How To Fix Emergency Calls Only On Your Phone

If your android phone has recently started to give the annoying “Emergency Calls Only” message then read on to find out how to fix it. This error seems to pop up on all sorts of phones. As it can be caused by a few different issues I recommend following the steps below (which are listed from simplest to more complex). Stop when the problem is solved.

FIX #1: Turn your phone off than back on

This step is pretty self-explanatory. Sometimes your phone will return to proper functioning after a simple power on-off which will allow the phone a fresh start.

FIX #2: Turn on Airplane Mode then turn it off

Most phones have a feature called “airplane mode” which disables all cell reception and broadcasts temporarily. You can find it in the settings on your phone or in the drop down menu by swiping from the top or bottom on newer iPhone and Android phones.

Turn on Airplane Mode. Wait ten seconds. Then turn it off to re-enable cell reception and broadcasts. This allows the phone to reconnect to the cell network if the current connection is broken in some way.

FIX #3: Power-Cycle the phone

1. Turn the phone off.
2. Remove the battery from the phone.
3. Hold the power button down for twenty seconds.
4. Put the battery back in.
5. Power on the phone.

If your phone doesn’t have a removable battery simple skip this step.

FIX #4: Check your SIM Card

Your phone’s SIM card enables you to connect to your cellular service provider. If the SIM card is damaged or missing this can trigger the “emergency calls only” message. So first make sure that you have a SIM card installed in your phone (if your phone requires one, older non-smartphones do not).

If you have a SIM card then remove it and check for any obvious signs of damage. If it looks okay then put it back in and see if the problem has been solved. Sometimes just removing and then putting back in the SIM card fixes the problem.

If you do observe damage or debris on your SIM card then you’ll need a new one. If you notice damage/debris on the metal contacts on the card then you can try to clean them with an eraser (the type found on the back of a pencil) by gently rubbing at the contacts.

Finally if the rest of the fixes fail to solve your problem you may have to pay a visit to your cell provider in order to have them swap out the SIM card for a new one in order to determine if you have a faulty card.

FIX #5: Completely reset your phone

If the above fixes have failed to work then you’ll need to reset your phone back to factory settings. This will wipe your phone completely, all of your data. Before doing this step obviously backup everything that’s on your phone that you want to keep. Stuff like pictures, videos, music, notes, etc…

The actual process for resetting your phone varies by device. If you don’t know how to reset your phone then you can find instructions by googling “factory reset” followed by the model name and number of your phone.

I hope one of these fixes helped you! Please share your experience with this error in the comments below and if you have a different fix that may help others please share that in the comments as well.