APN: The master key to configure Internet on mobile

I put you in situation. You change your mobile phone, you insert the SIM in the new terminal and oh surprise! mobile data connection is not working. You check the mobile network settings and everything is activated. What's more, you put the SIM in your old Android or iPhone and the data connection works (!) What's going on? The APN is unconfigured.

APN: What is it and what is it for?

Abbreviations APN belong to "Access Point Name " or "Access Point Name ”, and is what makes you have internet on your mobile. If you do not have the APN or access point configured, you will not be able to use the internet service that you have contracted with your operator.

Normally, when you insert the SIM into your smartphone, it automatically detects your mobile data connection settings and you don't need to do anything else.

But this is not always the case, and when the phone is misconfigured or does not identify the APN of your operator, it is necessary to enter these data manually. By hand, go.

Once you have the APN correctly configured you can activate the data service and surf the internet until you bleed the eyes.

What you are about to read then you will only need it if your phone has been misconfigured and you have lost your internet connection. Even so, I recommend that you keep reading because you are going to learn where the “source”From mobile data connections, and that's very valuable information.

How is the APN configured?

To add the APN of your telephone operator you will need 3 pieces of information:

• APN: Is the name of the data server
• User: Validation user
• Password: Access password

Some operators do not require a username and password, so many times simply knowing the name of the APN server is enough.

Once you have your access point configured you will have an internet connection .

Configure APN on Android

To configure the mobile Internet connection on an Android device, from the phone settings, click on “Mobile networks”And access the configuration menu.

• Choose "APN”And click on the symbol “+” to add a new connection.
• Indicates a name for the connection. Here you can put what you want: Internet, internet connection
• Enter the APN.
• Also add username and password in case they are necessary.
• Click on "Keep”
• To finish, you just have to select the new APN that you just created to be able to browse freely.

Remember that for all this to work you have to leave the "Mobile networks”Activated.

Configure APN on iOS

In the case that you have an iPhone, follow the following steps to configure your APN:

• Go to "Settings -> Mobile data -> Mobile data network”.
• Enter the APN, username and password information.

Keep in mind that sometimes a reboot is necessary for the iPhone to pick up the data correctly.

APN username and password of the main operators

Next, you have a list of the access points or APNs with their respective access credentials. If in any case you do not accept the username and password, leave both fields empty and try again.

What if the APN doesn't work and I still don't have the Internet?

In this case, the problem may not be with the APN configuration. If you have a mobile of Chinese origin -and more if it is of medium or low range- you probably need also activate data roaming or roaming in your terminal.

Why? The story is that many mobiles from Chinaidentify our Internet provider's network as a foreign network. This means that in order for us to activate the data, it is necessary to enable data roaming on our phone.

To activate data roaming on Android we are going to «Settings -> Mobile networks -> Data roaming»And we enable the tab for such use.

It is important to remember that if we have data roaming activated and we travel abroad we may receive additional charges on the bill. In national territory there is no problem, but if you travel abroad, do not forget to deactivate this option!