Carrier "Searching..." on my Sprint iPhone 6 (PLEASE HELP)

[Bob Parker]

I have been on vacation to Europe for 5 weeks, and I have just returned. Before the vacation, I turned my cellular data off, because I wasn't looking to bust the bank in order to use my phone. Throughout the vacation, my phone always said "Searching..." at the top left. As soon as I arrived at the JFK International Airport in New York, I turned my cellular data on, but my phone still says "Searching..." and even "No Service." As of right now, my iPhone still says "Searching..." and I cannot make phone calls nor connect to LTE (which I have turned on). I have tried every method I could find on the internet, but with no success. I would really appreciate it if any of you guys could help me. Thank you in advance. By the way, I use Sprint...

 

[Bob Parker]

I have been on vacation to Europe for 5 weeks, and I have just returned. Before the vacation, I turned my cellular data off, because I wasn't looking to bust the bank in order to use my phone. Throughout the vacation, my phone always said "Searching..." at the top left. As soon as I arrived at the JFK International Airport in New York, I turned my cellular data on, but my phone still says "Searching..." and even "No Service." As of right now, my iPhone still says "Searching..." and I cannot make phone calls nor connect to LTE (which I have turned on). I have tried every method I could find on the internet, but with no success. I would really appreciate it if any of you guys could help me. Thank you in advance. By the way, I use Sprint...

PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
[doublepost=1501773058][/doublepost]No one wants to help me?

 

[Audit13]

I assume you have tried restarting your phone and calling sprint too ensure there are no problems with the carrier network.

 

[Bob Parker]

I assume you have tried restarting your phone and calling sprint too ensure there are no problems with the carrier network.

Yes I have.

 

[Audit13]

And the IMEI is not blacklisted for some reason?

 

[Bob Parker]

And the IMEI is not blacklisted for some reason?

It's not blacklisted.
[doublepost=1501780532][/doublepost]

It's not blacklisted.

The IMEI shows on Settings --> General --> About

 

[Audit13]

You compared the imei to the national blacklist or on swappa.

 

[jetsam]

Turning off cellular data doesn't turn off cellular phone service. Your phone should have found a roaming carrier in Europe, unless you explicitly had international roaming turned off. If you had "Searching..." showing all the time you were in Europe, your phone has been having problems for quite some time.

I assume your phone is legitimately purchased, and your Sprint account is in good standing. Therefore, I'd try this, in increasing order of severity:

1) Remove your SIM card from the phone and re-insert it. If this doesn't fix it, then...
2) Go to a Sprint corporate store. Tell them about the issue you're having, and ask them to replace your SIM card. If they can't get your phone working, then...
3) Take the phone to Apple for repair or replacement.

BTW, Sprint now offers free 2G data in most (all?) of Europe, so there was no reason to turn off cellular data. See:
https://www.sprint.com/en/support/solutions/international/faqs-about-sprint-global-roaming.html

 

[Bob Parker]

Turning off cellular data doesn't turn off cellular phone service. Your phone should have found a roaming carrier in Europe, unless you explicitly had international roaming turned off. If you had "Searching..." showing all the time you were in Europe, your phone has been having problems for quite some time.

I assume your phone is legitimately purchased, and your Sprint account is in good standing. Therefore, I'd try this, in increasing order of severity:

1) Remove your SIM card from the phone and re-insert it. If this doesn't fix it, then...
2) Go to a Sprint corporate store. Tell them about the issue you're having, and ask them to replace your SIM card. If they can't get your phone working, then...
3) Take the phone to Apple for repair or replacement.

BTW, Sprint now offers free 2G data in most (all?) of Europe, so there was no reason to turn off cellular data. See:
https://www.sprint.com/en/support/solutions/international/faqs-about-sprint-global-roaming.html

Thank you. I think I'm just going to purchase a new SIM card.
[doublepost=1501784544][/doublepost]

Turning off cellular data doesn't turn off cellular phone service. Your phone should have found a roaming carrier in Europe, unless you explicitly had international roaming turned off. If you had "Searching..." showing all the time you were in Europe, your phone has been having problems for quite some time.

I assume your phone is legitimately purchased, and your Sprint account is in good standing. Therefore, I'd try this, in increasing order of severity:

1) Remove your SIM card from the phone and re-insert it. If this doesn't fix it, then...
2) Go to a Sprint corporate store. Tell them about the issue you're having, and ask them to replace your SIM card. If they can't get your phone working, then...
3) Take the phone to Apple for repair or replacement.

BTW, Sprint now offers free 2G data in most (all?) of Europe, so there was no reason to turn off cellular data. See:
https://www.sprint.com/en/support/solutions/international/faqs-about-sprint-global-roaming.html

I turned off cellular data, because I was visiting Kosovo, which is a partially recognized state, and I didn't think Sprint would cover it.
[doublepost=1501785437][/doublepost]

You compared the imei to the national blacklist or on swappa.

I checked on Swappa.

 

[jetsam]

I turned off cellular data, because I was visiting Kosovo, which is a partially recognized state, and I didn't think Sprint would cover it.

A Sprint rate check says $15/MB for Kosovo, so I guess you did the right thing.

 

[Bob Parker]

A Sprint rate check says $15/MB for Kosovo, so I guess you did the right thing.

Yep!