How To Fix “Mobile Network Not Available” error on Galaxy S8

Hello and welcome to another #GalaxyS8 troubleshooting article. In this episode, we give you the ways to troubleshoot one of the common issues on the device — “Mobile Network Not Available” error. This bug is usually due to network problems but it can also occur if there’s an issue with the phone’s software or radio. at other times, flashing may result to this issue as well, especially if the phone’s EFS folder was tampered with. So, if you happen to be flashing your device before, make sure to check if your device’s IMEI is still intact or registered to your own network.

If you did not do anything that might have compromised the device’s software or hardware, then the most likely reason for your issue is network-related. whatever the reason for your issue, make sure to browse through our suggestions in order for you to identify it.

Today’s problem: Galaxy S8 “Mobile Network Not Available” error

When attempting to make a call i get the message, “Mobile Network Not Available.” Wifi works but i cannot use my phone when wifi is unavailable.  I had my SIM card replaced, but that did not fix the problem. I am a Metro PCS customer, PLEASE HELP!!! — John Martin

Solution: Hi John. “Mobile Network Not Available” error is usually caused by a network issue although in some rare cases, bugs with the phone may also trigger it. In this short troubleshooting guide, we’ll walk you through the steps that you can do in order to cover all possible reasons for the problem.

Solution #1: Verify there’s network signal on your phone

Before you embark on doing more advanced or drastic troubleshooting steps be sure to check if your phone is getting good signal consistently. If it you are in a poorly covered area, or if the environment is such that your S8 constantly gets disconnected from the network due to loss of signal, “Mobile Network Not Available” bug may keep popping up. To see if you’re merely having  a signal issue, try to go to known location with good signal and see what happens. If the error won’t occur while you’re in the area, then you know that you have a signal issue only.

Solution #2: Remove SIM card and restart

Some users were able to fix this trouble on the Galaxy S8 by simply turning off the phone and removing the SIM card.  This troubleshooting step can effectively fix the problem if the bug is due to SIM-card related error. Before you take the SIM card from the phone, make sure that the device itself is turned off. Then, once you’ve removed the SIM card, wait for about 5 minutes before re-inserting the SIM. This will force the phone to reconfigure its network settings in order to re-establish communication with your network. If the bug has developed in your phone’s communication with the network, this step may help.

Solution #3: Check Network mode

Verifying your S8’s network mode is a necessary step for any network issues. Make sure that your S8 uses the right network mode. To check:

  1. Open Settings app.
  2. Tap Connections.
  3. Tap Mobile networks.
  4. Tap Network mode and select 4G or LTE or auto-connect.

While you’re at it, make sure that you also check the selected network operator. Then, let your phone search for networks so it temporarily disconnects from your carriers system. Afterwards, make sure that you use Select automatically so your S8 will scan the airwaves for available networks and pick your own automatically on its own.

Solution #4: Verify Roaming is OFF

If you just came from a trip abroad, or if you’ve been to a place without your carrier’s network coverage, it’s possible that Roaming function is still active. Make sure that this is not the case by going under Settings > Connections > Mobile networks > Data roaming.

Solution #5: Verify Airplane Mode

Just like enabled data roaming function, enabled Airplane Mode may also lead to  “Mobile Network Not Available” error so be sure to check it as well. You can do that by going pulling down the notification bar from the top and tapping on Airplane Mode button. If the error still occurs after turning off Airplane mode, proceed to the next troubleshooting steps below.

Solution #6: Install carrier update

Some network troubles including  “Mobile Network Not Available” error can be fixed only by installing carrier-released patches. In these cases, identified bugs are more likely carrier-specific so only a patch from your carrier can fix them. By default, the Galaxy S8 is set to automatically download and install updates so if you changed this behavior before, make sure to go under Settings > Software updates to check.`

Solution #7: Reset network settings

If your issue is not yet fixed by now and if our suggestions above haven’t changed anything, the next troubleshooting that you can do is to reset the device’s network settings. Here’s how:

  1. Open Settings app.
  2. Tap General Management.
  3. Tap Reset.
  4. Tap Reset network settings.
  5. Tap RESET SETTINGS button to confirm.

Solution #8: Verify for rogue apps

Sometimes, bad third party apps may affect how Android works, or how other app behaves. If you are adventurous when it comes to apps, there’s a chance that you may have installed one that’s causing the problem right now. There’s a lot of issues that can happen due to a bad app so in this troubleshooting package, it’s really worth your time checking if the

“Mobile Network Not Available” error will occur when there are no third party apps running. Safe mode blocks third party apps and only allows the ones that originally came with your operating system. If any of the apps you added later on is the cause of the problem, then you’ll know that when you boot your phone to safe mode. Here’s how:

  1. Turn the device off.
  2. Press and hold the Power key past the model name screen appearing on the screen.
  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.
  6. When Safe mode appears in the bottom left corner of the screen, release the Volume down key.
  7. While in Safe mode, you can now uninstall apps that are causing a problem.

Don’t forget, safe mode is not a solution but a tool to help you check our suspicion of a possible bad third party app. If the error won’t occur when your device is on safe mode and comes back when on normal mode, you can bet one of your apps is causing the problem. Unfortunately, there’s no easy way to identify what app is causing the problem. If you suspect that an app you added is the reason for the error, you must do trial-and-error to know what that app is. Basically, what you want to do is the following:

  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 the problem still remains, repeat steps 1-4.

Solution #9: Factory reset

If “Mobile Network Not Available” error still persists, don’t hesitate to wipe your device via factory reset. This is a drastic step that will erase your files, remove apps, and return the software to its defaults so be sure to back your data up ahead of time. Once you’ve done that, follow the steps below to factory reset your S8:

  1. Turn off the device.
  2. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
  3. When the green Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
  4. Press the Volume down key several times to highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset’.
  5. Press Power button to select.
  6. Press the Volume down key until ‘Yes — delete all user data’ is highlighted.
  7. Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
  8. When the master reset is complete, ‘Reboot system now’ is highlighted.
  9. Press the Power key to restart the device.

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