Apple Looking Into LTE Connectivity Issues Affecting Some iPhone XS and XS Max Owners

[Itsdev]

I think I found a solution for my slow LTE on my iPhone xs. Try doing this : go into cellular > LTE > data only. Just use data only, not the voice and data and try to do the speed test. It's significantly faster. Not sure if this is an ios 12 issue ir not.

Wouldn’t that have the side effect of not being able to surf the web and talk on the phone at the same time when off WiFi? That also doesn’t sound like a ‘fix’ so much as a workaround. Verizon isn’t activating any new devices that don’t support LTE Voice, so I would assume that eventually, you’ll -NEED- LTE voice support to make a call. Hopefully, whatever the issue is, it will be resolved quickly, and without requiring anything more than a simple carrier update.

 

[ssl0408]

I think I found a solution for my slow LTE on my iPhone xs. Try doing this : go into cellular > LTE > data only. Just use data only, not the voice and data and try to do the speed test. It's significantly faster. Not sure if this is an ios 12 issue ir not.

I’m using an iPhone X on iOS 12 and I tried this. My LTE speeds doubled once I set the LTE to data only. I was having crappy LTE speeds all this week with Verizon. Maybe this is an iOS 12 problem?

 

[cmaier]

I’m using an iPhone X on iOS 12 and I tried this. My LTE speeds doubled once I set the LTE to data only. I was having crappy LTE speeds all this week with Verizon. Maybe this is an iOS 12 problem?

Try setting it back again and see if the high speeds remain.

 

[capteeou]

1.00.07 modem firmware here, and not the 1.01.12 listed in the article. Anyone else actually see 1.01.12 on their devices on 12.0?

My iOS is 12.1 public beta 2. I'm on Verizon and firmware is 1.01.20-1

 

[ELman]

When the 7 first came out I could hardly use the device on Verizon’s network. Constant signal fluctuations and no data errors. It took Apple/Verizon about a month before they had a fix that worked.

 

[Arlo Timetraveler]

It's happening on every carrier so it's likely bad hardware . Return your phones now before Friday ! Don't expect apple to fix these problems . Your 14 day return period is near !!!

Probably not a HW issue. It looks more like a SW or calibration issue. The reason I think that is because I have seen individuals with the same mobile on the same network have issues and not have issues.

If it was HW it would be consistent issue with all the mobiles.

 

[sincere08189]

Keep in mind that the XS is the first iPhone using an Intel rather than QUALCOMM modem chip on the Verizon network.

I am having isssues with a tmobile phone but not as bad as a family member with the verizon variant

 

[JosephAW]

Reminds me when I went from my iPhone 6 to a iPhone 7. All of a sudden the signal was much weaker and streaming radio was intermittent.

 

[sincere08189]

Anyone having connectivity ( LTE ) issues with TMobile ? Occasionally, opening a webpage or even logging into an App takes a while, or just hangs.

Also, on WiFi, while the speedtest shows downstream/upstream speeds very similar to other devices, sometimes webpages take forever to open.

I will be calling Apple about this, just wondering if any other TMobile users are facing a similar issue.

Yeah I have a tmobile one with issues.

 

[CACTUARU]

Where can I submit my issue to Apple?

 

[ssl0408]

Try setting it back again and see if the high speeds remain.

The high speeds with LTE data only did not last. I could recreate it once out of every three speed tests.

 

[sincere08189]

A

Where can I submit my issue to Apple?

Apple support

 

[Arlo Timetraveler]

The team I am working with at Apple confirms there is a major problem . I am only posting what they are telling me .

ROLLTIDE1,

I was an engineer for Sony and worked on their mobiles. We would never say anything was a major problem to a customer.

 

[cmaier]

The high speeds with LTE data only did not last. I could recreate it once out of every three speed tests.

Yeah, I think each time it connects to a network tower it's a crap shoot.

 

[Baymowe335]

I believe everyone has weaker signal. It is not noticeable in most places that have good coverage unless really watching. The new xs are faster if have decent signal.

Not true. Even the anecdotal evidence we’ve seen here proves that. We have no idea what the signal is like on a large number of phones.

 

[coolsean20]

I think I found a solution for my slow LTE on my iPhone xs. Try doing this : go into cellular > LTE > data only. Just use data only, not the voice and data and try to do the speed test. It's significantly faster. Not sure if this is an ios 12 issue ir not.

This made my data significantly slower. As well as my ping fluctuating.

 

[predation]

Let’s hope it is software related. I’m noticing a big difference between my Xs and my 6s. The Xs is much slower in speed with equal to or greater number of bars. Additionally seems to be worse inside of buildings when the Xs should be better in this situation

your 6s was a qualcomm modem. i noticed the ****** performance when i switched to a GSM 7+.
i think Intel has a LONG way to go. playing catch up with qualcomm and trying to fend off AMD.

 

[cmaier]

This made my data significantly slower. As well as my ping fluctuating.

When i first read this I read "pig flatulation."

 

[Blaze42k]

I’m using an iPhone X on iOS 12 and I tried this. My LTE speeds doubled once I set the LTE to data only. I was having crappy LTE speeds all this week with Verizon. Maybe this is an iOS 12 problem?

Great I'm glad its working for you and whoever else I can help

 

[The Game 161]

Seems to me this is a mainly US based issue..

 

[Vlad.E.]

So much for Quality control.
This why you never buy anything on release day.

 

[The Game 161]

So much for Quality control.
This why you never buy anything on release day.

Not really, many have had no issues

 

[madKIR]

Seems to me this is a mainly US based issue..

Maybe due to the fact that Europe has had the Intel modem for a while and people are used to subpar cellular service by now lol
Kinda funny that Verizon users complain a lot too: might be a noticeable difference coming from the Qualcomm chip haha

 

[Feenician]

Not really, many have had no issues

Since I've worked in this building I've had a 5s, an SE and a 7 Plus, all on T-Mobile, and all of them lost signal in the elevators here. The XS Max is the only one that held on to signal and data (albeit a bit slow while I'm in there). I wish everyone was having that experience.

 

[falainber]

A good read: https://www.pcmag.com/news/364116/iphone-xs-crushes-x-in-lte-speeds-but-still-falls-short-of

"The iPhone XS is a huge step up from the iPhone X when it comes to LTE download speeds, according to exclusive new data from Cellular Insights and Ookla Speedtest. But it still doesn't quite match the Qualcomm X20 modem used in the Samsung Galaxy Note 9."

"Between the three 4x4 MIMO phones, you can see that in good signal conditions, the Qualcomm-powered Galaxy Note 9 and Google Pixel 2 still do a bit better than the iPhone XS Max. But as signal gets weaker, the XS Max really competes, showing that it's well tuned."

"The iPhone XS shows, on average, 6.6Mbps faster download speeds on all US carriers than the iPhone X, according to Speedtest Intelligence. In Canada, that difference jumps to a massive 20.2Mbps."


"We saw a noticeable jump in performance from iOS 11 to iOS 12 on our Intel iPhone X unit, bringing it closer to the initial performance of the Qualcomm iPhone X. Early versions of new phone firmware are sometimes buggy. When the Samsung Galaxy S8 came out, the first version of Sprint's firmware had a bad timer in it that caused the phone to drop from the faster Band 41 to the slower Band 25 too frequently; that was later fixed in a software update, making the phone's performance appear to improve.

The first versions of the iPhone XS firmware may, in some places, be causing trouble with signal reception. We were unable to find any issues in the hardware that would explain negative experiences, but we also don't want to deny the experiences a few people are having. To them, we say: Don't return your phone, because we bet a fix is coming."

What they claim is that the new modem is faster at the same signal strength. They did not test if XS antenna is as good as X antenna at providing the same signal strength. Modem will be irrelevant if there is no signal.