"No Cell Coverage" drains iPhone battery even when cellular data is turned off

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Level 1

16 points

"No Cell Coverage" drains iPhone battery even when cellular data is turned off

I'm using my iPhone SE internationally, and even when I turn cellular data (and roaming) completely off, my battery drains rapidly and "No Cell Coverage" takes up most of my battery usage. I'm running iOS 10.3.1.

One solution would be to use airplane mode, but airplane mode appears to eliminate my ability to make calls over wifi, even if I turn wifi on while in airplane mode.

At various times, I've turned cellular data on and off and restarted the phone, and that action has sometimes stopped the "No Cell Coverage" battery drain for a while. But then the problem returns.

In short, why is my phone searching for cell coverage when cellular data is turned off?

iPhone SE, iOS 10.3.1

Posted on May 2, 2017 6:51 AM

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Answer 1

May 2, 2017 7:12 AM in response to JWillardTy

It's searching for cell tower to remain active on the network (for SMS and cell phone calls, not just data).

You should be able to use Airplane mode and turn Wifi on.

What are you using for Wifi calls? Apps like Skype, Whatsapp, Viber should work via Wifi.

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Answer 2

JWillardTy Author

Level 1

16 points

May 2, 2017 7:12 AM in response to Saifan Pilot

Thanks. Is there a way to turn off cell phone calls and SMS, without resorting to airplane mode? From what I can tell, the only option in the settings menu is to turn off "Cellular Data," not cellular phone calls and SMS.

Because I am using Wi-Fi Assist to make calls, I don't want to resort to airplane mode, which appears to disable Wi-Fi Assist.

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Answer 3

May 2, 2017 7:45 AM in response to JWillardTy

No.

Turning Off cellular data prevents data usage trough cellular network (usually used to prevent high data roaming charges, or when your plan is about to exceed the monthly quota of cellular data).

It does not turn off the cellular radio in the iPhone. Airplane mode is the only way to do this.

Taking out the SIM card might do this also, but SIM card is not meant to be pulled in and out on a daily basis, it might cause wear and tear on the SIM card tray hardware.

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