Lycamobile APN Settings
Quick Answer
The Lycamobile UK APN is data.lycamobile.co.uk, with the username and password left blank. Restart the phone afterwards, as Lycamobile instructs. Note that Lycamobile moved from O2 to EE in June 2023, so older guides may show O2-era settings.
The important thing about Lycamobile is not the APN itself but its history: it switched host network part way through the lifetime of most of the guides you will find for it. That makes the date on a Lycamobile settings page more useful than usual.
Complete Lycamobile APN Settings
| APN | data.lycamobile.co.uk |
| Username | Leave blank |
| Password | Leave blank |
| MMSC | http://lyca.mmsmvno.com/mms/wapenc |
| MMS proxy | Not published by the operator |
| MMS port | Not published by the operator |
| Authentication type | Not published by the operator |
| APN type | Not published by the operator |
| MCC / MNC | Not published by the operator |
| Proxy / Port / Server | Not published by the operator |
| APN protocol | Not published by the operator |
That is a lot of blanks, and deliberately so. Lycamobile publishes the APN and the MMSC and nothing else, with the explicit instruction to leave other MMS fields as default or blank if unsure. Filling those gaps from a settings-listing site is how people end up with a profile that is worse than the one they started with.
Lycamobile Moved from O2 to EE in June 2023
On 27 June 2023, BT Group announced that Lycamobile UK customers would get direct access to EE’s 4G and 5G network through BT Wholesale. Before that, Lycamobile ran on O2.
This is the one genuinely dated host change among the UK virtual networks, and it has a practical consequence: a Lycamobile guide written before mid-2023 may be describing the O2 era. If you find a table that contradicts the values above, check when it was written before trusting it. It is also why coverage on a Lycamobile SIM may have changed noticeably without anything on the handset changing.
Entering Lycamobile APN Settings on Android
- Go to Settings > Network & Internet (or Connections), then Mobile network > Access Point Names.
- Tap add or the plus icon to create a profile.
- Enter data.lycamobile.co.uk as the APN and leave username and password empty.
- Add the MMSC if you need picture messaging, then save and select the profile.
- Restart the phone or toggle flight mode.
Our Android APN guide covers the menu differences between manufacturers.
Entering Lycamobile APN Settings on iPhone
Go to Settings > Mobile Data > Mobile Data Network and edit the existing fields rather than adding a profile — iOS saves the change when you leave the screen. Restart afterwards. If the Mobile Data Network menu is absent, our iPhone APN guide explains what that means.
If Lycamobile Data Still Will Not Work
Restart first, since Lycamobile itself flags this as a required step rather than an optional one. Check the APN is data.lycamobile.co.uk in full — not lycamobile.co.uk and not data.lycamobile.com. Make sure the profile is selected, not merely saved. And if the handset was previously on another network, an old profile may still be active. Further steps are in mobile data not working.
Lycamobile Runs on EE
Since June 2023, Lycamobile uses EE’s network via BT Wholesale. Its APN is its own, so do not substitute EE’s — see EE APN settings if you also manage EE lines. Lycamobile’s settings pages are published as blog articles rather than formal help documentation and carry no dates, so they are worth re-checking against Lycamobile directly if something does not behave as described.
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Get a Mobile Quote →Frequently Asked Questions
What is the APN for Lycamobile UK?
The Lycamobile UK APN is data.lycamobile.co.uk, with the username and password left blank. Lycamobile’s own instruction for the other fields is to leave them as default or blank if you are unsure, which is sound advice on any network.
Did Lycamobile change network?
Yes, and the date matters. Lycamobile moved to EE on 27 June 2023, announced by BT Group when BT Wholesale took on the contract. Before that it ran on O2. Any Lycamobile settings guide written before mid-2023 may therefore be showing O2-era values, which is worth knowing if you find a table that disagrees with this one.
What are the Lycamobile MMS settings?
Lycamobile uses the same APN, data.lycamobile.co.uk, with MMSC http://lyca.mmsmvno.com/mms/wapenc. It does not publish an MMS proxy or port, and tells you to leave the remaining MMS fields at their defaults.
Do I need to restart my phone after entering Lycamobile settings?
Lycamobile specifically says so, on both its Android and iPhone instructions — restart the handset or toggle flight mode once the APN is saved. A new profile often will not take effect until the phone re-registers with the network.
Does Lycamobile send settings to my phone automatically?
It makes no such claim. Unlike most UK networks, Lycamobile presents manual entry as the whole answer and publishes no configuration text message or shortcode. If you see a shortcode quoted for Lycamobile, it did not come from Lycamobile.
Is the Lycamobile APN different for pay monthly or 5G?
Not as far as Lycamobile publishes. It gives one APN with no distinction between pay as you go and pay monthly, and none between 4G and 5G.
