David Kent

Your phone has signal. Maybe even full signal. Yet every call fails. That feels contradictory because we have been trained to treat the bars at the top of the screen…

You know the password. At least, you’re fairly sure you know the password. You enter it. Incorrect password. Try again. Still wrong. Then you request a reset email and spend…

A replacement SIM looks exactly like a normal new SIM. Operationally, it can be very different. A brand-new SIM creates or starts a new mobile service. A replacement SIM usually…

Your phone shows 4G. You press Call. Suddenly: 2G. You hang up. Back to 4G. That behaviour usually means your phone is using legacy circuit-switched fallback for voice instead of…

You insert your new SIM. Activation completes. Then… No calls. No texts. No data. A new SIM that does not work after activation does not necessarily mean the SIM is…

Someone calls you. Your phone sits silently on the table. Thirty seconds later: New voicemail. If calls are going straight to voicemail without ringing, your phone is usually being treated…

Your phone doesn’t ring. No voicemail notification appears. Two days later, you manually check voicemail and discover three messages sitting there. Excellent. If voicemail messages exist but notifications are not…

Your phone rings normally. You can call people. Mobile data is fine. But somebody says: “I texted you yesterday.” You received absolutely nothing. If calls work but SMS does not,…

You enter your mobile number. Tap Send code. Then stare at the screen. Nothing. You tap Resend. Still nothing. Then a third time, because apparently confidence is built by repeatedly…

Your phone says 4G or 5G. Websites load. You can stream music. WhatsApp messages arrive. But normal phone calls? Nothing. This usually means your phone has successfully connected to the…

Being able to call everyone while nobody can call you back is one of the stranger mobile faults. It also gives us a useful clue. If outgoing calls work, your…

You order a new SIM. The confirmation email arrives instantly. The actual SIM? Apparently it has decided to tour Britain first. A delayed SIM is frustrating, especially if you are…