Samsung s23 not connecting to my sim

[AndrewMcGowan1988]

Last week when working out my samsung 23 got sweat inside the phone and caused moisture. I turned off the phone aired it out for an hour then plugged it in for charging. When I woke up I had the moisture alert still on the phone. I took it to a repair guy. He claimed he changed the connection, charging port and screen and charged me £210. I got home everything was fine for 2 days. I then updated the latest software on my samsung s23 and now the connection isn't (I.e mobile data isn't working) my network provide is showing up in sim management but there's no connection at all. I've inserted my sim into my old samsung s9 and it does connect to my network. So I know it's not the sim that is dirty or needs replacing. I took it to my local ismash store. And the head chef repair manitance guy said the phone is knackered I explained my situation, and he said the charging port wasn't changed the phone was only cleaned (partially) and screen changed. He said it's 50/50 the phone could need a change of charging port but do I go back to the original repair guy or do you think the phone is completely gone? 

[Piper123]

Hey there and welcome to the Samsung UK Community Forum

Sorry to hear of your challenges.

There seems to be quite a difference between what the first repair shop say they've done and what the second repair shop says was actually done. Not to mention the small matter of £210 paid.

I'm not sure how fixing the charging point will resolve your lack of network connectivity though.

Before you do anything, first try. Reset MOBILE Network Settings on your device to see if that fixes your connection issue.

[AndrewMcGowan1988]

Thank you for the response. I thought he was overcharging me. I've gone and reset the mobile network settings. And nothing still. The sim is showing in sim management but no connection. What do you feel the problem is if you don't think it is the charging port

[Piper123]

If there is no connection, a couple of other things it might be:

1. Device may be blacklisted?
2. SIM not in correctly. Might be worth trying your SIM in Tray 2 to see if that works?

[AndrewMcGowan1988]

I've tried that. I used the sim in another phone and it works. The phone was bought through Samsung/o2 How could it be blacklisted? I have an imei and proof of purchase.

[Piper123]

Just to rule it out (hopefully) check your IMEI against of of the few databases.

Agree it shouldn't be this though.

[TechZilla]

Have you asked your network to send the correct settings to your phone? I had an issue with getting signal and while back and only 1 bar, I called EE and they sent me the network settings over the air, once I accepted these and restarted I got full signal. Worth a shot, I thought the S23 had some waterproofing built in, where did the moisture get in from? 

[AndrewMcGowan1988]

I believe it happened in the charging port the moisture. My sweat got all over the phone. I am with o2 should I give them a ring. The connection literally was working this morning and afternoon. But when I updated the latest software and reset the device. It stopped connecting

[TechZilla]

Have you tried running diagnostics built into your phone? Members app > support > Diagnostics, if you want to try it, it could be salt from your sweat that has dried in part of your phone maybe. 

[smiley]

With the S23 range being ip68 rated for water and dust, I am very surprised your phone could have allowed moisture inside from a little sweat. I mean they are designed to be resistant to water down to 1.5 metres for 30 minutes. So if it can be immersed in water for that duration, a little sweat on the outer case should have been robust enough.

With that out the way, if the phone was opened by an engineer there is always a chance that something was dislodged. Maybe completely different from the original fault, but I seem to recall there being some connectors on flexi cables for the cellular antenna that could have been accidentally affected. I know there is a fault with the S22 ultra design whereby a flexible cable needs to be replaced.

This might or might not be relevant to your situation, but worthy of note.

It sounds like you used a repair shop that is not approved by samsung, so if you did have warranty left then it is likely no longer valid unless it was repaired at samsung repair centres.

Dare I say it, but if this is a base model of S23 and being a couple of years old, it may be worth considering an upgrade. You could spend a lot more money, 'throwing good money after bad' if you like... and find that even a few hundred pounds more costs and still have a compromised phone.

The alternative is to go back to the shop you went to for the repairs and mention your discontent. I would say if they are reputable they should warrant their work for a few months !

It also may be worth considering trading it in for a newer model. I know samsung site are offering good prices (£300) for an 'S series phone in any condition' against some of the current models.

Hope one way or other you resolve your issues.

Smiley