How to improve weak signal
Most dead spots die in your settings, not at the mast. Six fixes that cost nothing, in the order that works.
The fixes, in order of effectiveness
iPhone: Settings › Mobile Data › Wi-Fi Calling. Android: Settings › Connections/Network › Wi-Fi Calling (wording varies). Calls and texts ride your broadband with your normal number — the single biggest indoor fix. If the toggle is missing, your provider may need to provision it, or (on budget brands) may not support it — ask officially.
With 3G retired across the networks in 2024–25, voice needs the 4G layer; some handsets shipped with it off.
Airplane mode on, count ten, off — forces re-registration with the best local mast. Cures a surprising share of "stuck on one bar".
Carrier-settings updates routinely carry network fixes.
Window side beats interior wall; upstairs beats basement. Foil insulation and low-E glass are the true villains of most dead spots.
Planned mast works show instantly on the operator's postcode status tool.
When nothing works
Signal was fine when I joined and now it's persistently bad — what are my options?
Material failure of promised coverage is complaint territory. Keep dated evidence — checker screenshots, failed-call logs across weeks — raise it formally in writing, and use the eight-week/deadlock route in the complaints guide. Where a service materially fails, a written request for penalty-free exit is reasonable.
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