Cellular data, mobile data, whatever you want to call it, is one of those things that only becomes a life necessity once you acquire your first smartphone. It’s only when you lose connectivity that you realize you don’t know how to get anywhere without Google Maps, don’t have anything to read without Flipboard, and don’t know how to communicate with people through any medium other than WhatsApp.

When mobile data stops working on Android, it’s world-shattering, in other words. Here are some tips on how to get it back.
Enable the Right Network Mode

Starting with the simplest solution, it’s possible that during an update, or simply in the phone’s default settings, the network mode (3G, 4G, etc.) of your phone is set to one that doesn’t offer optimal coverage.

If you have a 4G phone, for example, you should always make sure 4G is selected in your network modes to catch those sweet 4G rays. Or if your phone isn’t 4G but you’re running on an OS that features it as a network mode (by rooting, for example), your phone may be trying to connect to 4G signals that it’s not capable of.

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Changing this is simple. Go to “Settings -> Mobile data -> Network mode,” then switch to the one that best suits your phone. As my phone is a 4G, I go for 2G/3G/4G Auto so that it always tries to connect to the best signal available.

Remove and Re-Insert Your SIM Card

Some will scoff at the very mention of suggestions like “reboot your phone” and “remove and reinsert your SIM card,” but these should always be the first port of call when trying to fix mobile data issues. Another option is to test your phone with another SIM card to see if the issue originates in the phone or the card.

There’s also an extra little trick to rebooting your phone that could help:
•Before rebooting, turn on Airplane Mode
•Wait for 30 seconds, then turn Airplane Mode off
•If you still don’t have data, turn airplane mode back on, turn your phone off, wait for a minute, turn your phone back on, turn airplane mode off, wait for thirty seconds, then turn mobile data on.

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If this fails, then try the following fixes.

Reset Your APNs

Access Point Names (APNs) are the means by which your mobile network provider connects your phone to the mobile Internet. It sets your phone up with all the crucial settings like IP addresses and gateways to (hopefully) get you connected. However, this process can sometimes go wrong and require a reset. The following shows how to do it.

1. Go to “Settings -> Mobile Data/Wireless Controls/Wireless & Networks.”

2. Tap “Mobile Networks -> Access point names.”

3. You should see a list of APNs (potentially with only one network on them). Tap the menu icon at the top-right, then “Reset to default.”

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Set APN Protocol to iPv4/IPv6

This option doesn’t exist in the APN settings of all phones, but some devices (like the OnePlus 3) give you the option of leaving the APN Protocol field blank. If that’s the case in your network’s APN settings, make sure it says IPv4/IPv6 instead. Likewise, with other devices make sure it says this rather than just one of the two.

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Enter Your APN Settings Manually

It’s a sad but not uncommon occurrence for your APN settings to get out of whack after an Android software update, and if a standard reset doesn’t fix the problem, then you may need to enter your APN address manually.

1. Go to your APN list using the method in the previous tip.

2. Tap the ‘+’ icon or the three-dot menu button, then “New APN.”

3. Enter all the APN details for your network. There’s a decent list of US, Canadian and UK APN settings here and a more comprehensive list of UK APN settings here.

4. Save your new APN settings, then select them from the APN list on your device.

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Do You Have a Mobile Data Limit?

Every Android phone lets you set your own mobile data limits and warnings for when you’re about to reach your limit. These aren’t usually switched on by default, but maybe you set a limit previously, have since upgraded your tariff, and have forgotten to update your mobile data limit accordingly. To check this:

1. Go to “Settings -> Mobile Data/Data Usage” (depending on your device).

2. You’ll see a graph showing your data usage along with a whole bunch of settings. Make sure your data limits in the graph correspond with what your network allows by dragging the limit up or down in the graph.

3. Alternatively, you can turn off all data limits by unticking the “Limit mobile data usage” box.

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