No data service

[Exazet]

My wife and I are both on O2 PAYG and neither of us were able to connect to mobile data all day yesterday. This was on a 150+ mile journey so it's not just a single transmitter, account or phone (different makes, both Android 8.x). We both use mobile data periodically and it normall just works fine, so it's not a setup issue either. Checking this morning I find that it's still not working. Is something going on?

Voice calls connect OK, but all attempts to turn on mobile data result in a signal display that I believe indicates a failure:

The service type changes (E, H+, 4G) but always with the "x" in the lower corner of the signal indicator showing no connection. O2 don't seem to be reporting a problem, so what can I check at my end?

Apologies if this is an inappropriate place to ask this sort of question - please redirect me if so.

[MI5]

@Exazet  have you tried restarting the phones?

[Exazet]

Yes, both restarted with no change.

[MI5]

Are you both on the same tariff and which?

[Exazet · Accepted solution]

Hmmm... My wife just passed on a suggestion she received: switch "Preferred Network Type" to 3G. That worked, but I don't understand why or how. Although both were previously set to 4G my phone was clearly trying HSPA+ and Edge which, unless I'm very much mistaken, are 3G technologies. Having successfully made a connection, it still works (on both phones) after switching the preference back to 4G. This seems very weird behaviour!

Working now anyway, and hopefully this posting might help out someone else if they stumble upon it while googling similar symptoms.

[MI5]

Yeah that's weird but glad you've found it.

[jonsie]

You haven't both just changed tariff recently or upgraded?

[jonsie]

You haven't both just changed tariff recently or upgraded?? 

[Exazet]

Yes, both on the PAYG tariff.

[Exazet]

I've been with O2 on the PAYG tariff for over a year, my wife joined from another provider a few months ago. We have both used O2 mobile data many times over the last few months and noticed no problems until yesterday, although our usage is sporadic (normally use WiFi) so I don't know when it would first have shown up.