Nexus 4 - No Service

[cumanzor]

Hi all,

I got a Nexus 4 from Ebay. Cellphone is in flawless condition, it probably has less than a couple of months of use. Unfortunately, I am not able to pick up a signal in any way. I just get a constant "No Service" message, and occasionally it will jump to "Emergency Calls Only".

Testing menu says Signal Strenght is 0 dBm 99 asu, no neighboring cells and location is unknown.

I've tried changing the prefered network to WCDMA only (as suggested in other threads), also tried with the other available settings with no luck. Tried playing around with the Change Bands setting as well but it makes no difference

Tried with a few different sim cards as well but that didn't work either, just got signal momentarily and but it would go on and off.

Cellphone came with 4.2.2 and I upgraded to 4.3 as requested by the system. Same issue.

Tried basebands 48 and 84.

Tried CM 10.2.

Replaced SIM card with a brand new one.

Cellphone doesn't appear to be blacklisted either.

Not sure what to do next. I'll try to get in contact with the seller but I don't expect much from him or eBay. Maybe I can sell off the device very cheap for spare parts, or send it for repair somewhere? Leave it as a dev device (which would virtually indistinguishable from a N5 that I plan to get anyway), Anyone else has any other suggestions or ideas?

 

[eksasol]

Try to install a factory stock image: http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2010312

If you pay with PayPal you get buyer protection so you can try to get your money back.

Could be a hardware or antenna issue.

 

[badboy47]

To me it seems like its been blocked for certain reasons. Either it was reported stolen or the person who sold it to you didn't pay his/her bill for which the carrier blocked it. In that case you can't do much about it.

I would contact the seller right away. If you get no response contact paypal and eBay.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4

 

[NoobNexus]

This problem is occurring for a lot of Nexus 4 users, including me. Its some sort of pandemic. Here’s what you can do to atleast restore service to your phone : flash the factory 4.3 image to your phone, again. However, try flashing a radio that is 54 or older with it. Make sure you wipe the cache and flash all the partitions, system, boot, bootloader and the old radio. This will bring back service to your phone (did for me), however you will be left with no in call audio and your phone wont connect to the internet through the mobile network, only wifi. After doing this, you will see your baseband and IMEI in the phone.

You can use this as some sort of “test” to verify if your phone really isn’t stolen. What is the ultimate resolution to this problem ? I really don’t know yet. I’ve been breaking my head over this for the past 4 days now. Maybe I’m going to try out the unbrick method mentioned over here to see if that helps.

 

[cumanzor]

As an update I am getting intermittent signal in some areas, but it's really spotty and only lasts a little while : (

I'll be giving different basebands a try tomorrow but I don't think it'll help much. I'll also try the full factory flash posted above.

 

[QuebecFanat1c]

Same problem here, had the phone for about 2-3 months, bought it off Kijiji, I tried flashing 4.2.2, went back to 4.3, flashed every baseband and still no success. The SIM works perfectly in another N4, tried a few other sim in mine and still the same results. Any other ways somebody got this fixed ?

 

[cumanzor]

Same problem here, had the phone for about 2-3 months, bought it off Kijiji, I tried flashing 4.2.2, went back to 4.3, flashed every baseband and still no success. The SIM works perfectly in another N4, tried a few other sim in mine and still the same results. Any other ways somebody got this fixed ?

I'm talking to the seller, see if the phone is still under warranty. My other options would be to change the antenna myself (see if it works), or resell it at loss for spare parts, or wait to see what eBay says.

 

[NoobNexus]

Just to give you guys some hope, that this is not just a problem faced by second hand phones - My phone is bought directly from the Play store - I contacted Google service a few days back and they asked me to return the phone for a replacement. Only problem is I have to ship this back to the US (where I purchased from), since they dont provide replacement service outside the country of purchase. I'm in India now.

I've tried absolutely everything myself. Flashed many many radios, 4.3, 4.2.2, I'm only able to get it to the point where there is network coverage, I can make and receive calls but there is no in call audio, nor is there any mobile internet connectivity (Only through wifi).

Something tells me this is a problem with the latest OTA update that caused this issue - I was completely stock and everything was working properly, when this problem appeared one fine day - It started with me not able to connect to the mobile internet network for a few days, and then one fine morning, BAM. No service. It was only after this that I started flashing and re-installing stuff on my phone, desperately trying everything to get the phone back to normal again.

I think the last OTA update somehow "bricked" the radio (dont know if something like this is possible, just a noob guess). My only hope is the 4.4 update has some fix for this, else I'm going to try the unbrick method mentioned on these forums to see if that works. Only then will I take the pain to send this back to the US.

 

[cumanzor]

What's the unbrick method you are planning to follow?

 

[NoobNexus]

I was considering using the unbrick method listed here : http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2347060

Although I'm not completely sure it will work. Do you or anyone else have any suggestions for this ? I'm hoping 4.4 gets released ASAP, I'll download and root that as quickly as I can, hopefully Google has some resolution to this stupid problem

 

[elad.levi]

i have exactly the same problem

i have exactly the same problem. i bought my phone at US from Google play.
the phone worked fine for two month and then i got - No Service, and its swipe in a sec to emergency call only.
i try to replaced some sim cards, and factory reset with no success.

i also read a bug report that opened in Google : 58317

they told that there is a problem with the radio interface and radio driver at the 4.3 update, and they will fix it in 4.4 kitkat version.

i hope that 4.4 will fix this terrible problem, if not the phone is totally a door blocker..

 

[noam_el]

Did anyone ever find a solution for this issue?

My friend has this problem with his Nexus 4.
I've searched A LOT and to this day (half a year later) haven't been able to find someone who reports this problem was solved.
I've also tried every suggestion I could find: flashed every stock image available, tried every combination of stock/custom ROM/recovery/radio, even tried the unbrick method mentioned above.
Nothing helps. I always get the same symptoms:
- Radios 54 and below - no in call audio.
- Radios 83 and above - Baseband unknown, IMEI / IMEI SV unknown, no cellular reception.

Also, RMA is not an option because the people at the store (a) don't know how to fix it and (b) claim the warranty doesn't cover this issue so they won't replace the device.

Any suggestions? I'm willing to try anything...

 

[Oxious119]

Maybe its a simple hardware failure like a loosely connected antenna? It doesn't really seem to be connected to any specific software setup

Something that happens to me rarely: when I'm in an area with very low/no reception sometimes the phone won't reconnect itself again and just stay on no reception until I reboot. Only happens like one or two times a month though.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

 

[noam_el]

Thanks, but I really don't think it could be an antenna issue.
I can see how a malfunctioning antenna could cause cellular reception problems, but it shouldn't affect IMEI or Baseband version readings. Those things have nothing to do with the antenna.
Also, the fact that the symptoms change with different radio firmwares says there's a big chance this is a software issue after all.
I just can't figure out what the cause is and how to eliminate it.

 

[DrFredPhD]

Flash any full factory image. If the problem persists after you can be pretty sure it's hardware. No signal for most of the time and occasionally picking it up could be something as simple as the antenna being unplugged, which can sometimes happen after a drop, or a forgetful repair.

 

[michalhainc]

I was considering using the unbrick method listed here : http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2347060

Although I'm not completely sure it will work. Do you or anyone else have any suggestions for this ? I'm hoping 4.4 gets released ASAP, I'll download and root that as quickly as I can, hopefully Google has some resolution to this stupid problem

Guys... mine is signalless too... any progress on this? :crying:

 

[sp99]

Guys... mine is signalless too... any progress on this? :crying:

Could be a broken or badly connected antenna. They are very fragile. Have a look at how to replace the antenna maybe?

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

 

[michalhainc]

Could be a broken or badly connected antenna. They are very fragile. Have a look at how to replace the antenna maybe?

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

yup I am waiting for the ordered tools to break into it and look around...

 

[sp99]

yup I am waiting for the ordered tools to break into it and look around...

I've opened up lots of my old phones (not my nexus 4 yet) and its normally easy to find and change as it's separate from the motherboard and looks basically like a piece of plastic!

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

 

[eugenioxx]

I have the same problem no connection but the phone recognize the sim and the number of the phone. I've tryed to return to stock using a factory firmware but I'm not able to fix the problem... (this morning is working fine and my phone never fell down or something like that)

If I open btw the case and try to remove and reinsert correctly the antenna the phone will recognize the signal?