Accidentally Damaged Mom’s Phone—Please Help Me Before She Finds Out

How to Fix Your Mom’s Phone After a Misstep: A Practical Guide

We’ve all had those moments where curiosity gets the best of us, right? Sometimes, in our attempts to explore the inner workings of technology, we inadvertently create more trouble than we bargained for. Recently, I found myself in such a predicament when I accidentally altered my mom’s phone settings—here’s how it all unfolded, and how I resolved the situation.

The Dilemma

In an effort to tinker with my mom’s smartphone, I made the mistake of dialing ##4636## in the phone app, believing I could enhance her network speed. What I didn’t realize was that I had switched the network setting from “2G/3G/4G (LTE/GSM/CDMA auto with PRL)” to “4G (LTE only).” This innocent adjustment inadvertently disabled her ability to make calls — oops!

My mom was understandably frustrated. She relies on her phone not just for browsing, but primarily for communication. In a panic, I tried to revert the settings back, switching it to “4G/3G (LTE/GSM with PRL),” which temporarily solved the issue. However, the problem persisted; every time she restarted her phone—often due to it freezing and displaying a black screen at full brightness—the settings reverted back to “4G (LTE only).”

Seeking Solutions

I turned to the vast ocean of knowledge available online, seeking a reliable fix to this tech crisis. The challenge was to find a way to consistently maintain the desired network settings without losing calling functionality. Here are a few strategies that I explored:

Reset Network Settings: Sometimes a complete reset may help restore original configurations. This could help clear any glitches that are causing the settings to revert.
Update the Phone Software: Ensuring that the phone has the latest software updates can resolve many underlying issues related to connectivity.
Factory Reset: As a last resort, performing a factory reset of the phone can often fix persistent problems. However, it’s crucial to back up all important data beforehand, as this will erase everything from the device.
Consulting Carrier Settings: Sometimes, network issues can be linked to carrier settings. Check if resetting these can help stabilize the network options.