APN Settings

When you drop a new SIM into a mobile phone, tablet or laptop, what should happen is that the SIM card should hook into your mobile provider's network and pull down the settings it needs to work optimally on your carrier.

In many cases, all you need to do to enable your phone's calling, messaging and Internet features is drop in a new SIM, and possibly do a single reboot of the device to be up and running. But what if it doesn't work?

That's where APN settings come in. APN stands for Access Point Name. It's what your mobile 'reads' so it can create a connection to the gateway between the Internet and your phone's cellular network - think of it as a bridge to get your mobile device connected to the Internet. Your mobile carrier effectively 'scans' your APN settings so it can generate an IP address to get you online.

We've listed the APN (and associated MMS and data settings) for a few popular mobile providers below, as well as how to apply them to a range of popular devices.

Changing your APN settings on an iPhone or iPad

To change your APN settings on an Apple iOS device, follow these steps:

1. Open the Settings app
2. Tap Mobile (or Cellular)
3. Tap Mobile Data Network (or Cellular Network)

From here, you can enter or alter the existing APN information for your device. In some cases you may find these details blocked out by your carrier. In that case, your best bet would be to contact your provider with your precise device type and problem, because if they're not going to let you fix the problem manually, it very much does come down to their support to do so.

Bear in mind that the ability to access mobile networks won't be present if you're using an iPad that only has Wi-Fi connectivity, because there's no facility to add a SIM card to those devices.

Changing your APN settings on an Android device

The exact naming varies a little by Android device type, but the following steps should be the general gist of it:

1. Open the Settings app
2. Tap Connections
3. Tap Mobile Networks
4. Tap Access Point Names

From here you should be able to adjust the existing registered APNs as well as add new details as needed

APN settings for popular mobile providers

If the APN settings aren't already listed in your device, find the provider you're with in the below list.

Telstra, Boost Mobile APN settings

Telstra's settings also apply to customers of Boost Mobile, although for other MVNOs on the Telstra Wholesale network, such as Woolworths Mobile or ALDImobile, see further down.

Telstra also provides extensive support for getting mobile devices online from its own site.

Woolworths Mobile, ALDImobile and Belong APN settings

Telstra's MVNO carriers, such as Woolworths Mobile, ALDImobile and Belong, use "parts" of the Telstra 3G and 4G network, and that means that slightly different APN settings are required:

Optus APN settings

It should be noted that Optus' APN settings will also apply to amaysim, Vaya, TPG, iiNet, Dodo users. Optus advises that if you're using an iPhone or BlackBerry device you shouldn't need to adjust your APN settings as these are handled as part of the carrier setup process on any new device. For other devices, if you're having issues, check that your APN settings match the settings below:

Optus widely wholesales its network, which means that these APN settings may also apply to customers on other Optus-based services such as amaysim, although it's worth checking with your MVNO, as many advise that simply adding the APN name should be enough to enable Internet services.

Vodafone, Kogan Mobile APN settings

Vodafone's APN settings vary a little depending on whether you're accessing via a smartphone or simply a feature phone.

If you're using a non-smartphone, your main need for APN settings is to enable TXT/PXT features. Here are the details you need if your phone isn't working:

If your only concern is accessing PXT/MMS services, here are the details you'll need:

If you're using a Vodafone-supplied pocket Wi-Fi router device, the only setting you should need is the APN, which is live.vodafone.com.

Vodafone also provides a facility for APN settings to be automatically configured for many popular phones, which you can find here.

If you're on a Vodafone-based MVNO such as Kogan Mobile, those same APN settings will generally apply, but if you do hit trouble, it's worth checking directly with your carrier to see if there's a smaller tweak required to get your services up and running smoothly.

Still having trouble getting connected?

If you suspect the problem with your mobile connection lies with your provider, you may want to check out our guide to lodging a complaint with the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman.

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