How to fix Galaxy Tab A SIM card not detected | not recognizing SIM card

SIM card issues are rare but if they do happen, they can be frustrating for average users to fix. If you’re having an issue with SIM card not being detected by your Galaxy Tab A and there’s no obvious cause for it, this post might help. In this article, we bring you a number of steps to try in order to fix the issue at hand.

How to fix Galaxy Tab A SIM card not detected | not recognizing SIM card

Are you having an issue with your SIM card not being detected by your Galaxy Tab A? This troubleshooting guide will help you with the steps on how to narrow down the factors. 

Galaxy Tab A SIM card not detected fix #1: Check for errors

If your Galaxy Tab A SIM card appears not detected, the first thing that you want to do is to check if there’s an error code or message. If there is, it may help you figure out the cause. Make sure to check if the error has known solutions online. If the problem is caused by an app or software bug, other users may encounter the same error. This also means that there’s a possibility that there may already be a remedy or solution posted by others that you can follow.

If there’s no error at all, continue with the troubleshooting steps below.

Galaxy Tab A SIM card not detected fix #2: Troubleshoot SIM card

There are a number of direct ways to deal with the SIM card directly in this situation. We’ll discuss each one below.

Reseat SIM card. One of the simplest ways to fix SIM-related issues is by temporarily disconnecting the SIM card. This usually works because sometimes, network issues may occur if a SIM card is loosely connected or when there’s an issue with the SIM card itself. If you haven’t tried this yet, be sure to remove the SIM card and see what happens after re-inserting it.

1. Turn off your Galaxy Tab A. This is important. Inserting a SIM while the device is on may result to corrupted data.
2. With your phone’s screen facing you, remove the card tray. You can use the insertion/removal tool (or a paperclip) to unlock the tray by inserting it into the provided slot. This small hole should be visible on the left side of your device.  
3. Remove the SIM card from the tray. You can lift the card up from the bottom. To assist, use the opening on the opposite side of the tray to dislodge (using a fingernail or similar tool).
4. After a few moments, re-insert the SIM card. Be sure that the phone is OFF when doing this.

Clear SIM App Dialog cache. Should reseating the SIM card won’t work, you can also deal directly with the SIM App Dialog app by clearing its cache. Here’s how it’s done:

1. Go to the Home screen.
2. Tap Apps icon.
3. Open Settings app.
4. Tap Apps.
5. If you’re looking for a system or default app, tap on More options at the upper right (three-dot icon).
6. Select Show system apps.
7. Find and tap SIM App Dialog.
8. Tap Storage.
9. Tap Clear Cache button.
10. Check for the problem

Reset SIM App Dialog app. If your Galaxy Tab A SIM card is still not detected, your next move is to reset the SIM App Dialog app to its defaults. Here’s how:

1. Go to the Home screen.
2. Tap Apps icon.
3. Open Settings app.
4. Tap Apps.
5. If you’re looking for a system or default app, tap on More options at the upper right (three-dot icon).
6. Select Show system apps.
7. Find and tap SIM App Dialog.
8. Tap Storage.
9. Tap Clear Data button.
10. Check for the problem

 

Try another SIM Card. If none of the suggestions above has worked so far, consider getting a new SIM card to see if the card itself is the problem. Alternatively, you can insert the SIM card to another compatible phone or tablet to see if the SIM card works there. 

Galaxy Tab A SIM card not detected fix #3: Restart your tablet

Restarting your Galaxy Tab A in this situation won’t hurt. Be sure to do this if you’ve find out that the SIM card is working. Try restarting it normally first by pressing the Power button to access the boot menu. Then, select Restart option and see if that works.

Another way to restart the device is by pressing and holding the Volume Down button and the Bixby/Power key at the same time for 10 seconds or until the device’s screen turns on. This simulates the effect of having disconnected the battery from the device. If this works, this may unlock the device.

If doing the regular restart won’t help, then try this:

1. Press and hold the Volume Down button first and don’t release it.
2. While holding it down, press and hold the Power key.
3. Keep both keys held down for 10 seconds or more. 

The second restart procedure tries to simulate the effects of removing the battery pack. On older devices, disconnecting the battery is often an effective way in fixing unresponsive devices. If nothing changed though, proceed to the next suggestions.

Rebooting your device regularly at least once every week can be beneficial. If you tend to forget things, we suggest that you configure your phone to reboot on its own. You can schedule it to do this task by doing these steps:

1. Open Settings app.
2. Tap Device Care.
3. Tap the 3-dot at the top.
4. Select Auto restart.

Galaxy Tab A SIM card not detected fix #4: Wipe cache partition

If your Galaxy Tab A happens to not recognize the SIM card after installing an update or app, there may be an issue with the system cache. To ensure that the system cache is in good shape, try clearing the system cache. Here’s how:

1. Turn off the device. This is important. If you can’t turn it off, you’ll never be able to boot to Recovery Mode. If you are not able to shut the device off regularly via the Power button, wait until the phone’s battery is drained. Then, charge the phone for 30 minutes before booting to Recovery Mode.
2. Press and hold the Volume Up button and the Power button at the same time for 5 seconds.
3. Release the Power and Volume Up buttons.
4. The Recovery screen menu will now appear. 
5. Use the Volume Down button until you are highlighting ‘Wipe cache partition.’
6. Press the Power button to select ‘Wipe cache partition.’
7. Use Volume Down to highlight Yes.
8. Press the Power button to go ahead with clearing of cache partition.
9. After clearing the cache partition, press the Power button again for Reboot system now.
10. That’s it!

Galaxy Tab A SIM card not detected fix #5: Reset network settings

In some instances, simply clearing a tablet’s network configuration is enough to fix this problem. Be sure to do the steps below:

1. Open Settings app.
2. Tap General management.
3. Tap Reset.
4. Tap Reset network settings.
5. Tap Reset settings to confirm.

Galaxy Tab A SIM card not detected fix #6: Run on Safe Mode

A bad third party app may cause problems with Android or other apps. If the SIM card on your Galaxy Tab A has not been detected after a new app was installed, you may have a third party app problem. What you want to do in this situation is to confirm if that’s the case by restarting the tablet to safe mode. While running on safe mode, no third party can run. So, if the problem is absent on safe mode, a third party app must be to blame. To restart to safe mode:

1. Turn off the device.
2. Press and hold the Power key.
3. When Samsung appears on the screen, release the Power key.
4. Immediately after releasing the Power key, press and hold the Volume down key.
5. Continue to hold the Volume down key until the device finishes restarting. This may take up to 1 minute. Just be patient to wait for it.
6. Release the Volume down key when you see Safe Mode on the device.

Remember that third-party applications are disabled in this mode so what you can use are pre-installed apps. If there’s no SIM card issue on safe mode only, that means that the problem is due to a bad app. Uninstall the app you recently installed and see if that will fix it. If the problem remains, use the process of elimination to identify the rogue app. Here’s how:

1. Boot to safe mode.
2. Check for the problem.
3. Once you’ve confirmed that a third party app is to blame, you can start uninstalling apps individually. We suggest that you begin with the most recent ones you added.
4. After you uninstall an app, restart the phone to normal mode and check for the problem.
5. If your Galaxy Tab A still won’t recognize the SIM (but works on safe mode), repeat steps 1-4.

In order to return to normal mode or turn off safe mode:

1. Press and hold the Power key.
2. Tap Restart.
3. The devices restarts in normal mode.

Galaxy Tab A SIM card not detected fix #7: Reset app preferences

Some apps may require default system apps and services. If some of these default apps are not working, apps that require them may misbehave. To ensure that default apps are enabled, follow these steps:

1. Open Settings app.
2. Tap Apps.
3. Tap on More settings at the upper right (three-dot icon).
4. Select Reset app preferences.
5. Restart your Tab A and check for the problem.

Galaxy Tab A SIM card not detected fix #8: Factory reset

The final troubleshooting step that you can do on your device is to check if a software bug is to blame. To do that, you want to erase the tablet with factory reset. Doing this procedure will delete all personal data such as photos, videos, documents, contacts, etc. so be sure to create a backup ahead of time.

Below are the two methods on how to hard reset or factory reset your Galaxy Tab A.

Method 1: How to hard reset on Samsung Galaxy Tab A via Settings Menu

Under normal circumstances, factory reset under Settings menu should be the primary way for you. It’s simpler to do and does not require pressing hardware buttons, which some users may find difficult to do.

1. Create a backup of your personal data and remove your Google account.
2. Open Settings app.
3. Scroll to and tap General management.
4. Tap Reset.
5. Select Factory data reset from the given options.
6. Read the information then tap Reset to continue.
7. Tap Delete All to confirm action.

Method 2: How to hard reset on Samsung Galaxy Tab A using hardware buttons

If your case is that the tablet is not booting up, or it boots but Settings menu is inaccessible, this method can be helpful. First, you need to boot the device to Recovery Mode. Once you successfully access Recovery, that’s the time that you begin proper master reset procedure. It may take some tries for you before you can access Recovery so be patient and simply try again.

1. If possible, create a backup of your personal data ahead of time. If your problem prevents you from doing that, then simply skip this step.
2. Also, you want to make sure that you remove your Google account. If your problem prevents you from doing that, then simply skip this step.
3. Turn off the device. This is important. If you can’t turn it off, you’ll never be able to boot to Recovery Mode. If you are not able to shut the device off regularly via the Power button, wait until the phone’s battery is drained. Then, charge the phone for 30 minutes before booting to Recovery Mode.
4. Press and hold the Volume Up button and the Power button at the same time for 5 seconds.
5. Release the Power and Volume Up buttons.
6. The Recovery screen menu will now appear. 
7. Use the Volume Down button until you are highlighting ‘Wipe data/factory reset.’
8. Press the Power button to select ‘Wipe data/factory reset.’
9. Use Volume Down to highlight Yes.
10. Press the Power button to confirm factory reset.

Galaxy Tab A SIM card not detected fix #9: Repair

We can’t always eliminate the chance that bad hardware is causing the problem. If your tablet can’t still detect the SIM card after a factory reset, you can assume that there may be a deeper reason for it. It’s most likely a problem with hardware so the best thing that you can do at this point is to have the device repaired. Visit your local Samsung store or Service Center for help.

 

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