Hi, first make sure that your Kyocera Rise is not in Airplane mode so that you can get reception where you are. The way your phone works is if you can't get a signal from your network, the call and messaging apps won't even work properly. For example, if you type out a new message, it's no use because you won't even be able to press the Send button. It just won't let you. Also, check the signal bars on the top-most portion of the screen to see if you really are getting anything from your network. Let us know if the above tips help!