Why does my phone keep saying “emergency calls only”

It must be very frustrating when you are trying to make a call but your phone keeps saying “emergency calls only” or “emergency calls only”. Don’t worry because this is a rather annoying but very common situation, especially on Android phones. Today’s wikiHow will help you learn the cause of the problem and the solution to get you back to work.

Table of Contents

The SIM card is inserted incorrectly.

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Take out the SIM card and put it back in the phone properly. The SIM card is the core component of the phone, so when inserted correctly, the phone will work properly. ^{[1] X Research Source} You can usually find the SIM card in the tray on the side or near the battery compartment on the back of the phone. Here are a few tips for getting and replacing phone SIM cards: ^{[2] X Research Source}

In case the SIM card is in the SIM tray: Insert the straightened paperclip, earring or SIM stick into the small vertical hole on the SIM tray on the side of the phone until the SIM tray pops out. Then pull out the SIM tray to get the SIM card. Reinsert the SIM card into the mold so that the notched edge of the SIM card matches the SIM tray border. ^{[3] X Research Sources}
Where the SIM card is in the battery compartment: Remove the phone back cover and remove the battery to find the SIM slot. Proceed to slide the SIM card out of the place where it is inserted, then check the illustration engraved on or near the slot to see if the SIM card is in the correct orientation. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

The SIM card is damaged.

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Call your mobile carrier to request a new SIM card. Then you take out the old SIM card and put the new SIM card back in place. With the new SIM card, check if the phone still shows the “emergency calls only” warning; If so, you should bring the phone in for repair. If a new SIM card doesn’t fix the problem, the phone may have deeper hardware damage. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Your mobile carrier will issue you a new SIM card for free. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

Telephone service is interrupted.

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Check with your carrier to see if there are any service outages. Suspended service may affect the connectivity of the phone, which in turn results in the inability to make calls. ^{[7] X Research resources} Visit your carrier’s website and check to see if there are any ongoing service issues that are preventing the phone from working properly.

You can also use a third-party service like DownDetector to check if your mobile service provider is working properly.

You need to select the carrier manually.

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Disable automatic network selection in phone settings. Sometimes because the phone cannot connect to the best available network on its own, an error occurs. Open “Settings”, select “Connections” then “Mobile networks”. Tap the “Network operators” option at the bottom of the menu and turn off the “Select automatically” switch. A short list of mobile service providers will pop up so you can choose the one with the best stable service. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

You may need to try again and again until it feels optimal. Try selecting each carrier to see when the phone stops saying “emergency calls only”.

You need to switch the network mode.

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Switch to a lower network speed in the “network mode” section of your phone settings. Open the “Settings” section and tap on “Connections”. Then, tap on “Mobile networks” and select “Network mode”. Switch from “LTE/3G/2G” auto-connect option to “2G only” (2G only). This network setting will turn off the “emergency calls only” message on the phone screen. ^{[9] X Research Source}

Changing the network mode will re-customize your phone’s data settings and may remove the “emergency calls only” message.

You need to restart the network.

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Put the phone in flight mode (Flight Mode) for 5 seconds. Drag down the notification panel from the top of the screen and find the airplane icon. When you tap this icon, the phone will disconnect from both Wi-Fi and mobile networks. Stay in flight mode for at least 5 seconds before tapping the Flight Mode icon again. If all goes well, this reset should remove the “emergency calls only” warning from the display. ^{[10] X Research Source}

You can also access airplane mode in the “Settings” section. Proceed to open the settings and select “Connections” from the main menu. Between the “Bluetooth” and “Mobile networks” options will be “Flight mode”, turn on the switch next to it to reset your phone’s network connection.
On some phones, the flight mode is also called “Aircraft Mode”. ^{[11] X Research Source}

You are in a crowded place.

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Move to a less crowded area and try using your phone. Mobile service is often not very stable when many people use the same base station at the same time. If the “emergency calls only” message pops up every now and then, you may need to move to a less crowded place. ^{[12] X Research Source}

For example, your phone may not work when you are driving through a crowded area of the city.

The phone antenna is broken.

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Buy a new phone back cover from the phone manufacturer. Check the current phone back cover for a snug and secure fit. A mismatched back cover could be a sign that the antenna is damaged, so the “emergency calls only” message should be activated. Call customer service or check the phone manufacturer’s homepage to find a new back cover that matches your phone’s model. ^{[13] X Research Source}

You need to power off your phone and then turn it back on.

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Power off the phone without restarting. Hold down the power button until the “Power off” button appears. Continue pressing this button and then press “OK” to turn off the phone completely. ^{[14] X Research Source} After the phone is turned off, remove the back cover and then remove the battery (for phones with removable batteries). Wait a few seconds before reinserting the battery and turning on the phone. ^{[15] X Research Source}

You need to factory reset your phone.

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Restore factory settings from within your phone’s settings. If there is no way to get rid of the “emergency calls only” message, a factory reset will be the last resort for you. ^{[16] X Research Source} Proceed to open “Settings” > “System” > “Advanced” > “Reset options”. Select “Erase all data (factory reset)” or “Erase all data (factory reset), then “Erase all data”. Then, enter your phone PIN and tap “Erase all data” again. Usually this reset will fix the problem. ^{[17] X Research Source}

Don’t forget to back up your phone before doing a factory reset. That way you won’t have to set everything up from scratch.

The phone bill is overdue.

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Sign in to your mobile carrier account and check if you forgot to pay any bills. Check previous phone bills to make sure you’ve paid your carrier in full. The telecommunications company may stop providing service if you leave your bill overdue for a long time without paying. ^{[18] X Research Sources}

You need to make sure that the billing information on your account is up to date as well.

Steps