How to fix No SIM card error on your HTC U12/U12+ smartphone [Troubleshooting Guide]

When your phone shows a No SIM card error prompt, it’s telling you that it doesn’t recognize the SIM card. If this happens, network services such as calling and texting are affected. For the key network services to resume, you’ll need to do something to fix the error. There are two possible reasons as to why your phone failed to detect the SIM card inserted. It’s possible that the device system is glitching or hardware damage/failure is present.

To rule out system issues from the underlying causes, you need to troubleshoot your device. Mapped out below are some suggested procedures and potential solutions to a No SIM card error on the new HTC U12/U12+ smartphone. If you own this device and are dealing with the same SIM card error, then you can refer to this walkthrough. Read on for more details.

But before anything else, if you have another issue with your phone, drop by our troubleshooting page as we have already addressed hundreds of issues reported by the owners. Odds are that there are already existing solutions on our website or at least, there are similar problems we already fixed. So, try to find ones that are similar or related to your problem. If you need further assistance, however, feel free to contact us by filling up our Android issues questionnaire.

First solution: Soft reset or reboot your HTC U12/U12+ smartphone.

Start by restarting your phone. A device restart or soft reset effectively clears minor system errors caused by random software glitches and bugs. It also clears the device memory from temporary files and data, including corrupted cache files that might have caused the phone system to err. Here’s how it’s done:

Press and hold the Power button and Volume Down button simultaneously for a 15 seconds and then release both buttons when the phone power cycles.

No data will be deleted in the process, so you won’t lose any file you saved on your phone memory.

Second solution: Boot your HTC U12/U12+ smartphone in safe mode.

Booting your device in safe mode can help you determine quickly if the problem is attributed to a third-party app or not. All third-party apps and services are temporarily disabled and not running in safe mode. If the error does not occur while in safe mode, then it denotes that a third-party app is the trigger. In this case, you will need to determine which app is the culprit and then delete it completely. To get started, follow these steps to enable Safe Mode on your HTC U12/U12+ smartphone:

With the screen on, press and hold the Power button for a few seconds.
When prompted with the menu options, tap and hold Power off.
Then tap OK when prompted to restart in Safe Mode.
After your phone reboots, it should display a Safe Mode label at the bottom of the screen.

Try to see if the error still shows. If the No SIM card error does not occur, uninstall apps that you’ve downloaded recently. You can start from the latest download you made prior to the onset of the error.

After removing the errant app, you can exit Safe Mode and switch back to normal mode restarting your phone.

Third solution: Update your HTC U12/U12+ software to the latest Android version.

Installing the latest update can be the key to fixing the No SIM card error if it’s attributed by system bugs and malware. New updates usually embed fix patches for security enhancements. This is one of the reasons why it’s highly recommended to keep your device software up to date. To check for new OTA update on your HTC U12/U12+, follow these steps:

Tap Settings from the Home screen.
Tap General tab.
Tap Update center, then tap System update.
Tap the option to Check for update.

If an update is available, read and review the requirements. If all the requirements are met, follow the onscreen prompts to download and install the latest software update on your HTC U12/U12+.

Fourth solution: Wipe cache partition on your HTC U12/U12+ smartphone.

Wiping the cache partition might be the key solution if the No SIM card error instigates after installing a new software update on your phone. It’s probably just some errant cache from the system partition that’s preventing your device from reading the SIM card. To find out, wipe cache partition on your new HTC smartphone with these steps:

Be sure the phone is off.
Press and hold the Volume Down key.
Turn the phone on by pressing the Power key until the phone vibrates, then release Power.
Continue holding the Volume Down key.
Release the Volume Down key when the black screen with red and blue lines of text appears.
Press the Volume Down key repeatedly until reboot to bootloader is highlighted.
Press the Power key.
The device will display a white screen with colored text.
Press the Volume Down key repeatedly until BOOT TO RECOVERY MODE is highlighted.
Press the Power key. The screen will flash HTC, wait for the next screen.
Press Volume Down key to highlight wipe cache partition.
Press the Power key.
Press the Volume Down key to highlight Yes on the ‘Wipe cache?’ screen.
Press the Power key.
Once complete, press the Power key again to select Reboot system now.

Afterwards, reboot your phone and then try and see if the error is gone already. If it still shows up, then you may have to resort to software resets.

Fifth solution: Reset all settings on your HTC U12/U12+ smartphone.

Invalid settings on the phone system can cause conflict and triggers an error to occur. This usually occurs when a new update is installed and that update automatically overrides current settings on your phone. In that case, reverting the changes would be the key solution. To get this done, you can reset all settings on your phone and then configure necessary options and features individually and accordingly. Follow these steps to get started:

Navigate to Settings-> System menu, from the Home screen.
Tap Restart & reset.
Select the option to Reset settings.
When asked, tap Reset Settings to confirm.
Enter your device PIN or password, if prompted,
Then tap OK to proceed.

Any invalid settings or options will be cleared in the process so be sure to set up and reconnect to your Wi-Fi or cellular network to regain Internet access and restore network services on your device. Try and see if that clears the No SIM card error too.

Other options

Remove and reseat the SIM card on your HTC U12/U12+ smartphone. Make sure that the problem is not caused by a dislodged or loose SIM card on the phone. The error may also denote that the phone does not actually detect the SIM card because it’s not properly seated. To find out, turn off your phone and remove the SIM card from the tray. Check for any visible signs of damage like scratches or dents on the card. If there’s none, place the SIM card back into the tray in the same position before you took it. The gold contacts must be facing downwards. Secure the card and the tray into the slot then turn on your phone. See if the No SIM card error is already gone.
Contact your network service provider or carrier. If your HTC U12/U12+ still shows a No SIM card error even after reseating the SIM card, contact your carrier or network service provider for other options. If necessary, they can provision or reactivate your SIM card from their end. If that won’t help either, then you may have to request for a new SIM card replacement as your SIM card is most likely damaged.

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