# How to Fix Mobile Data That Has Stopped Working > An ordered repair sequence, cheapest and most reversible first — plus the two instinctive fixes that make things worse, and who to contact at the end. Phones and networks · Published 2024-02-03 · Updated 2026-08-21 · 5 min read Page: https://esimradar.com/blog/fix-mobile-data-not-working ![A man with a backpack using his phone on a train station platform.](https://esimradar.com/blog-images/fix-mobile-data-not-working/hero-211052-1280.webp) *Most of these fixes take under a minute. The trick is doing them in an order that tells you something when one of them works.* Work through these in order. The order matters: the first four are reversible, take under a minute each, and between them account for most cases. Everything after that costs you something, so there is no sense reaching for it early. If you would rather understand what is actually wrong before changing anything, [the diagnosis by symptom](https://esimradar.com/blog/data-not-working) is the companion to this page. ## The four that fix most cases None of these can break anything, and each takes seconds: 1. Turn data roaming on for the travel line. Settings → Cellular or SIMs → the line → Data Roaming. This is the [single most common cause](https://esimradar.com/blog/turn-on-off-roaming) and the fix is one toggle. 2. Set that same line as the one carrying cellular data. Two lines share one data setting, and the phone does not infer which you meant. 3. Toggle airplane mode on, wait ten seconds, and off. This forces a fresh attach and clears a surprising share of stuck registrations. 4. Restart the phone. Profile activation sometimes only completes on a cold start. If data comes back at any point, stop. There is nothing to be gained from continuing down the list. ## If those did not work These are still safe but less trivially reversible, so take them one at a time and check after each. On Android the equivalents sit under Network & internet rather than Cellular, and [Google’s Pixel guide to fixing mobile connectivity](https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/14116080) walks the same ground in Android’s wording. 1. Select the network manually. Settings → Cellular → Network Selection, turn Automatic off, and pick a major local operator. Automatic selection can settle on a network your plan has no agreement with. 2. Turn off low data mode, data saver and any VPN. Each can produce a connection that looks fine and moves nothing. 3. Check the allowance in the provider’s app. A spent plan usually throttles rather than announcing itself, which feels like a fault. 4. Reset network settings, as the last on-device step. It clears carrier configuration and usually fixes what nothing else does. > **Note:** Resetting network settings erases every saved wifi password on the phone, along with cellular, VPN and APN settings. [Apple also notes two side effects people do not expect](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/reset-iphone-settings-iphea1c2fe48/ios): the device name reverts to "iPhone", and manually trusted certificates become untrusted again. Apple also warns that cellular data roaming may be turned off in the process — on a travel eSIM, the very setting you were trying to fix. It is a reasonable step, but not one to take casually in a hotel with a network you cannot easily rejoin. ## Two things that will not help Both are common instincts and both cost more than the problem: - Deleting the eSIM and reinstalling it. The code installs once, so unless the provider agrees in advance to reissue, you may delete a working plan and have nothing to put back. [This is close to irreversible](https://esimradar.com/blog/delete-esim-risks). - Factory-resetting the phone. It removes eSIM profiles as part of the wipe, so you lose the plan and keep the problem — which was a per-line setting almost every time. ## Who to contact, and what to tell them Pick the right party or you will be sent back and forth: - The eSIM provider, if the travel plan has never connected once, or the allowance looks wrong. They can see whether the profile ever registered — which settles it immediately. [Apple’s page on Dual SIM with eSIM not working](https://support.apple.com/en-us/109322) points the same way: plan eligibility, local outages and billing blocks are all things only they can see. - Your carrier, if the problem is on your home line, or if the phone might be locked. Only they can change either. - Nobody yet, if you have not checked roaming and the data-line setting. Support will ask first, and it is faster to have the answer. Tell them what the phone shows rather than "it does not work": "no service" and "full bars, nothing loads" point support in completely different directions. ## Preventing the next one Most of this disappears if the plan is installed at home, named clearly, and tested before departure. [Install before you fly](https://esimradar.com/blog/install-esim) and a failure becomes an email to support rather than an hour in an arrivals hall. Plans by [destination](https://esimradar.com/country), ranked on [price per GB](https://esimradar.com/faq). ## Common questions ### What should I try first when mobile data stops working? Data roaming for the travel line, then which line is set to carry data, then airplane mode off and on, then a restart. Those four are reversible and cover most cases. ### Does resetting network settings delete my eSIM? No, it keeps installed profiles. It does erase every saved wifi password, Bluetooth pairing and VPN configuration, so it is not a casual step. ### Should I delete and reinstall my eSIM to fix it? Not without the provider agreeing to reissue first. Activation codes install once, so you can lose a working plan and have nothing to reinstall. ### Who do I contact — my carrier or the eSIM provider? The provider if a travel plan never connected or the allowance looks wrong; your carrier for your home line or a suspected lock. They can each only see their own side. --- More guides: https://esimradar.com/md/blog.md Compare plans by destination: https://esimradar.com/md/destinations.md