How to fix No SIM card Emergency Calls only error (SOLVED)

Although contemporary phones are much more than their predecessors in terms of capabilities and sheer processing power, they’re still phones nonetheless. And it’s quite a sobering thing when they can’t make calls the old-fashioned way — no VoIP or VoLTE. Some users report that they get the No SIM card Emergency Calls only error as their phone can’t register the SIM card. If that’s something that bothers you, too, check the instructions we provided below.

Table of contents:

1. Restart your device
2. Remove the SIM card from the tray and place it again
3. Reset Network settings
4. Reset your device to factory settings

Why Does My Phone Say “Emergency Calls Only”?

You can usually fix the No SIM card Emergency Calls Only error on your Android phone if you:

• Restart your phone first.
• Remove and place the SIM card back.
• Check with your carrier.
• Reset Network settings or reset your device to factory settings and start anew.

1. Restart your device

Start with a soft reboot. Power off your device and power it back on. Check the network signal icon at the status bar to see if there’s network coverage or not.

If you still get the prompt that the SIM card is not inserted and that the only available calls are emergency calls, we suggest removing and re-inserting the SIM card.

2. Remove the SIM card from the tray and place it again

Removing and re-inserting the SIM card is another viable step. Just make sure to be careful while inserting the SIM ejector tool to avoid damaging the tray or phone’s internals. Once you remove the SIM card from the SIM card tray, clean it and ensure that it’s not damaged. Also, you can try placing the SIM card in a secondary slot if your device comes with dual-SIM functionality.

After you place the SIM card again, the problem should be fixed. However, if you still get the same error, consider resetting your network settings.

3. Reset Network settings

Resetting network settings is also a viable option but, before resetting all Network settings, try resetting the APN first. The Access Point Name is the carrier-assigned configuration that allows you to use GSM and LTE/5G connectivity. This is a pre-applied configuration provided by the carrier so users shouldn’t make any changes. Still, there’s a possibility that something has changed on its own (mostly due to a system update), and resetting the APN will restore default values.

Here’s how to reset the APN on your Android:

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Connections and open Mobile networks.
3. Select Access Points Names.
4. Tap on the 3-dots menu and select Reset to default.

If that didn’t work for you, reset your Network Settings by following these instructions:

1. Open Settings.
2. Select System or General management.
3. Tap Reset or Reset options.
4. Select Reset network settings.
5. Enter your PIN, password, or pattern, and confirm.

You can learn more about network settings reset and what settings it covers in this article.

4. Reset your device to factory settings

If you’re still getting the No SIM Emergency Calls Only prompt, you can go for the factory reset. But we also suggest considering replacing the SIM card or contacting your carrier to see if there are some problems on their side. Also, there are rural areas that don’t have good network coverage so have that in mind, too.

You can learn how to reset your Android to factory settings in this article. Don’t forget to back up everything before doing so since this procedure will irreversibly delete all data from the internal storage.

And, on that note, we can call it a wrap. Thank you for reading and feel free to reach out to us in the comments section below. We look forward to hearing from you.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published in March 2022. We made sure to revamp it for freshness and accuracy.