Xiaomi phone doesn’t catch the network: a complete guide to restoring communication

Did you take Xiaomi smartphone out of your pocket, and instead of the usual “strips” of the network – a void or the words “Emergency Calls Only, POCO Or Mi can come on suddenly, turning the gadget into a useless brick. SIM-In this article, we will analyze all possible scenarios why Xiaomi is not catching the network, and give step-by-step instructions for fixing them, from basic actions to deep diagnostics.

It's important to understand that if a smartphone stops seeing the network after falling, getting moisture or disassembling itself, there's a high risk of physical damage to the antenna or motherboard, and in these cases, the software methods are powerless, you'll need repairs in the service center, but in 80% of cases, the problem is solved without going to the workshop, let's start with the simplest checks and gradually move on to complex manipulations.

Basic checks: SIM-map and phone settings

Before digging deep, make sure the problem isn't lurking on the surface. Start with a physical check SIM-Often users miss the obvious: for example, a card may have moved in a slot after a hit or vibration.

Turn off the phone, remove the tray for SIM-Check the contacts, they must be clean, without scratching or oxidizing, and if the card has been cropped to nano-SIM, check if it touches the edges of the slot. Make sure the tray is inserted correctly – on some Xiaomi models (such as the Redmi Note 10 Pro), it locks with a characteristic click.

• 🔄 Restart your phone. It's trivial, but it helps 20% of the time -- especially if the failure is caused by a temporary conflict between the communication module and the firmware.
• 📶 Turn on/off In-Air mode. This resets the network connection and causes the module to reconnect. Press the top notification curtain and tap the aircraft icon twice at 10 seconds intervals.
• 🔧 Check the manual selection of the network. Go to Settings → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Select a network and select Automatic mode. If the phone does not find any networks, try manually selecting the operator (for example, MTS or Beeline»).
• 📱 Make sure that SIM-The card is activated. Call your number from another phone -- if you hear "subscriber temporarily unavailable," the operator's problem is.

⚠️ Note: If you are using eSIM (virtual) SIM-map, check its status in the Settings menu → SIM-map → eSIM management. Virtual cards can be deactivated when firmware fails or settings are reset.

If you don't have the network after this manipulation, move on to the next section, but first answer the question:

2. Software failures: resetting settings and software updates

Modern Xiaomi smartphones work on the basis MIUI — It's a proprietary shell that sometimes conflicts with the communication module, especially after firmware updates or customization. ROM. If the phone stopped catching the network after upgrading the system, the software is most likely to blame.

Start by resetting the network settings. This method removes all the stored connections (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, VPN), but does not affect personal data. → System and device → Resetting settings → Reset the network settings. After the reset, check the link.

• 🔄 Update your firmware. Go to Settings. → The phone. → Update the system and install the latest patches. Xiaomi regularly releases patches for communication bugs.
• 📲 Check it out. IMEI. Enter the code *#06# in the phone application. If zeros or "unknown" are displayed instead of a 15-digit number, the communication module is locked (more on this in section 5).
• 🛠️ Clear the cache of the communication module. → Annexes → Application management → Three dots (menu) → Show system-based → Phone services and click "Clear cache».

If the problem persists, try hard reset, which will remove all data from your phone, including photos and apps, so back up first.

1. Turn off the phone.
2. Press the Volume Up + Power buttons before the Mi logo appears.
3. From the Recovery menu, select Wipe Data → Wipe All Data (manage by volume and power buttons).
4. After resetting, restart the device.

Make a backup copy in Mi Cloud|Record the username/password from the Xiaomi account|Make sure the battery is charged >50%|Get out. SD-card (if any)-->

3. Firmware problems: rollback, flashing, custom ROM

If the phone stopped catching the network after the update MIUI, Xiaomi’s patch may be to blame, especially for global firmware devices (e.g. Redmi Note 11 Pro).+ 5G), where updates sometimes come with errors, and in such cases, a rollback to the previous version or a clean flashing helps.

First, check if your problem is massive. 4PDA or XDA Developers and search for themes that mention your model and version MIUI. If other users complain of a similar bug, wait for the official fix or roll back on your own.

To roll back firmware through Fastboot, you will need:

1. Download the official firmware for your model from en.miui.com.
2. Install the Mi Flash Tool on PC.
3. Transfer the phone to Fastboot mode (clamp Volume down + Power).
4. Connect the device to the PC and follow the instructions of the program.

⚠️ Note: Fastboot flashing resets all data and can lock the phone if you use unofficial firmware. For models with a locked bootloader (for example, POCO X3 Pro) first requires unlocking through the Mi Unlock Tool.

If you're not sure about your abilities, go to the service center. The wrong firmware can turn your phone into a brick.

Hardware malfunctions: antenna, communication module, contacts

If the software methods didn't work, the problem is probably hardware. In Xiaomi smartphones, a separate chip is responsible for communication - a module. RF (Radio Frequency, which can fail after falling, overheating or getting moisture, also often leaves the antenna contacts or damaged tracks on the board.

Check the following signs of hardware failure:

• 📵 Phone doesn’t catch the network, but Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are working fine.
• 🔍 In the menu ##4636## (Test information) in the section "Phone information" displays "Unknown" in the lines IMEI or IMSI.
• 🔧 After disassembly, oxidation or physical damage on the board is visible (black dots, bloated capacitors).
• 📡 The network signal appears only in a certain position of the phone (for example, if you press the corner of the case).

You can only repair hardware faults yourself if you have the experience and tools, for example, if the antenna is disconnected, you can solder it back, but most of the time, you need to replace the communication module or the entire motherboard.

⚠️ Warning: If the phone has been in water, don't dry it with a hair dryer or on a battery, it will speed up the corrosion of the contacts, put it in a silica gel bag for 24 hours, and then carry it to the service.

To diagnose hardware problems, you can use Network Signal Guru (available on Google Play) to show the signal strength in dBm and help determine if the problem is related to an antenna or module.

5. Problems with IMEI: How to Restore and Why It Is Reset

One of the most insidious bugs on Xiaomi is a reset IMEI (unique device identifier without correct IMEI The phone cannot connect to the operator’s network, even if SIM-This is a problem that often occurs after the card is in good condition:

• 🔄 Unsuccessful firmware or rollback to the old version MIUI.
• 🛠️ Resetting settings through Recovery.
• 📱 Custom firmware installations (such as LineageOS or Pixel Experience).
• 🔧 Restore from a backup from another device.

Check it out. IMEI, If you see Null, 000000000000000000000000 or Unknown instead of a 15-digit code, you will need to restore, POCO X3 Pro or Redmi Note 10) IMEI stored in NV RAM, which can be restored through the engineering menu.

Reconstruction instructions IMEI:

1. Download and install the application MTK Engineering Mode (for MediaTek) or QCN Rebuilder (for Qualcomm).
2. Find the original. IMEI (It's on the box or under the battery).
3. From the Engineering Menu (#36446337## for MediaTek) go to the section CDS Information → Radio Information → Phone 1.
4. In the field AT+ command: AT +EGMR=1.7,"Your_IMEI" and press Send.
5. Reboot the phone.

⚠️ Attention: Incorrect input IMEI If you're not sure, you can contact the service. IMEI on some models (Redmi) 9A, POCO M3) requires unlocking the loader.

After recovery, IMEI network is not available, check the status of the section NV RAM. It's a common cause of communication problems. Use the command to diagnose it. ADB:

adb shell su -c"dd if=/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/misc of=/sdcard/misc.bin"

If the file is not created, the partition is corrupted and requires rewriting.

6.Problems on the operator’s side: blocking, roaming, technical work

Sometimes the problem is not with the phone, but with the mobile operator, for example, your number may have been blocked for non-payment, or technical work is carried out in the region, and failures occur when you automatically switch to roaming (for example, if you crossed the border of the region).

To avoid operator problems:

• 📞 Call your operator's hotline (numbers: MTS - 0890, Beeline - 0611, MegaFon - 0500, Tele2 - 611.
• 🌍 Check coverage. The operator's website has maps of coverage, and you may be in the dead zone».
• 🔄 Re-register online. Enter USSD-Team: MTS: ##4636## → Select "Disable Registration" and turn it back on. Beeline/Megaphone/Tele2: ##72786## (SCRTN).
• 💳 Check the balance. Sometimes the operators block outgoing calls with a negative balance, leaving only incoming calls.

If you have recently changed your tariff or activated a new service (e.g., Call Unlimited), try turning it off. Some options conflict with your network settings. Also make sure your data rate is allowed, sometimes users accidentally turn off mobile Internet in their settings.

It can be used for diagnosis USSD-team:

• *100# - Check the balance and status of the number.
• *111*09# — tariff information (MTS).
• *105# - Check active services (Beeline).

💡

If you are roaming and the phone is not catching the network, try manually selecting the operator of the home network. → SIM-map → Select the network and disable the option “Automatically».

7. Alternative methods: debugging modes and engineering menu

If standard methods don't work, it's time to dig deeper. Xiaomi smartphones have hidden engineering menus and diagnostic modes that allow you to test the communication module, antenna and other components, these tools are for service centers, but they can be used independently.

The most useful commands and menus:

• 📡 Antenna Test: Enter ##4636##, Select “Phone Information” and look at dBm. Normal value – from -70 before -110. If the signal is weaker -120, antenna.
• 🔧 MediaTek Engineering Menu: ##36446337## (for chips) MTK). You can test the communication module here, GSM and LTE.

It is useful for advanced users to use ADB (Android Debug Bridge, for example, the team:

adb shell


su




setprop persist.radio.multisim.config dsds

It can help if the phone doesn’t see the other one. SIM-A team:

adb shell am broadcast -a android.intent.action.AIRPLANE_MODE --ez state false

Forced to turn off the "In the plane" mode, if it freezes.

⚠️ Warning: Do not change the parameters in the engineering menu unless you know what they mean! Incorrect settings can block the network or disable the communication module.

If you suspect problems with LTE, Check the supported ranges. some Xiaomi models (e.g. Redmi) 9C) not working 4G in Russia due to lack of support for the range B20 (800 MHz) In this case, only a replacement phone or firmware with support for the right frequencies will help.

8.When to contact the service: signs of serious breakdowns

If you've tried all the methods in this article, and the phone still doesn't catch the network, it's time to admit that the problem is hardware and requires professional intervention.

• 🔥 The phone overheats in the upper part of the case (where the communication module is located).
• 💧 There was moisture or a fall from a height.
• 📵 IMEI Reset at 000000000000000000000 and not recovered.
• 🔧 The engineering menu shows an error RIL Not ready or Modem crash.
• 📡 The antenna is physically damaged (see the rupture of the track on the board).

The cost of repair depends on the model and type of breakdown:

• Replacement of antenna: 800–2000 ₽.
• Repair/replacement of the communication module: 2500–6000 ₽.
• Recovery IMEI (If you have dropped due to firmware: 1000-3000 ₽.
• Replacement of motherboard: 5000–15000 ₽ (model).

Before going to the service:

1. Make a backup copy of the data (if the phone is turned on).
2. Write down the IMEI (on the box or under the battery).
3. Check if the model has an official warranty (for some of the reasons). POCO Redmi is valid for 12-24 months).

⚠️ Warning: If the phone is warranty, don't open it yourself! Autopsy marks will void warranty obligations.

To find the nearest SC, use the official website mi.com. Avoid "gray" workshops - they often use unoriginal parts that can impair signal reception.

💡

If the phone doesn't catch the network after a drop or moisture, don't waste time on software methods - bring it to the service immediately. The faster, the better the chances of saving the device without completely changing the board.

FAQ: Frequent questions about network issues on Xiaomi