Check if your subscription payment is up to date
Some users completely forget about paying their bills sometimes and the carrier disconnects them from the network. Basically, in this case, it’s not a technical issue, as the phone is running smoothly.
Before considering a potential fix, make sure that you’ve paid your subscription. If you haven’t, do it right away, then send your carrier the confirmation, in order to be quickly reconnected and use the phone at its full capacity immediately.
Power cycle your cell phone
Power your phone off, leave it off for 30 seconds to a minute, and then power the phone back on. Wait for the phone to power on all the way and then try your cell phone to see if it’s working properly. Restarting the phone will force it to try and reach out and attempt to connect to your network again. If it was just a hiccup with the software this extremely simple reboot can fix the issue.
Select your carrier manually
You can try connecting to the network manually. Sometimes, the carrier changes some settings, causing the network to disconnect. I’ve been through this myself a few times and applying this tip helped me.
In order to do this, simply follow this path: Go to Settings > Wireless and Networks > Mobile Networks > Network Operators. It can vary a bit, depending on your phone’s manufacturer, but on most Android handsets it’s exactly like this.
Here, you will find a list of the carriers available in your country. Select the one you’re using and give the phone a few moments, until it connects back.
Change the Network Mode to GSM Only
Even though they are considered outdated and slow, 2G networks are some of the strongest still available. And they can be a solution if your phone says emergency calls only.
In order to use them, you need to follow a path in the menu, but again, it’s different, depending on your phone’s manufacturer. Try one of the following:
- Settings > Mobile Networks > Network Mode
- Settings > Data usage, then tap on the Menu icon from the upper-right corner
Here, select Cellular Networks > Preferred Network Type and Select GSM Only. Give your phone a few moments and see if it connects to the network or it keeps showing the same message.
