When your iPhone 13 Pro Max has no service, either because you see an error message or can’t make or receive phone calls, there are several potential problems. You may be experiencing service issues, such as a problem with the cellphone carrier’s service plan, a hardware issue with the phone, or a misconfigured setting.
Reasons Why Your iPhone 13 Pro Max Says ‘No Service’
There’s no single reason why an iPhone 13 Pro Max may report it has no service, so you need to troubleshoot the problem, trying the easiest and most likely solutions first.
When you’re in a remote area, it makes sense that your iPhone’s service would be a little unreliable. However, if you’re in a densely populated area or a big metropolis, seeing the dreaded “No Service” notification on the top of your iPhone 13 Pro Max can be perplexing at best and downright frustrating at worst.
If you find yourself with no service on your iPhone 13 Pro Max and are unsure how to fix it, there are a few things you can try all on your own before having to head to your nearest Apple Store.
When your iPhone 13 Pro Max has no service, the quickest fixes include restarting your phone , turning Airplane Mode on and off, and checking your coverage area.
See also: How to Fix iPhone Cellular Data Problems on ios 15
How to Fix Your iPhone 13 Pro Max When It Has No Service
Here are a few things you can try when your iPhone 13 Pro Max has no service:
Make sure you’re within a coverage area
If you’re deep inside a building, underground, or in a rural area, you may not have service in that location. Check for signal strength bars in the upper-right corner of the screen.
Enable and disable airplane mode
The next solution to the no service or signal problem on iPhone 13 Pro Max, is to manually try connecting to the service provider. All you need to do is toggle airplane mode on and then back off so that the device attempts to connect. Oftentimes that’s all that’s needed to reestablish connection with the service provider. It resets the device’s APM-Cycle in case it’s lost connection to a signal tower, by manually disconnecting from the tower and attempting reconnection. You can do this by going to Settings, Then, tap the Airplane Mode icon and wait 10 seconds before tapping it again.
Restart Your iPhone
The easiest thing to try (and often the most effective!) to resolve a no service issue on iPhone 13 Pro Max is to restart your device. If you continue to see the “No Service” error on iPhone 13 Pro Max, try doing that now. You can do this by going to Settings > General > Shut down Then, hold and drag the Power off slider to the right to turn off the device. Once the screen goes dark, wait for at least 30 seconds before holding down the Side button to reboot it.
Force-Restart Your iPhone
If the “No Service” error is accompanied by a system-wide freeze preventing you from rebooting your iPhone normally, a force-restart can help. Press and quickly release the Volume Up button, press and quickly release the Volume Down button, and press and hold down the Side button until you see the Apple logo.
Check for Carrier Settings Update
The “No Service” status error can also occur on iPhone 13 Pro Max due to issues with the carrier settings on your iPhone. Your mobile operator may have pushed an update to fix that. However, if you didn’t receive an automatic prompt asking you to install it, you must trigger the update manually.
Make sure your iPhone is connected to a Wi-Fi network. Then, go to Settings > General > About and scroll down until you see the details related to your carrier.
Wait for at least 30 seconds. If a Carrier Settings Update notification pops up on the screen, tap Update to apply it.
Activate Data Roaming
If you see the “No Service” error on iPhone 13 Pro Max while traveling abroad, you probably have roaming disabled on your iPhone. To fix that, go to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options and turn on the switch next to Data Roaming.
You may want to disable roaming when you aren’t actively using the device to avoid excessive charges. However, that shouldn’t be a problem if you already have a roaming plan set up with your carrier.
Turn Off Automatic Network Selection
Manually selecting the correct wireless network can also resolve the “No Service” issue on your iPhone 13 Pro Max. You can do this by navigating to Settings > Cellular > Network Selection. Now, turn off the switch next to Automatic. On the list of carriers that then shows up, pick your cellular service provider.
Switch Between Voice & Data Settings
Switching between your cellular connection’s voice and data settings can “nudge” your iPhone into communicating with your mobile operator. You can do this by going to Settings > Cellular > Voice & Data and fiddle with the available data options (5G, 4G, 3G, etc.) and voice configurations.
Activate Wi-Fi Calling if you have poor service
If you find that you regularly have poor service or no service somewhere that you spend a lot of time, such as your home, enable Wi-Fi Calling on your iPhone 13. This is a great solution if you move to a new house or apartment and find it’s in a cellular dead zone for your wireless provider.
Investing in a cellular repeater is a terrific way to boost weak signals in places you frequent, such as your home. But you can also try activating Wi-Fi calling on the iPhone as a temporary fix. You can do this by going to Settings > Cellular > Wi-Fi Calling and turn on the switch next to Wi-Fi Calling on This iPhone.
Update iOS
Newer versions of iOS can potentially include fixes for known software-related faults that result in the “No Service” status on the iPhone 13 Pro Max. If you haven’t updated your iOS device recently, go to Settings > General > Software Update and tap Download and Install.
Occasionally, iOS updates can also introduce issues. When that happens, a subsequent update should quickly take care of them. If you can’t wait, your only recourse is to downgrade the iPhone’s system software.
Eject & Re-Insert SIM
It’s possible the SIM card is not working properly, either because it isn’t seated correctly or is damaged. Inspect it for damage and gently clean the contacts on the SIM card with a soft dry cloth, then reinsert it. You can use the device’s SIM ejector tool or a bent paper clip for that. The iPhone 13 Pro Max has the SIM tray on the left side of the device.
You could also try inserting your SIM card into another smartphone to rule out issues caused by a malfunctioning SIM.
Set Correct Date & Time
Having the wrong date and time on an iPhone can cause numerous issues with apps and services, including connectivity problems with mobile operators. You can fix that by going to Settings > General > Date & Time and turn off the switch next to Set Automatically. Follow by setting the time on the device manually. Make sure to set it up to match the time zone in your country or region.
Reset Network Settings
Corrupt and conflicting network settings can continue to prevent your iPhone 13 Pro Max from communicating with your wireless service provider. Resetting them to their default configurations can help. You can do this by going to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset and tap Reset Network Settings.
After the reset procedure, you may receive a prompt to update your carrier settings. But most likely, that should happen automatically in the background.
Call Your Carrier
If none of the solutions above worked, try contacting up your wireless carrier for help. You may have an issue specific to your cellular account that nothing but a call to customer support can fix.
Here are Customer Service Contacts for Major Cellular Providers:
- AT&T 800-288-2020
Sprint 888-211-4727 - T-Mobile 800-937-8997
- Verizon 800-922-0204
- MetroPCS 888-863-8768
- Boost Mobile 866-402-7366
- Cricket 800-274-2538
- Virgin Mobile 888-322-1122
Still Getting “No Service” on iPhone 13 Pro Max? Contact Apple
Most of the time, toggling Airplane Mode or restarting your iPhone almost always resolves the “No Service” issue. However, if even ringing up your mobile operator didn’t do anything to fix the problem, you could be looking at a defective cellular modem or another hardware-related issue. So your next course of action should be to book an appointment at the local Genius Bar for further help.
See also: 20 Best iPhone 13 Pro Max Tips and Tricks
iPhone 13 Pro Max Searching or No Service, Problem fixed
We hope the above solutions fixed your issue. Have you faced the No Service or Searching problem on your iPhone 13 Pro Max? Drop a comment and let us know.