Troubleshoot my smartphone or mobile phone.
How to operate my phone with a Bell SIM card
I'm not receiving email on my smartphone
For BlackBerry, if someone tells you they sent you an email that you haven’t received, try sending an email to your own email address. If you receive your own email the issue may be with the other person’s email account. If you don’t receive it, try the following to troubleshoot the problem.
If you’re not receiving email from your Hotmail, MSN, Sympatico or Bell Internet accounts, but are receiving email from other accounts, it’s likely that you need to re-validate your Hotmail, MSN, Sympatico or Bell Internet accounts. For security reasons, these accounts need to be re-validated every 90 days.
- Confirm that your smartphone is turned on and the wireless network is enabled.
- From the home screen, select Manage Connections
- Select Mobile Network and click to enable the wireless network
- Ensure that the network signal strength is sufficient.
In the upper right-hand corner of your BlackBerry home screen you’ll see a number of coverage bars indicating signal strength. If you don’t see any coverage bars or if there is an out of service (SOS) icon, then you do not have adequate wireless coverage. Here are a couple of ways to check the network signal strength.
- From the Home screen, click Options icon
- In the Options screen, click Status
- In the Status screen, check the Signal field. The signal strength must be within the -40 to -100 Dbms range to give you adequate wireless coverage.
You can also check your wireless signal strength using a keyboard shortcut (on BlackBerry smartphones with full QWERTY keyboards).
- While holding down your BlackBerry's ALT key, type the letters N, M, L, L
- Your home screen will show your wireless signal strength, measured in Dbms
If you don't have adequate signal strength, move to another part of the building or outside.
- Ensure you have coverage by viewing our coverage maps..
- Confirm data connectivity by following these steps:
Confirm that an uppercase 1X or 1XEV appears in the top right corner of the screen, just under the signal strength. If the icons are uppercase, proceed to the next step. If the icons are lower case (i.e., 1x or 1xev) or not existent, try resetting your BlackBerry smartphone by removing and re-installing the battery
- Confirm that your email is properly set up on BlackBerry Internet Service
- Visit http://bell.blackberry.com
- Log in to BlackBerry Internet Service using your username and password
- Under Email Accounts, your email account should be displayed. If not, click Set Up Account..
- If the email account exists with an icon
 under the Valid column, click Edit  to verify the settings for the account. It's possible that the email account password was changed, in which case it must be re-entered. Re-enter the password and save.
- Confirm in BlackBerry Internet Service that the "device" is set to the BlackBerry smartphone that you're using. If you have recently changed your smartphone, you must enter your current smartphone information into BIS so that you continue to receive your email. To confirm:
- When logged into BIS, select Change Device from the left menu
- Confirm that the PIN displayed is the PIN of your smartphone by navigating to Settings then Status
- Log in to your BlackBerry Internet Service account and resend your service books to confirm if the problem still exists. (A service book contains information that configures how your BlackBerry smartphone interacts with the BlackBerry Infrastructure. It also turns on specific services for your BlackBerry smartphone.)
- When logged into BIS, select Service Books from the left menu
- Click the Send Service Book button. Service Books should be delivered within 5 minutes. When this happens, a confirmation welcome email will appear in your inbox.
- Re-register your BlackBerry smartphone by following these steps:
- From the home screen, select Options
- Select Advanced Options
- Select Host Routing Table
- From this screen, press the Menu button and select Register Now.. If this step is successful, you'll receive a registration email message under Messages. If you do, try sending an email to your own email address to confirm that the problem is solved.
If a registration message does not arrive, or if these steps haven’t solved the problem, please contact Technical Solutions at 1 877 DATA-123 (1 877 328-2123) for assistance.
If you're not using a BlackBerry smartphone, are you able to make and receive phone calls? If not, please read the following.
- My HTC smartphone isn't getting voice or data service
If your HTC smartphone isn't getting any voice or data service at all, you can try the following to troubleshoot the problem
- Are you using your smartphone inside a building? If so, the network signal strength may be insufficient. Check the icon on your home screen that shows the number of bars of coverage you have. If coverage is poor, try moving near a window or going outside.
- Make sure your phone isn’t in airplane mode and that all connectivity options are turned on:
- Launch Comm Manager. HTC 6800 and Touch series: Tap Start, then Programs, then Comm Manager HTC 5800: Select Start, then Comm Manager.
- Make Sure that Airplane Mode (or Flight Mode) is off and that Phone and Wi-Fi are on.
- Ensure you have the latest software upgrade for your HTC smartphone.
- Check our coverage maps to ensure you have coverage.
- Does this only occur when you’re roaming? If so, ensure that your HTC smartphone isn’t set to Home only. The Home only setting prevents your smartphone from selecting another carrier when you roam outside the Bell network. Visit the phones and mobile internet page and select your phone model to see your user guide for information on adjusting this setting. Note: Disabling home only will allow roaming on foreign networks. Roaming charges will apply. Learn more about using your smartphone in the U.S. or using your smartphone overseas..
If you need further assistance, please contact customer service.
- My Palm smartphone isn't getting voice or data service
If your Palm smartphone isn't getting any voice or data service at all, you can try the following to troubleshoot the problem.
- Are you using your smartphone inside a building? If so, the network signal strength may be insufficient. Check the icon on your home screen that shows the number of bars of coverage you have. If coverage is poor, try moving near a window or going outside.
- Make sure your phone isn’t in airplane mode and that the phone and Wi-Fi options are turned on. On Palm OS smartphones, you can toggle in and out of airplane mode by holding the power button down for a few seconds. On Windows Mobile smartphones, you adjust the settings for airplane mode, phone and Wi-Fi from the Wireless Manager or Comm Manager screens.
Please visit phones and accessories page and select your phone model to consult your user guide for more detail.
- Reset your Palm smartphone. Visit the phones and accessories page and select your phone model to see your user guide for instructions on performing a soft reset.
- Ensure you have the latest software upgrade for your Palm smartphone.
- Check our coverage maps to ensure you have coverage.
- Does this only occur when you’re roaming? If so, ensure that your Palm smartphone isn’t set to Home only. The Home only setting prevents your smartphone from selecting another carrier when you roam outside the Bell network. Visit the phones and accesories page and select your phone model to see your user guide for information on adjusting this setting. Note: Disabling home only will allow roaming on foreign networks. Roaming charges will apply. Learn more about using your smartphone in the U.S. or using your smartphone overseas.
If you need further assistance, please contact customer service..
- My Samsung smartphone isn't getting voice or data service
If your Samsung smartphone isn't getting any voice or data service at all, you can try the following to troubleshoot the problem.
- Ensure your phone is turned on and fully charged.
- Are you using your smartphone inside a building? If so, the network signal strength may be insufficient. Check the icon on your home screen that shows the number of bars of coverage you have. If coverage is poor, try moving near a window or going outside.
- Make sure your phone isn’t in airplane mode and that all connectivity options are turned on:
To access the Wireless Manager screen:
- Select Start
- Select Settings
- Select the Connections tab
- Select Wireless Manager
- Make sure that Airplane Mode (or Flight Mode) is off and that Phone is on
- Reset your Samsung smartphone. Visit the phones and accessories page and select your phone model to see your user guide for instructions on performing a soft reset.
- Ensure you have the latest software upgrade for your Samsung smrtphone.
- Check our coverage maps to ensure you have coverage.
- Does this only occur when you’re roaming? If so, ensure that your Samsung smartphone isn’t set to Home only. The Home only setting prevents your smartphone from selecting another carrier when you roam outside the Bell network. Consult your user guide for information on adjusting this setting.
Note: Disabling Home only will allowing roaming on foreign networks. Roaming charges will apply. Learn more about using your smartphone in the U.S. or using your smartphone overseas.
If after following these steps your phone is still not receiving a signal, please contact customer service.
If someone tells you they sent you an email that you haven’t received, try sending an email to your own email address. If you receive your own email the issue may be with the other person’s email account. If you don’t receive it, try the following to troubleshoot the problem.
- Confirm that your smartphone is turned on and the wireless network is enabled.
- Is this the first time you’ve used email on your smartphone? If so, confirm that your email is properly set up.
If you need help changing the settings above, visit the phones and accessories page and choose your smartphone model to see your user guide.
Are you receiving email on your computer but not on your smartphone? This could be because your computer’s software is not set to leave a copy of messages on the server. Leaving a copy on the server will ensure that the email is available for your smartphone to download. Check your email software documentation for instructions on enabling this feature.
If the problem persists, please contact Technical Solutions at 1 877 DATA-123 (1 877 328-2123) for assistance.
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I can't send email on my smartphone
If you're using a BlackBerry smartphone, before you start troubleshooting:
- If someone tells you they haven’t received an email you sent, try sending an email to your own email address. If you receive your own message, the issue may be with the other person’s email account.
- If you’re not receiving email from your Hotmail, MSN, Sympatico or Bell Internet accounts, but are receiving email from other accounts, it’s likely that you need to re-validate your Hotmail, MSN, Sympatico or Bell Internet accounts. For security reasons, these accounts need to be re-validated every 90 days.
- If neither of these suggestions solved the problem, try the troubleshooting options in the rest of this article.
Instructions:
- Ensure that your smartphone is turned on and the wireless network is enabled
- Ensure you have coverage
- Check that the network signal strength is sufficient
- Check that you have data connectivity
- Confirm that your email is properly set up on BlackBerry Internet Service
- Resend your service books
- Re-register your BlackBerry smartphone
- Contact Technical Solutions if the problem persists
If you're using an Apple iPhone, please read the article I need help to troubleshoot my iPhone for more help.
Are you able to make and receive phone calls? If not, please read one of the following articles for more help
If someone tells you they haven’t received an email you sent, try sending an email to your own email address. If you receive your own email the issue may be with the other person’s email account. If you don’t receive it, try the following to troubleshoot the problem.
- Confirm that your smartphone is turned on and the wireless network is enabled.
- Confirm that your smartphone is set up to use mail.1xbell.ca for the outgoing (SMTP) mail server. This is the Bell Mobility default SMTP server.
If that doesn’t solve the problem, please contact Technical Solutions at 1 877 DATA-123 (1 877 328-2123) for assistance.
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I need help to troubleshoot my iPhone
Below we've collected links from apple.com to help troubleshoot the most common iPhone problems. Visit Apple's iPhone support page for more troubleshooting resources or consult your user guide.
iPhone 3G user guide
iPhone 3GS user guide
iPhone 4 user guide
iPhone troubleshooting assistant
No data connection
Unable to access the Internet
Unable to make phone calls
Email
How to set up email
Unable to send email
Unable to receive email
iPhone not appearing in iTunes
Learn how to solve more common iPhone issues.
Backing up and restoring your iPhone
To protect your data, be sure to back up your iPhone regularly. Learn more and find instructions on backing up and restoring your iPhone.
Keeping your software updated
It's important to keep your software up to date as new features and enhancements come out from time to time. Find out about the latest update.
How to: Backing up, updating and restoring your iPhone software
Solution: Alert messages on iPhone during update or restore
Troubleshooting iPhone hardware
If you have issues with your iPhone, try these tips first.
Find out what to do if you're having trouble getting iTunes to recognize your iPhone on your computer.
Power/Battery
Battery doesn't last long
Battery doesn't charge using the iPhone charger
iPhone will not turn on
More...
Display
Not responding to touch
No backlight, too dark
More...
Other helpful links
Wi-Fi tips
iPhone manuals
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My message indicator is on but voicemail is empty
First, check all your messaging mailboxes, since the indicator might mean you have a text message. If all your mailboxes are empty, you may be able to solve the problem by leaving a message on your mobile phone voicemail and then retrieving it.
If the problem persists, please contact Technical Solutions at 1 877 DATA-123 (1 877 328-2123) for assistance.
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My mobile phone beeps, even if my battery is charges
If your mobile phone frequently beeps, even though your battery is fully charged, check the alerts in your settings menu. Several phone models have a 1-minute alert and a service change alert. Make sure they are set to off to avoid the beeps.
If the problem persists, please contact Technical Solutions at 1 877 DATA-123 (1 877 328-2123) for assistance.
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Will my mobile phone or smartphone work on the Bell network?
You may be able to bring your mobile phone or smartphone to Bell. Assuming you're in a position to move to Bell, there are two things you'll need to ensure:
- Your device must be compatible - it must be HSPA (or UMTS) and 850 MHz and 1900 MHz compatible.
- If your device is currently locked, it needs to be unlocked.
If your device is compatible, buy a Bell SIM card online or from a Bell store near you.
Once you've purchased a Bell SIM card:
- Insert your SIM card into your mobile phone or smartphone
- Activate your service online. Follow the instructions to pick the plan and features that work best for you.
- If you use your phone for web browsing or multimedia messaging (picture and video messaging), you'll also need to configure the browser and messaging settings.
If your device is not compatible, check out the latest selection of Bell mobile phones and smartphones.
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How to insert my SIM card
For most mobile phones and smartphones:
- Carefully push the SIM card out of the wallet-sized plastic card carrier.
- Turn your phone off.
- Remove the back panel of your phone and the battery. You'll see a SIM card slot.
- Your SIM card has one corner missing. Fit the SIM card into the slot so that the corners match.
- Replace the battery and battery cover.
For an iPhone
- Insert the end of the SIM eject tool (included in box) into the hole in the SIM tray.
Tip: If you don't have a SIM eject tool, you can use the end of a paper clip.
- Press firmly and push the eject tool straight in until the tray pops out.
- Pull out the SIM tray and place the SIM card in it, following the shape of the tray.
- Carefully push the SIM tray containing the SIM card back into the iPhone.
If your SIM card hasn't already been activated, you will need to log in to My Bell and choose your plan and services now.
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How to configure my mobile phone or smartphone for the Bell Mobility 4G network
Check for detailed instructions
Detailed instructions for configuring your mobile phone or smartphone for the Bell 4G network are available for the following devices:
Apple iPhone
If your phone is compatible with the Bell network, it will provide access to voice and text services. In order to access Internet and multimedia messaging services (MMS), you'll need to set up certain configurations.
Use the following instructions to manually configure an unlocked Apple iPhone for MMS and browser on the Bell Mobility 4G network.
- Follow the instructions in your user guide to install a Bell SIM card into your phone
- Turn the phone on.
- On the Home screen, tap the Settings icon.
- Tap General
- Tap Network
- Tap Cellular Data Network
- In the Cellular Data box, tap APN and enter: pda2.bell.ca Leave the Username and Password blank.
- Scroll down, and in the MMS box:
- Tap APN and enter: pda2.bell.ca
- Leave the Username and Password blank.
- Tap MMSC and enter: http://mms.bell.ca/mms/wapenc
- Tap MMS Proxy and enter web.wireless.bell.ca:80
- Leave the MMS Max Message Size and MMS UA Prof URL blank.
- Press the Home button to return to the Home screen
Please note that you will have to re-enter the above settings any time you insert a different SIM card or if you reset the phone.
BlackBerry Bold
If you bought your BlackBerry® Bold™ from Bell, it is already set up for the Bell Mobility 4G network.
To bring over an unlocked BlackBerry Bold, just insert your Bell SIM card and turn the phone on. The required BlackBerry service books will be sent to your phone, and the messaging and browser settings will be automatically configured.
HTC Desire
If you bought your HTC Desire Z 4G from Bell, it is already set up for the Bell Mobility 4G network.
If you are bringing your HTC Desire Z 4G from another provider, you will first need to get a Bell SIM card.
If you need help installing your Bell SIM card, consult your user guide and follow the instructions.
Once the SIM card is installed turn the phone on.
Configure your settings
To manually configure your device for multimedia messaging (MMS) and browsing on the Bell Mobility 4G network, follow these steps:
- Press Menu, then Settings from the idle mode.
- Select Wireless controls
- Select Mobile network settings
- Select Access Point Names and press the Menu key to add a New APN setting
- Fill in the following settings:
- Name: Bell
- APN: pda.bell.ca
- Proxy: web.wireless.bell.ca
- Port: 80
- Username: <Not set>
- Password: <Not set>
- Server: <Not set>
- MMSC: http://mms.bell.ca/mms/wapenc
- MMS proxy: web.wireless.bell.ca
- MMS port: 80
- MMS protocol: WAP 2.0
- MCC : 302
- MNC : 610
- APN type: <Not set>
- Press Menu, then Save
- Click Bell to assign the new APN
Please note that you will have to re-enter the above settings anytime you insert a different SIM card, or if you reset to default settings.
Your phone should now be ready to use.
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Configure browser settings
To configure browser settings:
- Navigate to your device's Connection Settings menu
- Enter the following information:
- APN: pda.bell.ca
- Proxy server: web.wireless.bell.ca
- Port: 80
- Save changes
Note: For some devices, the following extra setps may be required:
- Launch your phone's Web browser
- Navigate to the Browser Settings menu
- Under Browser Connection, select the new connection profile that you have just created
To use your phone as a modem (tethering)
Tethering requires a different access point name (APN): inet.bell.ca
Learn more about tethering.
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Configure multimedia messaging service (MMS) settings
- Navigate to your device's Connection Settings menu
- Enter the following information:
- APN: pda.bell.ca
- Proxy server: web.wireless.bell.ca
- Port: 80
- Save changes
- Navigate to your device's Messaging menu
- Select Multimedia Messaging settings
- Select Message Centre or MMS gateway option
- Enter the following in the Message Centre/MMS gateway field:
MMSC URL: http://mms.bell.ca/mms/wapenc
- Save changes
- Set new Message Centre/MMS gateway as the "active" gateway (if required)
If you require further assistance, please contact Technical Solutions at 1 877 DATA-123 (1 877 328-2123)
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Configure for tethering on Bell Mobility HSPA network
Tethering means using your mobile phone as a wireless modem for another device, such as a laptop computer.
- Navigate to your device's Connection Settings menu
- enter the following information:
APN: inet.bell.ca
- Save changes
Important note
If you're a very light user, please note that adding the Mobile Browser feature to your service does not cover using your phone as a modem (tethering). To ensure you don't pay more than you need to, we recommend that you add an Email & Internet feature to your current voice plan.
If you're a heavier user, a better solution for you is a Turbo Stick, which will give your laptop wireless Internet access, while keeping your mobile phone or smartphone free for calls. Our Turbo Sticks plug into your laptop's USB port and give you a reliable high speed mobile Internet connection - no cables required. Plus, our Mobile Internet Flex plan adjusts according to your usage, so you always get the best rate possible.
Note: Tethering is available for postpaid rate plans only. Tethering usage is not included in Data - 50 MB feature usage.
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