to Activate Giffgaff SIM?
Final Thoughts:
Now that we’ve learned why is my Giffgaff data not working and how to solve the problem in a matter of minutes, we’re ready to start our online adventure.
In case you’re still stumped, and the problem is persistent, don’t forget to report your problem to Giffgaff, they definitely help!
In case your issue is now gone, we strongly suggest installing AtlasVPN to protect your identity online.
Nowadays it’s extremely important to have something to protect our back online and provide us with access to area-specific restricted content that, otherwise, we can’t have!
Good Luck!
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.