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iPhone 13 Pro iPhone 13 Pro loses cellular overnight

darinzook

darinzook

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 13, 2016
338
855
Charlotte, NC
Hey everyone - wanted to see if anyone else has been experiencing issues with losing cellular for no apparent reason with the iPhone 13 Pro? Every 1-2 weeks, usually on a Sunday night - I put my iPhone down on my nightstand (sometimes plugging it in, other times forgetting to), in the morning when my alarm sounds, I silence it, and begin looking at notifications, only to discover that cellular (usually 4-5 bars in my bedroom) is reporting 0 bars of signal.

I didn't have this issue with my iPhone 12 Pro Max, and my wife does not have this issue with her iPhone 12. So I'm trying to figure out if this is a software bug in iOS 15 on the 13 Pro (max?), or if its a hardware issue with my device. I thought I'd start here to see how widespread this is, before I reach out to Apple, and potentially begin troubleshooting with them.

Getting signal back - I've tried a few things on this (airplane mode, toggling cellular data on and off, toggling 5G on and off, etc.) and have found the most consistent fix is a full power cycle of the phone. I did some googling and saw some folks suggest reseating the SIM card, which I certainly can do - but as most here can probably attest - I'm skeptical on this fixing anything, there's some pretty tight tolerances within the SIM card tray & slot. Its not like it can just wiggle loose.

Looking for feedback here before I reach out to Apple.
 
darinzook said:
Hey everyone - wanted to see if anyone else has been experiencing issues with losing cellular for no apparent reason with the iPhone 13 Pro? Every 1-2 weeks, usually on a Sunday night - I put my iPhone down on my nightstand (sometimes plugging it in, other times forgetting to), in the morning when my alarm sounds, I silence it, and begin looking at notifications, only to discover that cellular (usually 4-5 bars in my bedroom) is reporting 0 bars of signal.

I didn't have this issue with my iPhone 12 Pro Max, and my wife does not have this issue with her iPhone 12. So I'm trying to figure out if this is a software bug in iOS 15 on the 13 Pro (max?), or if its a hardware issue with my device. I thought I'd start here to see how widespread this is, before I reach out to Apple, and potentially begin troubleshooting with them.

Getting signal back - I've tried a few things on this (airplane mode, toggling cellular data on and off, toggling 5G on and off, etc.) and have found the most consistent fix is a full power cycle of the phone. I did some googling and saw some folks suggest reseating the SIM card, which I certainly can do - but as most here can probably attest - I'm skeptical on this fixing anything, there's some pretty tight tolerances within the SIM card tray & slot. Its not like it can just wiggle loose.

Looking for feedback here before I reach out to Apple.
Click to expand...
You have a Sim card in your 13?

Here's me thinking most folk just used the eSim...
 
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darinzook said:
I'd love to use the eSIM, but I'm using an MVNO (Spectrum Mobile) which currently doesn't support eSIM. Hopefully they bring support sometime this year.
Click to expand...

Well, that's me edumikated.

Are you the only person you know of with this issue? If so then I'd reach out to Apple. Sounds like a possible hardware glitch.
 
TiggrToo said:
Well, that's me edumikated.

Are you the only person you know of with this issue? If so then I'd reach out to Apple. Sounds like a possible hardware glitch.
Click to expand...
TBD. Thats why I decided to post here amongst friends to see if anyone else has had this experience. If its just me, I'll call AppleCare to start with remote diags and then go from there. My gut says they're going to ask me to get a new SIM from my carrier before they'll swap the device for a "hardware issue"... unless of course, its a known issue with some devices.
 
I am sceptical about SIM card fixes to be honest. Do both you and your wife have the same carrier?
 
ericwn said:
I am sceptical about SIM card fixes to be honest. Do both you and your wife have the same carrier?
Click to expand...
yep. Just different models - she's got the iPhone 12 (256GB, spring 2020 purple edition), and I've got the iPhone 13 Pro (256GB Sierra Blue). Same carrier, same physical SIM, etc.

I had a iPhone 12 Pro Max previously, no issues with it for over a year.

I too am highly skeptical of SIM fixes/swaps, etc. I always feel like they're just trying to get me into stores (AT&T was notorious for this) to upsell you into different plans/features. One of the many reasons I moved to MVNOs. Same service, less hassle.
 
Maybe try doing a Reset Network Settings. This is what Apple will have you do. Give it try and see how it works.
 
Yea, I have already done that as a troubleshooting step. It did work (so does power cycling the phone), but it happens again 1-2 weeks later.

I ended up troubleshooting with Apple this morning. They agree I've gone through all troubleshooting steps (and we did a few again over the phone). They also ran diagnostics which surprise! came back clean. So they're chalking it up to a software bug, and saying I should reinstall iOS 15.2 using my computer (so a fresh ipsw image gets pulled down). This is annoying and less than desirable, but another thing to check off the list... Maybe they're right. Bits get corrupted all the time. Maybe it was a bad install.

Guess I wait to see if this happens again now... if anyone else has encountered this - please chime in. :)
 
darinzook said:
Yea, I have already done that as a troubleshooting step. It did work (so does power cycling the phone), but it happens again 1-2 weeks later.

I ended up troubleshooting with Apple this morning. They agree I've gone through all troubleshooting steps (and we did a few again over the phone). They also ran diagnostics which surprise! came back clean. So they're chalking it up to a software bug, and saying I should reinstall iOS 15.2 using my computer (so a fresh ipsw image gets pulled down). This is annoying and less than desirable, but another thing to check off the list... Maybe they're right. Bits get corrupted all the time. Maybe it was a bad install.

Guess I wait to see if this happens again now... if anyone else has encountered this - please chime in. :)
Click to expand...
Try doing a Recover Mode Update before you do the nuclear option.
 
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Taz Mangus said:
Try doing a Recover Mode Update before you do the nuclear option.
Click to expand...
I was actually pleasantly surprised that they've addressed a lot of the headache with the nuclear option.

They are completely fine with restoring from iCloud backup but only after a complete restore using a PC (which will force a download of the latest ipsw, and ensure a clean install). Admittedly its been a few years since I've had to do this, and while time consuming and intensive on the device - it didn't require as much manual effort as I recalled. Also seems like many apps that previously would've made me log in again, or the 2-factor apps that were based on their install state (horrible experience) have since remedied these issues (likely with iCloud sync). Resetting up my employer's apps was also less painless, only had to renew a few certificates and was off and running.
 
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darinzook Did the reinstall end up fixing your problem? From time to time my wife's 13 mini drops off the network with zero bars and needs to be rebooted, and her sister just got a new 13 that does the same thing. Both are on Verizon and my wife's phone uses the eSIM (her sister's probably does too).

Thanks.
 
demyers said:
darinzook Did the reinstall end up fixing your problem? From time to time my wife's 13 mini drops off the network with zero bars and needs to be rebooted, and her sister just got a new 13 that does the same thing. Both are on Verizon and my wife's phone uses the eSIM (her sister's probably does too).

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Have you tried toggling Airplane mode to restart wireless services?
 
demyers said:
Yes, it does not resolve the problem.
Click to expand...
So the fix didn't solve my problem, which prompted a genius appointment in-store earlier this month. I was told by the specialist/genius in-store, that I did the restore wrong (was told wrong by AppleCare), and that you must do a full factory wipe (using computer), and then NOT restore your phone at all, and setup as new. I was in disbelief. According to this person, iCloud backups preserve all cellular/carrier/wireless settings and data. iCloud backups are meant to assist in migrations between phones, but cannot be used in the event of a software issue that may have corrupted your phone software. You have to re-download all your apps/data, etc.

It was a painful few days getting my phone back to normal. Praying this fixed it - and it wasn't all for nothing. Usually 2-3 weeks go by before I encounter the issue again. We'll see.
 
darinzook said:
So the fix didn't solve my problem, which prompted a genius appointment in-store earlier this month. I was told by the specialist/genius in-store, that I did the restore wrong (was told wrong by AppleCare), and that you must do a full factory wipe (using computer), and then NOT restore your phone at all, and setup as new. I was in disbelief. According to this person, iCloud backups preserve all cellular/carrier/wireless settings and data. iCloud backups are meant to assist in migrations between phones, but cannot be used in the event of a software issue that may have corrupted your phone software. You have to re-download all your apps/data, etc.

It was a painful few days getting my phone back to normal. Praying this fixed it - and it wasn't all for nothing. Usually 2-3 weeks go by before I encounter the issue again. We'll see.
Click to expand...
So, did the full clean install work? My iPhone 13 started doing this a few days ago... I chalked it up as a SIM card issue so I swapped to eSim, but it has done it the past two days. Toggling airplane mode off/on makes it reconnect. Wife's phone is fine.

On verizon.
 
jeremysteele said:
So, did the full clean install work? My iPhone 13 started doing this a few days ago... I chalked it up as a SIM card issue so I swapped to eSim, but it has done it the past two days. Toggling airplane mode off/on makes it reconnect. Wife's phone is fine.

On verizon.
Click to expand...
The SIM is just a matter of authentication on the network, has no radios or antennas, and if there’s something seriously wrong with it I’d bet the issue wouldn’t be intermittent. I’d look at software or the carrier I guess.
 
jeremysteele said:
So, did the full clean install work? My iPhone 13 started doing this a few days ago... I chalked it up as a SIM card issue so I swapped to eSim, but it has done it the past two days. Toggling airplane mode off/on makes it reconnect. Wife's phone is fine.

On verizon.
Click to expand...

Same issue 13 pro max. Verizon. I also had this issue on my 12 pro max.
 
ericwn said:
The SIM is just a matter of authentication on the network, has no radios or antennas, and if there’s something seriously wrong with it I’d bet the issue wouldn’t be intermittent. I’d look at software or the carrier I guess.
Click to expand...
I've had plenty of intermittent issues due to fault physical SIM cards. When they get hot they tend to slightly warp, which can cause a lot of funky issues. That is why my first instinct of seeing no service was to jump straight at the sim being faulty.... I've had that happen 5 times in the past (on old phones obviously, not all this one lol) all with the same exact symptoms, and a quick exchange fixed it.

Since switching to esim didn't seem to fix my 13, it's likely software since I did the 15.5 update a couple days before all this started. And if that isn't the cause, then it has to be ghosts.

skulls17 said:
Same issue 13 pro max. Verizon. I also had this issue on my 12 pro max.
Click to expand...
Interesting. I wonder if it is 5g related? My wife is still on a SE (LTE) and it is running fine. I also turned off 5g data earlier when I reset network settings, I guess we will see.
 
Last edited:
jeremysteele said:
So, did the full clean install work? My iPhone 13 started doing this a few days ago... I chalked it up as a SIM card issue so I swapped to eSim, but it has done it the past two days. Toggling airplane mode off/on makes it reconnect. Wife's phone is fine.

On verizon.
Click to expand...
Yea, it seems to have done the trick - haven't had any issues since. Certainly inconvenient - but I'm glad it fixed it.
 
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