Samsung Galaxy S4 - " Sim card not detected - reboot "

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Justin5609

Honorable
Jan 22, 2013
3
0
10,510
Has anyone else had an issue with their Galaxy S4 constantly coming up as the sim card not being detected and having to reboot?

My phone started doing it on the very odd occasion, but now it seems to do it 12+ times a day, sometimes 4 or 5 times in a row on a bad day. Sim card isn't loose. Works fine after a reboot (most of the time, sometimes keeps having to reboot).

Seems to happen more often since I upgraded to KitKat, but might be irrelevant. Google doesn't seem to help besides sending it off for repair which I'm pretty close to doing. Has anyone found any solutions besides?
 

Aberardo

Estimable
Nov 21, 2014
1
0
4,510

Another sim card wont work. I just put a new 32 gb in and it still does it. Im gonna send it to samsung and let them deal w/it..
 

AlainLetzebuerg

Estimable
Nov 26, 2014
1
0
4,510
Hi,

I had the same problem and tried everything (inserted a new sim, cleaned the partition cache, read endless posts, etc...)
Now I have installed this free App called "Bluetooth connect & Play"

(I'm not related to this App in any way) and since then, I don't get any reboots

My guess is that there is something wrong with the Bluetooth software in the S4.

Please let me know if that helped you out.

 

dfuller12

Estimable
Jan 17, 2015
1
0
4,510
I have had this problem with my galaxy s4 and I only had it for 3 months. Constantly my phone would restart all day to the point when I would cut my phone back on it would only say no sim card emergency calls only. 2 things I did was
1: before cutting the phone back on regular I would hold the power button and the volume button until a blue message pops up in the left corner than I would clear partition cache and than reboot the system that would work for two days and than It would mess up again.
2. I would cut the phone off , cut it back on , while the phone was cutting on I would non stop press on the home screen button until the phone goes in safe mode when the phone is on I would go to settings , home screen mode and click on easy mode than I would immediate restart the phone and that worked very well for weeks. When my phone started acting up again I completely got a new Sims card. When the new Sims card was acting up in the phone I realized the card wasn't the problem it was the phone. I called AT&T they said it was a system hardware problem and the sent a new s4 out and the old Sims card been working perfectly fine with the new phone.
 

denis408

Estimable
Feb 4, 2015
1
0
4,510
There is confusion here between SD card and the SIM card. The SD card is for storage and the SIM card identifies you on the carrier's network as a valid customer.
I have this same issue with the SIM card. I had TMobile replace the SIM card and the new one has the same problem. A week later and it reboots 6 or 8 times a day. I believe replacing the phone is the only solution. I did not try installing the bluetooth application recommended by another poster, but I really find it hard to believe that would work.



 

Sprock Er

Estimable
Feb 12, 2015
1
0
4,510
Hello
It's a hardware issue not the sim card. Use your warranty and get the phone replaced or fixed. Might also be caused by excess heat from gaming. I noticed it happens to my phone when Im playing some high paced game apps.
 

ddiz

Estimable
Feb 14, 2015
1
0
4,510
There is a bad batch of s4's out there that are known to have this issue. Talking to the warranty department of your carrier they can identify if your imei falls in the range of this batch and get you a new one. It had nothing to do with the sim card, it's a hardware issue.
 

kassinlevy

Estimable
Feb 16, 2015
1
0
4,510


Having the very same issue. Have you resolved this issue with your phone and, if so, how...? Thanks in advance.
 

VO Knows

Estimable
Feb 20, 2015
2
0
4,510
I have T-Mobile. Tried a new SIM didnt work. Had them send me a "new" Phone and used the new sim. Still giving me crap. I think it may be a problem with the latest Update.
 

VO Knows

Estimable
Feb 20, 2015
2
0
4,510


You're right if the last 6 of your IMEI number falls in the following range you're at Risk.
000001-585557
 

pxkxb

Estimable
Feb 22, 2015
1
0
4,510


I have researched this issue for days. I have tried the following fixes:

-clear cache from recovery
-tried 3 different Sims
-factory reset

None of the above worked.

What did WORK was the following:

-I folded a small piece of paper multiple times And placed it to the left of the flash on the back of the phone then put the cover on. This creates pressure on that spot.

I have not had the issue for 2 days now, compared to 5 times daily.

This is definitely a hardware issue
 

Ola222

Estimable
Feb 24, 2015
1
0
4,510
Found the solution to this issue as I was having it also and it worked like a charm.

I take no credit for it and am only passing it along.

"applying pressure where the SIM/SD Card reader RIBBON is what makes the fix work, not the SIM card tray itself...

It doesn't really matter what you use, however I used a cut up piece of foam (earplug) to apply pressure to the area with the ribbon. My foam was about 0.4cm thick. See the below photo and please note that it was taken with a webcam so the orientation is reversed to what it really looks like."

http://forums.androidcentral.com/attachments/samsung-galaxy-s4/160714d1422254921-galaxy-s4-major-problem-sim-card-not-detected-1-25-2015-1-09-38-pm.png

The cheap soft foam earplugs work great because they apply even pressure to the right spot. Also it can be cut over thick and it still compresses perfectly to just the right size.

http://www.cvs.com/shop/personal-care/ear-care/ear-plugs/cvs-soft-foam-earplugs-skuid-694929
 

Bluna

Estimable
Feb 25, 2015
1
0
4,510


^THIS IS THE BEST ANSWER, THANK YOU!

I tried all the software recommendations and multiple sim cards but it's definitely a hardware issue. I folded a small piece of paper 3 times to resemble a square and placed it on top of the sim card slot.

You have to hold it down in place as you put your phone cover back on so it stays directly on top. The pressure of the cover does the rest, as soon as I turned on my phone again I got my mobile service back. Thank you!!
 
Mar 2, 2015
1
0
4,510
(((The Best solution )))

Just put & stretch out clear scotch tape on where the sim card goes. I noticed tape was on it before. That is all you need to do. & my cell accepted the sim right away. Please let me know if this works for you.
 

Dwebster

Estimable
Mar 4, 2015
1
0
4,510
This has been working for me.

Samsung support will not do anything about the issue if your phone is past its year warranty.





 

trevorduong

Estimable
Mar 6, 2015
1
0
4,510
I can also confirm that applying pressure where the SIM/SD Card reader RIBBON is what makes the fix work, not the SIM card tray itself. This fix worked with a friend's S4 which was having the exact same issue. Mine has been working fine for about a month or so (previously it was having the SIM card error multiple times daily).

It doesn't really matter what you use, however I used a cut up piece of foam (earplug) to apply pressure to the area with the ribbon. My foam was about 0.4cm thick.
 

orville666

Estimable
Mar 9, 2015
1
0
4,510
I have read plenty on this and have tried all the tricks. I have BTW fixed my phone.
Here is what I have learned. I will try to cross post this to some of the other forums that have helped me. The credit for this fix and the info goes to other peoples efforts.

It appears that a certain lot of S4 phones were more susceptible to this problem. IMEI numbers with the last 6 digits in this range: 000000 - 560000.

Some of the things that I tried were - New SIM card, clearing cache, booting to safe mode (Holding Vol Up and Power) then wiping and resetting to factory. I have upgraded firmware and I have tried previous versions of firmware. I have rooted and un-rooted the phone. I have removed the SIM card and used and eraser to clean the contacts. I have used a shim (piece of business card) behind the SIM to give more pressure on the contacts.
All of these attempted did not fix my problem. They have apparently worked for other people, but not for me in this case.

What did work for me was to take the back off the phone and put a small piece of foam over the spot where the cable connector for the SIM ( and SD card ) board connects to the main board. This information and photo came from another person. He used a piece cut from a foam ear plug.
1-25-2015%201-09-38%20PM.png


Let me make one correction, this semi worked for me, it did show improvement but still failed on occasion so I took out the screws of the grey plastic back bezel. https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Samsung+Galaxy+S4+Teardown/13947
This will reveal the actual connector. I put the foam there, then replaced the bezel. When it was screwed down it really put support on the connector. The foam I used was a little too thick and made a small bump in the back of the case. It is minor and the phone works now, that is all that matters.



 

Frankenscripter

Estimable
Mar 14, 2015
1
0
4,510
I did the "slice of earplug foam, inside the grey plastic bezel, directly on the connector" thing. Meaning, I unscrewed and took it all apart, put the foam on carefully, then carefully reassembled and screwed it all together.

For 14 days, no sim card errors. On day 14, I got my first one. Another 5 days later. Another one day after that. Sigh. Phone is out of warranty and I'm not the original owner (bought off swappa maybe 8 months ago).

Not sure what to try next. I could try an even thicker slice, though the one I used was thick enough to put good pressure down.
 
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