The following article will provide a simple yet effective guide to fix the SIM not provisioned for voice error on your device.
Have you ever felt like smashing your cell phone against the wall because of a recurring error message that is driving you nuts? I sure have! In today’s age, we are so dependent on modern technology that a sudden error message on your phone can make you feel helpless. And one such error is when the message “SIM not provisioned for voice” pops up on your phone.
It can be extremely annoying and frustrating not being able to make or receive calls on your mobile phone, and even more so when you have something urgent going on. But don’t worry, we got you covered! There are several ways to get your phone to function normally without beating the heck out of it.
In this article, you will learn all about what the SIM not provisioned for voice error means and how to fix it. Let’s get started with the basic question:
What does the ‘SIM not provisioned for voice’ message mean?
SIM cards are used to identify subscriber accounts. Hence, the carrier is provisioning the service to the end user (subscriber) by provisioning service to the subscriber’s SIM card.
As the SIM card represents the account, the meaning of the message ‘SIM not provisioned for voice’ is that the voice phone line is no longer attached to the SIM card. In this situation, you cannot receive or make any voice calls, except for emergency calls (911 in the US, 112 in Europe).
What causes this error?
There are quite a few reasons why your phone might display a message that reads “SIM not provisioned for voice.” Here are some of them:
- Porting mobile number from another service provider: if you have recently ported your mobile number from a previous service provider to a new one, you need to wait for a provider system refresh to occur. This can sometimes take up to 24 hours.
- Ongoing maintenance, network congestion, or patching and updating on the service provider’s end: sometimes, when the service provider’s end is undergoing maintenance, a network congestion or patching and updating, the service provider’s authorization server can be temporary unavailable (not responding), or responding to authorization requests with huge delay.
- Changes and updates in your SIM by the service provider: if the service provider made some changes and accidentally updated the status of your SIM- they also detached the voice phone line from your account by mistake.
- SIM card not picked up by cell phone: sometimes, your device fails to read the SIM card, or it does, but is not able to establish communication with the operator’s SIM provisioning server.
Provisioning works in a similar manner on any cellular carrier, regardless of device, meaning, ‘SIM not provisioned for voice can affect any kind of device, be it Samsung, iPhone or Android phone.
Now that you know the meaning of the ‘SIM not provisioned for voice’ error and the reasons that might cause it, let’s see how we can fix the error.
How to fix SIM not provisioned for voice?
Contacting customer support and asking them to help you fix the error on your cell phone can seem like an unnecessary hassle, and can also be quite time consuming. There are several easy ways to fix the ‘SIM not provisioned for voice’ error quickly.
The first thing that you need to do before trying to fix the error is to remove the SIM card and battery from the current device and put it in another device to check whether it’s not damaged. In case of damaged SIM, there’s nothing you can do except seek customer support from your service provider.
In case the SIM works on other devices but not on yours, here are a few steps to resolve the issue:
- Ensure that all your phone services and apps in charge for SIM registration are running smoothly.
- You can do this by updating carrier services and clearing SIM toolkit data.
- Search for carrier services in Google Play Store app, open the carrier services app and tap Update.
- Open the Settings on your phone and search for ‘SIM Toolkit’ app Apps and force stop it.
- Now, you need to tap on Storage, and then clear all the data and cache.
- [Note: this step is required only for GoogleFi users; move forward to the next step if you do not use the GoogleFi service] Open the Google Play Store app, tap Menu and then select My Apps & games. Tap Update if there’s one available next to the Google Fi app.
- Open up the Settings on your phone again and tap General management, tap Reset, tap ‘Reset network settings’, choose ‘SIM number’ (for dual-SIM devices), tap ‘Reset settings’.
- Now, restart your phone and see if the issue is resolved by making a call from your device.
Steps to fix “No voice service temporarily turned off by carrier”
This error occurs due to a temporary voice service outage and depends on whether your mobile data/voice calls works when this message shows up. Here’s how to fix it:
- In case your mobile data/ voice service does not work when the message appears, all you can do is wait till the services are restored. You can try shutting off and restarting your device to force the phone to retry and establish the voice service again.
- If your mobile data/voice service works normally, you can ignore the message. If you find the recurring appearance of the message annoying, you can disable the notification by following these steps in your phone’s settings: Settings > Apps and notifications > See all apps > Tap the 3 dots menu upper right corner > Tap show system > Tap phone services > Tap notifications > Turn off alerts.
FAQs about the SIM not provisioned for voice error
How do I activate my SIM card?
The activation process of a SIM card is done directly by the service provider within 24 hours of buying a new card. If you have a new SIM card, you can check the status of your activation by contacting the service provider through a call or SMS, or by checking the status of your activation online.
What should I do if the issue is not resolved?
In case the SIM not provisioned for voice does not get resolved through the methods mentioned above, you can contact your service provider for additional help.
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