Intermittent network connection or signal drops could be due to a problem on your device if not with your network service provider. When this happens, you’ll get to see No Service error and you cannot send or receive text messages, make or receive phone calls or connect to the Internet unless through Wi-Fi. Indeed it’s an issue that needs to be resolved as soon as possible considering that it affects your iPhone’s integral functions. This post highlights some helpful workarounds and potential solutions to various network errors on the iPhone 7 Plus, including signal drops or No Service error. Feel free to refer to this content should you wish to troubleshoot a relevant issue on the same device.
There are a lot of factors that can cause your iPhone 7 Plus to lose signal or get No Service error. It can be an issue with your network, account, iPhone software or hardware. Working with the most common triggers will help you resolve the underlying cause promptly. Highlighted below are your options to consider.
But before anything else, if you have other concerns with your iPhone 7 Plus, make sure you drop by our troubleshooting page for we have already addressed some of the most commonly reported issues with this new iPhone. If you need further assistance or if you can’t find what you’re looking for in that page, fill up our iPhone issues questionnaire and hit submit. Don’t worry, it’s a free consultation service so you don’t have to worry about anything. Just give us more information about the problem and we’ll do our best to help you fix it.
How to troubleshoot iPhone 7 Plus that keeps losing signal
Before you start troubleshooting, verify and ensure that your account status in good and that all your services are active. Carriers usually impose temporary disconnection or soft disconnection to accounts with unsettled issues on bills and other account-related matters. When your account is in a soft disconnect state, your outgoing services are not available as they’re temporarily disabled. To resume your services, you will need to contact your carrier or network service provider and discuss the matter with them. Once everything is settled on your account, services are restored.
Restart / Force restart
Network errors like No Service may occur among other minor random glitches on your iPhone that can easily be rectified by a restart or soft reset. In the case where the phone becomes unresponsive as the error occurs, an alternative simple solution is a forced restart.
To force your iPhone 7 Plus to restart, press and hold the Power and Volume Down button simultaneously for about 10 to 20 seconds and then release both buttons when the Apple logo appears on screen.
Both these restart methods will not affect any critical data and personal information stored on your phone and so there’s no need to worry of data loss.
Configure Cellular Data
Turning Cellular Data off and on can also fix minor errors affecting the network functions on your iPhone. If any cellular data settings on your iPhone is not set up correctly, you will likely to get a No service error or unstable network signal. These settings can be changed accidentally and sometimes can be resolved by simply turning a setting off and then on again.
That said, try to turn Cellular Data off and then back on again by going to Settings-> Cellular-> Cellular Data menu. Just toggle the Cellular Data switch to turn the feature off or on.
You can also try configuring carrier selection on your iPhone manually.
To do so, just go to Settings-> Carriers-> then turn off automatic carrier selection option.
This option may not apply to some carriers thus not available on some devices.
Reset network settings
Should this error is triggered by incorrect network settings on your iPhone, it should be rectified by reverting the network settings back to defaults. It is also worth noting though that all your current settings for Wi-Fi including network passwords will be erased in the process. That said, be sure to take note of this information before you proceed with the reset because you will need to re-enter them afterwards. Once you’re all set, follow these steps:
- Tap Settings from the Home screen.
- Tap General.
- Scroll to and tap Reset.
- Select the option to Reset Network Settings.
- If prompted, enter the correct passcode to continue.
- Confirm to reset network.
Your iPhone automatically reboots when the network reset is complete.
Update iOS
Network errors can also be attributed to software bugs from an app or iOS itself. Minor bugs are usually rid of by performing a soft reset or forced restart but others are just tough enough to withstand those methods. Installing a new iOS update can be a potential solution. Aside from new features, software updates also contain bug fixes to address existing issues on iOS devices. If you haven’t already, then you should consider updating to the latest iOS version and see if that’ll take care of the problem.
If you have access to Wi-Fi, you can check for (OTA) software update by going to Settings-> General-> Software Update.
An update notification pops up if an update is available for your iPhone. Before you proceed with the update download and installation, back up your iPhone data for safekeeping first.
If you don’t have access to Wi-Fi, then you can use iTunes on a computer to check any available software update for your iPhone 7 Plus.
Remove and reinstall SIM card
No service and other network signal issues can likewise be attributed to a dislodged bad SIM card on the iPhone. To ensure that this isn’t the root cause, try to remove and reinstall your SIM card. Here’s it’s done:
- Power off your iPhone completely.
- Get the SIM card eject tool ready. If you don’t have it, then just take a small paper clip, make it straight and then use it instead.
- Locate the SIM tray on the right side of your iPhone.
- Insert the SIM eject tool or paper clip into the small hole.
- Then gently put it until the tray pops out.
- Remove the SIM card from the tray.
- Check for any signs of damage. If there’s none, then reinstall the SIM card.
- Insert the SIM card into the tray and make sure the notched corner aligns and the gold contacts facing downwards.
- Gently push to reinsert the SIM tray into the iPhone.
- Press in on the tray to lock it into place.
Once everything is back into place, turn your iPhone on and see if that fixes the problem. If not, then you’ll need to consider a full system restore or reset as your next resolution. Or else, take your iPhone to an authorized service center and have it diagnosed by a technician for possible hardware damage.
Restore your iPhone
Data corruption can lead to major issues including network errors like this. If you started to have unstable network signal after installing an update, new app or contents on your iPhone, then that’s likely the culprit. Any of your recently installed software might have contained some bugs or malware that’s infiltrating and ruining iOS network systems. An effective solution to major software errors is a system restore. You may opt to restore iOS through iTunes in recovery mode or DFU mode. If necessary, you may refer to the walkthroughs we’ve provided on our iPhone 7 Plus Tutorials section on how to perform a recovery mode restore or DFU mode restore using iTunes. Feel free to visit our Troubleshooting page if need more help in the process.
Escalate the problem
Contact your network service provider or carrier if the problem persists. It is possible that your SIM card or other relevant components have acquired some damage thus caused your iPhone to have frequent signal drops. For damaged SIM card, you may avail for SIM card replacement. Note that your iPhone 7 Plus uses a nano SIM card, so make sure you get a new SIM card with the same size for it to fit in your device.
Engage with us
If you have other issues with your Apple iPhone 7 Plus, we are always willing to help. Contact us through our iPhone issues questionnaire and provide us with all necessary information about your problem so we can find a solution to your issue.