ChrisBooth_360
Level 1 (5 points)
iPhone

Q: IPhone stuck on Searching/No Service

I bought an unlocked phone from Singapore and had it sent to Japan. I got a Japanese data sim and it worked perfectly for a solid week. Suddenly, after updating to ios 9.3.5, my phone was unable to connect to my service provider - it would read my network, and then drop it and say 'No Service' every few seconds (Finally getting stuck on No Service).

 

I thought it was just the data sim malfunctioning, but when I went to try and get a contract sim, the same issue started happening. I have tried everything to fix it. I have reset my network settings a hundred times, I have restarted my phone a thousand times, and I have tried everything on Apple's trouble shooting list. I have even managed to 'downgrade' my iOS and still run into the same problem.

 

I can't figure out the problem at all as the sim was working perfectly for so long. Should I send my phone in for repairs? Is there some other option? The only thing I haven't tried is going with another carrier company - could this work?

 

Please help!

iPhone 5s, iOS 9.3.5

Posted on Sep 7, 2016 12:12 AM

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ChrisBooth_360

Q: IPhone stuck on Searching/No Service

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  • Helpful answers

  • by Ingo2711,

    Ingo2711 Ingo2711 Sep 7, 2016 12:18 AM in response to ChrisBooth_360
    Level 7 (25,202 points)
    iPhone
    Sep 7, 2016 12:18 AM in response to ChrisBooth_360

    Did you try to set it back to factory settings, without using any backup and see if the phone is connecting to the cellular network again?

    Is your phone set to connect to 3G or LTE?

    Use iTunes to restore your iOS device to factory settings - Apple Support

  • by ChrisBooth_360,

    ChrisBooth_360 ChrisBooth_360 Sep 7, 2016 12:22 AM in response to Ingo2711
    Level 1 (5 points)
    iPhone
    Sep 7, 2016 12:22 AM in response to Ingo2711

    I tried resetting to factory settings, but I used the backup feature. I will try doing it without that - thank you.

     

    My phone is set up to connect to either. I often disable LTE to see if that works.

  • by Georg Portenkirchner,

    Georg Portenkirchner Georg Portenkirchner Sep 7, 2016 12:27 AM in response to ChrisBooth_360
    Level 2 (267 points)
    iTunes
    Sep 7, 2016 12:27 AM in response to ChrisBooth_360

    My advise is to make an appointment at the Genius Bar in an Apple Store.

  • by Ingo2711,

    Ingo2711 Ingo2711 Sep 7, 2016 12:36 AM in response to ChrisBooth_360
    Level 7 (25,202 points)
    iPhone
    Sep 7, 2016 12:36 AM in response to ChrisBooth_360

    Since you bought the phone in another country, some features might not be supported by the local network provider.

    Maybe check with them as well.

    Getting the phone serviced in Japan will not work, iPhones will only be serviced in the country of purchase by Apple.

  • by ChrisBooth_360,

    ChrisBooth_360 ChrisBooth_360 Sep 7, 2016 12:38 AM in response to Ingo2711
    Level 1 (5 points)
    iPhone
    Sep 7, 2016 12:38 AM in response to Ingo2711

    I will, but as I said, it was working perfectly fine with the sim for a whole week when it suddenly stopped working.

  • by Georg Portenkirchner,

    Georg Portenkirchner Georg Portenkirchner Sep 7, 2016 12:51 AM in response to ChrisBooth_360
    Level 2 (267 points)
    iTunes
    Sep 7, 2016 12:51 AM in response to ChrisBooth_360

    Ingo is right that an iPhone will normally not be serviced in another country, but I think the Apple Store in Japan might troubleshoot and diagnose the iPhone for you.

  • by Njofrekk,

    Njofrekk Njofrekk Sep 7, 2016 12:57 AM in response to ChrisBooth_360
    Level 1 (22 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 7, 2016 12:57 AM in response to ChrisBooth_360

    I had the same issue with my new iPhone 6s. Got it a couple of weeks ago. I patched it to the latest iOS version. It worked just fine and after some two weeks it just started dropping network connection. At first it was just unable to make or receive calls. Then it lost all connection to the network. Tried everything, including resetting to factory settings but it didn't help. At first I thought it might be a SIM card problem, but my card works fine in another phone and if I put another SIM card into my iPhone the same No Service problem occurs. I figured it must be a hardware problem. In the end, I sent the phone back to the seller and let them resolve the problem since it's under warranty. I'll post here when I get feedback from the Store.
    Cheers.

  • by ChrisBooth_360,

    ChrisBooth_360 ChrisBooth_360 Sep 7, 2016 8:55 AM in response to Ingo2711
    Level 1 (5 points)
    iPhone
    Sep 7, 2016 8:55 AM in response to Ingo2711

    I tried resetting factory settings without restoring the backing up, but it didn't work. I've also now noticed that my phone now permanently says 'No Service' - it does not even attempt to connect to the network anymore. It is also now unable to connect to any network (I have two sim cards with different carriers - one data, one not).

     

    I'm guessing it's something wrong with the phone, so I will be taking it to the Genius Bar in Tokyo. Hopefully they can at least diagnose the problem.

  • by Njofrekk,

    Njofrekk Njofrekk Sep 8, 2016 12:31 AM in response to ChrisBooth_360
    Level 1 (22 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 8, 2016 12:31 AM in response to ChrisBooth_360

    Keep us updated on the situation. I'm very much interested in this issue.

  • by golan1967,

    golan1967 golan1967 Sep 8, 2016 5:09 AM in response to ChrisBooth_360
    Level 1 (8 points)
    iPhone
    Sep 8, 2016 5:09 AM in response to ChrisBooth_360

    hello. i am planning to buy an IPhone 7 from singapore in the coming weeks. i want to know that if i order it from the apple online store in singapore, will i get an unlocked GSM version? i have to actually take it back to india. and sorry to hear about your problem.

  • by Njofrekk,

    Njofrekk Njofrekk Sep 8, 2016 5:55 AM in response to golan1967
    Level 1 (22 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 8, 2016 5:55 AM in response to golan1967

    You might get a more relevant answer if you direct your question to the Apple Online Store in Singapore.

    Just sayin'.