Whether you want to make a phone call or use your mobile data, a strong cell phone signal is crucial. While carriers have worked hard to expand network coverage, there are still times when you’ll suffer from a weak signal. Luckily, there are steps you can take to improve your cell phone signal and boost your reception.
The easiest ways to improve your cell phone signal include moving to an open area in your home, removing your phone case, and restarting your device. If these easy fixes don’t work, you can consider contacting your carrier or even buying a cell phone signal booster. Finally, if all else fails, you might need to look into switching to a new carrier with better coverage in your area.
Read on to learn about all these methods and more to get your cell signal up to strength.
How to Improve Your Cell Phone Signal
Improving your cell phone signal to get better reception is not rocket science. Most of these methods are easy and can be done in seconds.
Here are the 10 best ways to improve your cell phone signal:
- Move to a different area.
- Remove your phone case.
- Turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
- Toggle airplane mode.
- Update network settings.
- Restart your phone.
- Reseat the SIM card.
- Contact your carrier.
- Buy a cell phone signal booster.
- Switch carriers.
1. Move to a different area
Moving around your location is the easiest method to improve your signal because it simply requires you to walk to a different area. Simply getting your phone higher or close to a break in a wall might be all it needs.
The indoors are the most notorious places to have a weak phone signal. That’s because it’s difficult for wireless signals to get through some types of construction materials, like concrete walls or metal roofs. If you’re inside your home or another building, you can try moving to a higher floor or finding a window.
If you are doing an outdoor activity like hiking, you can try moving to the top of a hill or finding a clearing.
2. Remove your phone case
While your phone case may look stylish and protect your device from falls, it can also have an impact on your signal. This is especially true if you have a thick case or one that includes metal or magnetic clips. Removing your phone from its case might be all it takes to strengthen your signal.
The good news is most phone cases don’t have much of an impact on your phone signal. However, if you discover your case is the problem, you can try buying a new one.
3. Turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
Sometimes your phone signal may not be the problem. Instead, your phone might be connected to a bad Wi-Fi source or Bluetooth device. This could be a problem if you’re accidentally trying to play a video with a weak Wi-Fi signal or place a phone call through a pair of headphones you aren’t using anymore. The result is the same as if your phone signal was weak: the video won’t play and the phone call won’t go through.
By turning off the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities on your phone, you’re ensuring that your phone is connected to the mobile network. If your signal is still poor you can move on to another method.
Need to make a call with no phone signal? Try Wi-Fi calling
If you discover a weak Wi-Fi signal isn’t the problem, you can use Wi-Fi calling to place phone calls until your signal issues are resolved. Most carriers include Wi-Fi calling for free and it can be enabled in your phone’s settings.
4. Toggle airplane mode
Toggling airplane mode is a great catch-all fix for any kind of connectivity problems facing your phone. By turning airplane mode on, you immediately force close any connection your phone has to the network. Turning airplane mode off and letting your phone get a fresh connection to the network may be all you need to boost your phone signal.
5. Update carrier settings
If your phone signal suddenly deteriorates overnight, it might be because a new network update was just released by your carrier. Just like phone companies, carriers periodically release updates to their technology to improve connectivity and speed. These updates are typically automatically installed, but if that installation fails, it can wreak havoc on your phone.
To check for carrier updates, go into your phone’s settings and look for the Cellular or Mobile Networks section. Any available carrier updates will be found there.
6. Restart your phone
Sometimes a software hiccup is the issue impacting your mobile phone signal. The easiest way to solve that problem is to restart your phone. This step performs a soft reset of the device and reestablishes all of your files, settings, and connections. A fresh start might be all your phone signal needs to improve.
7. Reseat the SIM card
A SIM card is a small chip that allows your phone to connect to the cellular network. If it’s removed or out of place, your phone cannot place calls or receive mobile data. If you have easy access to your SIM card, you can try popping it out and reinstalling it.
This method for improving your cell phone signal will probably only help if you recently installed a new SIM card because you switched carriers or were traveling abroad. If you’ve never removed your SIM card or you own an eSIM-only phone like the iPhone 16, your SIM card probably isn’t the issue.
8. Contact your carrier
If none of the above methods work, it’s time to contact your carrier. There may be a service outage in your area or some other issue with the network.
Your carrier can also tell you if you’ve run into a problem with your plan such as missing a payment or running out of data. Remember that with some unlimited plans, you have a limited amount of high-speed data. After you exceed that amount, your speeds may drop significantly and make you think there is a service issue.
9. Buy a cell phone signal booster
A cell phone signal booster might be just what you need to improve the signal quality inside your home. These devices are antennas that sit high in your home or close to a window and amplify cell phone signals. They can connect to multiple devices and are available for purchase directly from some carriers or third-party retailers.
Cell phone signal boosters are expensive and should be a last resort for most people. They are most useful if you constantly have a weak signal and trouble using your device. If your poor reception is a recent development, it might be worth trying these other methods or giving your carrier a few days to solve any issues it is having before dropping a few hundred dollars on a signal booster.
10. Switch carriers
If all else fails you might live in a dead zone for your current carrier. In that case, the only thing you can do is switch carriers to one that covers your location.
Learn how to check your coverage and potentially switch carriers in the next section.
How to Check Your Coverage
Living in an area that is covered by your carrier is crucial. While most carriers have excellent coverage in urban areas, rural regions tend to have more service gaps and weak signal areas.
You can check which carrier has the best cell phone coverage in your area on these maps for Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile. These are the three largest carriers and own the networks that most smaller carriers use. You can change maps at the bottom left and even check for specific types of coverage like 4G LTE and 5G.
We’ve also reviewed the coverage of the largest carriers and many smaller MVNOs. Check out the list below for your carrier or any that you are interested in switching to.
- AT&T
- T-Mobile
- Verizon
- Boost Mobile
- Consumer Cellular
- Cricket Wireless
- Google Fi
- Metro by T-Mobile
- Mint Mobile
- Spectrum Mobile
- Straight Talk Wireless
- US Cellular
- Visible
- Xfinity Mobile
I have great coverage, so why is my signal still bad?
If you have full coverage and your signal is still bad, you might be having an issue with network congestion. This is when there are too many people using the network at the same time, so your data speeds are slow and it’s difficult to make phone calls. A cell tower can only handle so much traffic before it slows down.
Congestion is easy to identify because your phone shows a strong signal but struggles to do anything that requires a network connection. It’s also most likely to happen in areas where a lot of people are using their phones at the same time. Think of places like sports arenas, traffic jams, or even during power outages when everyone is using mobile data instead of Wi-Fi.
Switching Carriers to Improve Your Cell Phone Signal
So, you’ve figured out that your carrier is the reason you have a bad cell phone signal. The good news is that switching carriers will probably solve your problem and might even save you some money.
It’s important when looking at new carriers that you select one on a different network than your current one. Remember that most smaller carriers buy access to the larger carrier’s networks. So, if you’re currently with Verizon, you will not get a better signal by switching to Visible or Xfinity Mobile because all three of those carriers use the same network.
If you have an older phone, you may need to upgrade if you want to take advantage of the 5G network. The best 5G phones offer incredible speeds and better connectivity than previous generations. You can typically get them at a discount or on a payment plan when switching carriers.
The Big Three
The Big Three networks (AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile) have the largest number of plans to choose from. They also offer great perks like streaming plans, premium data, and phone installments that some smaller carriers lack. However, while these carriers offer some of the best options, they also come in at some of the highest prices. Check out the most popular plans from the Big Three below:
|
#1
|
T-Mobile
Essentials Saver
$50.00/mo
with Auto-Pay - Taxes & Fees NOT included
|
|
#2
|
Verizon
Unlimited Welcome
$55.00/mo
+ Taxes & Fees. Price includes AutoPay & Paperless discount.
+ $40 Upfront
|
|
#3
|
T-Mobile
Essentials
$60.00/mo
with Auto-Pay - Taxes & Fees NOT included
|
|
#4
|
Verizon
Unlimited Plus
$70.00/mo
+ Taxes & Fees. Price includes AutoPay & Paperless discount.
+ $40 Upfront
|
|
#5
|
T-Mobile
Go5G
$75.00/mo
with Auto-Pay - Taxes & Fees included
|
MVNOs
MVNOs are smaller carriers that operate on the Big Three networks. They offer discounted access to the largest networks by offering fewer perks or a smaller amount of plans. But don’t let “discounted access” make you think these are bad options. You can still get many of the same offerings from the Big Three like unlimited data plans and large mobile hotspots. Check out the most popular MVNO unlimited plans below:
|
#1
|
XFINITY Mobile
Mobile Select Plan
$0.00/mo
(for the first year of service) <br>Regular rate of $30/mo. thereafter
|
|
#2
|
Google Fi Wireless
Unlimited Essentials for 1
$17.50/mo
|
|
#3
|
Metro by T-Mobile (MetroPCS)
Unlimited 6-Month Plan (BYOD)
$20.00/mo
Upfront payment of $120 for 6 months <br>(equivalent to $20/month)<br>Taxes and regulatory fees included.
|
|
#4
|
Tello
Unlimited Text, Talk, and Data Plan
$25.00/mo
|
|
#5
|
Twigby Mobile
Unlimited Talk, Text and Data
$25.00/mo
for the first 3 months then $35.00/month
|
How to Improve Your Cell Phone Signal: FAQs
How can I boost my signal for free?
You can boost your signal for free by moving to an upper floor of your home, removing your phone case, or restarting your cell phone. These steps could each help improve your signal, depending on the issue.
How can I boost my cell signal in rural areas?
There are several ways to boost your cell signal in rural areas. If you are visiting a rural area for an outdoor activity like hiking, you can try moving to an area with a clear view of the sky or climbing to the top of a hill. If you live in a rural area, you may need to buy a cell phone signal booster for your home or switch carriers.
How do I check my cell phone reception?
You can do a simple check of your cell phone reception by observing the number of bars you have or performing an internet speed test with your mobile data. For a more accurate reading that includes specific network frequencies, you’ll need to follow the procedure specific to your device. You may need to call a special phone number, check the settings of your phone, or contact your carrier directly.
What cell phone carrier has the best signal strength?
Each network has areas where they offer the best signal strength. Verizon offers the best signal strength and coverage for 4G LTE, T-Mobile owns the nation's largest 5G network, and AT&T has the best rural coverage of any carrier.
Max McCaskill
Sr. Staff Writer
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