This page will identify common troubleshooting problems with the Nokia Lumia 1020.
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The phone will randomly power off without being shut down by the user.
Ensure your apps are not running in the background by pressing the Back key each time you exit them.
Update Windows by going to the Settings menu and choosing Phone Update. Then select Check for Updates.
Charge the phone for an hour and see if it will turn on by itself. If it remains off but the battery icon shows, press and hold the Power and Volume Down keys simultaneously for 8-10 seconds until the phone vibrates.
Note: All data, settings, and content will be completely erased and the phone will be restored to factory state. It is recommended that you have a backup of all files you wish to save.
Turn off the phone and hold the Volume Down and Power buttons. If the phone vibrates, release only the Power button. If the phone does not vibrate, press and hold the Volume Down button and connect the charger. When an exclamation mark message appears on your screen, press the following keys in this order:
- Volume UpVolume DownPower ButtonVolume Down
The phone should reset and restart.
The phone will rapidly lose battery power despite normal usage and may experience overheating.
Go into Settings and turn on Battery Saver mode. This will slow down updates and prevent apps from running in the background.
When exiting an app, use the Back key to completely exit the app so it’s not left running in the background. Also, deactivate the Bluetooth function whenever it is not in use.
Note: Make sure apps are up to date. Rogue apps can also cause battery drain. Go to Settings and disable apps from running in background.
There are multiple Display settings that can be set to decrease battery drain. Lower the brightness settings, reduce the duration before the screen turns off, turn off the screen during calls, use a darker background theme, and turn off the viewfinder after a picture is taken.
If the battery still drains quickly, the device may have a faulty battery and would need replacing.
SIM card isn’t being read by the phone.
Make sure that the SIM card for your Nokia Lumia 1020 is a Micro SIM card. Ensure that the SIM card is properly inserted into the SIM card tray with the gold contacts facing up. If the error message still appears, your SIM card may be damaged. Replace the SIM card.
If the SIM tray won’t easily slide out, take a thin piece of plastic and slide it inside of the top tray. Continue to wiggle the plastic to separate the gold contacts from the top of the device. This should allow removal of the tray from the phone.
Note: Be careful and take your time in using plastic to slide SIM card out so you don’t damage the pins that hold it together.
The phone will not activate by pressing the Power button.
The phone’s battery may be dead. In that case, the battery would need to be replaced with a functional one.
A phone call may sound full of static or other background noise.
Make sure that the SIM card for your Nokia Lumia 1020 is a Micro SIM card. Ensure that the SIM card is properly inserted into the SIM card tray with the gold contacts facing up. If the phone is still experiencing sound quality issues, your SIM card could be damaged. Replace the SIM card.
If the problem persists, there could be a hardware issue. Replace the handset.
