Galaxy S4: Major problem - SIM card not detected

[Radiolaire]

While I wait to hear back from fast96 (posted 12-31-2014) to see if the replacement of the sim card tray has fixed the problem, I will try removing my 64GB SanDisk Ultra SD Card from my S4. First thing I did when I got the phone 15 months ago was inserting that card and I also always tought that my phone seemed to be overheating. There is a causal connection.
I just want to add that I find very disappointing Samsung's reaction to my calls to client service: they are not even interested in opening a ticket on this issue.

Almost two days without the SD card and my S4 has been running ever since without giving me the "SIM not detected" error. My phone does not overheat anymore.

 

[Anthony Orttel]

Thank You, this just saved me a ton of money.

 

[WPFMA]

TLDR:
1) app manager - galaxy apps - clear cache
2) open galaxy apps app - settings - turn off auto update apps

I was wondering if your fix is still working. I recently switched from Verizon to ATT and got my wife an S4 from Ebay. Started getting the error message yesterday. She is not happy.

Hoping your fix is still working.

Thanks

Wm.

 

[Chris Kim2]

really hoping Fast96's would report back...

seems so many people have same problem, yet no one has found real solution... strange.

 

[CatDwi]

Can this many galaxy's have a connection issue with the sim card!? What is Samsung going to do about it?

 

[Lukas Meyer]

POSSIBLE SOLUTION, YOU SHOULD AT LEAST TRY IT. WORKED FOR ME.

I had this problem from start of 2015 (Summer here in New Zealand)

My Galaxy S4 LTE 19505 would say no sim card and restart device etc.

It would be intermittent, coming and going, sometimes just re inserting the sim card worked, for a while.

Until today. It was permanently not picking up my sim card. Nothing I did fixed it.

I tried factory reset. I tried clearing the cache in recovery. I tried packing out the sim card with paper etc. I tried a different sim card.

I just read this post from a user above

"I have the fix people,,, I tried all the software route,,, it's hardware, pop out the sim card press on what holds it in firm but no to firm...push sim card back in,, mine has been OK for 2 weeks now.. a T mobile guy told me that is a common hard ware prob with S4 the holder get lose,, bending it in a tag fixed it"

So what I did was take my sim out of the tray/slot, then pressed firmly all over the sim card holder area, bending it downwards a little bit.
I then re-inserted my sim card and it works perfectly now for 5 hours and no problem.

From not working at all to working for 5 hours.

 

[Chris Kim2]

dont get your hopes too high
I tried putting strip of tape on top of sim card to make it more tight fit, which probably does samething as pressing down on sim holder.
it didn't fix.
I dont think it has anything to do with sim card making good or bad contact

 

[Radiolaire]

I have tried too. Did not work for me.

 

[Radiolaire]

Almost two days without the SD card and my S4 has been running ever since without giving me the "SIM not detected" error. My phone does not overheat anymore.

Well! My solution, removing the SD card worked for 4 days. The problem restarted. "Unable to detect your SIM card. Your device will restart to check for your SIM card". I am putting back my SD card.
Next step is to to order a new SIM and SD card tray and replace it.... I am not convinced it will work. I have a feeling that I would need to change the motherboard: an avenue I want to avoid because I read the part is very expensive. I prefer to invest in another device.
I forgot to mention that I had a Note 2 before my S4 that also had serious hardware problems: it was freezing all the time. Why did I get another Samsung? I should not have, that was a mistake!

Their client service is so upsetting, my device is only 15 months old... They say they have a policy of not helping customers that have a device older than one year. I think that their products are not warrantied long enough. I had experimented about the same story with my Note 2.

I will keep you informed if I ever resolve this problem. No matter what happens, this will be last Samsung product that I will purchase.

 

[LizTierney]

I've had the same problem as the rest of you and tried most everything. I suspected a bad SIM/SD card reader, because my phone was dunked in a lake this summer -- but the problem only really got bad just recently, several months after that event and after the phone was cleaned and returned to service.

So, I started to think it was software related, particularly because it worked great for about 6 hours after getting a new SIM card, but then went into the same loop again.

I may have a fix. At least, several days later, it is still working fine. No matter whether I charge all night (and it gets warm) or if I have it in my pocket or whatever. Here's what I did.

I rebooted into safe mode. Removed any excess apps. In particular, I uninstalled a Klondike solitaire game from Softick. Rebooted normally.
Since that time, it has only shown me a "SIM not inserted" error once.

I don't know that it is that app precisely, but I did try to download and install it again, and the problem returned. So I guess I'm saying that it may be other apps as well, which are, for some unknown reason, not playing well with 4.4.4.

Give it a try. Your mileage may vary...

Liz

 

[Sword9mm]

i think so, since then I've only had one sim message, and that's right after i used a cache cleaner after uninstalling a game, going from 3-4 messages a day to 1 in 2 weeks caused by cache cleaner, is a fix

 

[Trevor Duong]

Hi All,

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. 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.


Happy fixing.

 

[kyloveless]

Hi All,

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. 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.
View attachment 160714

Happy fixing.

I've tried this and it's now working again AMEN you're a life saver!!!!!

 

[sjthielbar]

I just found this thread today, as I have been experiencing the same issues the past 3 days. I'm going to try this method first. I'll let you know if it worked.

 

[GnAshole]

Re: Major problem - Sim card not detected

I agree 100% I noticed the same thing - the error happens more frequently when I use certain apps. The phone gets really hot and starts with the damn sim error message!

 

[taoako]

Re: Major problem - Sim card not detected

I cut a piece of paper of the size of the sim card. I inserted it in the sim card slot in the back of the sim itself

 

[raylynnigan]

I was having the same problem, though it was caused by a jerk kitten knocking my phone into the sink. I was able to fish it out and pull it apart before water got into anything important... or so I though. Once thoroughly dried and pieced together it wasn't recognizing the SIM card. I tried restarting, clearing the cache, and any of the tactics listed through this thread, to no avail. As a child of the Nintendo NES generation, I pulled out the SIM card, rubbed the gold parts with an eraser and blew like hell into the spot it lives in. Miracle of miracle... that's what works. May not for anyone else, but perhaps it will!

 

[Adam Jones6]

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" search for it on Google 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.

Downloaded the bluetooth share n play app restarted phone and bingo it worked lol cheers

 

[TheShanMan]

Re: Galaxy S4: Major problem - SIM card not detected FIX

Hello,

When my Samsung S4 gave me repeated NO SIM CARD errors, I thought I would have to sell my phone for parts. BUT I was able to get it working. It has been up for three days. No problems.

1 - I did an online chat with Samsung. Not much help.
2 - I went to the Rogers dealer and they gave me a new SIM. It worked for about 12 hours. Then the error came back.
3 - Some sites suggest doing the VOL + HOME menu / Clear Cache and / or factory reset. That did nothing, other than waste time.
4 - I placed a strip of business card behind the SIM. That would work for short periods, but I think that was a fluke.

What DID work was the following:

You take apart the phone, including the white interior back plate, including the eight or so little screws.

Turns out that there is a heat related issue that makes it so that the ribbon cable connector that makes the SIM card and the microSD card tray NOT communicate with the mainboard. Maybe there is some slight warping. Anyway. Look at this image:

View attachment 151038

Literally, I trimmed a piece of a guitar pick, and glued it to the black strip on the plastic phone backing. Then, when the phone is reassembled, it puts enough pressure on the ribbon cable assembly that the phone begins working. It was a ten minute fix, and it seems to be holding up just fine. I would try that fix before replacing the SIM tray.

After 2.5 months of my phone needing to reboot multiple times a day and trying every other solution, I finally tried this last week and it seems to be fixed (knock on wood). It's been around 5-6 days now without needing a reboot. Too bad I didn't try this before trying the factory reset solution!

 

[Linda Leon]

Thank you so much for posting your solution! totally worked for me!