iPhone 7/Plus iPhone 7 "No Service" Repair

[JGoodish]

Does anyone know if Apple can do a remote test to check for the "no service" issue as described in this article: https://www.apple.com/support/iphone-7-no-service/

If not, and I take it into a store, can they do it there? I called AppleCare, but the person I talked with wasn't able to get a remote diagnostic to work, and wasn't sure if that would tell him whether my phone was affected or not. Further, he didn't know if the stores could tell definitively, or whether they would have to send it in for diagnostics. He did tell me that if the device is affected, it would be sent in rather than repaired in the field (seems to be common with Apple these days).

I'm just trying to determine whether my device really is affected. It is an A1660 and manufactured between the dates in the program. When I go into a no service area, and I exit into a good service area, the phone will often not reconnect to the wireless network unless I cycle via airplane mode. However, it doesn't do this 100% of the time, and I haven't noticed the phone losing connection in known good areas, so I am unsure whether it is affected or not.

Why not just take it in? Well, the nearest Apple Store isn't close, and the experience in general always leaves a lot to be desired. I'll take it in if I have to, but would like to avoid it if I can.

 

[Funsize93]

The article is for iPhone 7 devices which have "no service" as a constant issue. As the article mentions it is "due to a component that has failed on the main logic board." These devices will have the "no service" issue 100% of the time even if they were restored as new/ using a new sim card, because the hardware component failed. Your device is only showing intermittent issues, this could be either a software, hardware or a carrier issue and would require troubleshooting to isolate that. The diagnostics which Apple performs will only check to see if the hardware is working or not. The diagnostic will only fail if you have the "no service" issue 100% of the time.

If I was in your shoes I would rule out any software bugs/ corruption by backing up and restoring your device using iTunes . Then restore your backup and monitor the issue.

If issues persists I would contact your carrier and make sure your services are working 100% and maybe obtain a new sim card.

If issues continue to persists after a restore, new sim card and you are in a location which has known good cellular service I would then book a genius bar appt. Otherwise youll be wasting your time as this is what the genius bar would have you do.

 

[JGoodish]

The article is for iPhone 7 devices which have "no service" as a constant issue. As the article mentions it is "due to a component that has failed on the main logic board." These devices will have the "no service" issue 100% of the time even if they were restored as new/ using a new sim card, because the hardware component failed. Your device is only showing intermittent issues, this could be either a software, hardware or a carrier issue and would require troubleshooting to isolate that. The diagnostics which Apple performs will only check to see if the hardware is working or not. The diagnostic will only fail if you have the "no service" issue 100% of the time.

Thanks for your reply. I perused some threads on another board, and it appears that you are largely correct; while the "No Service" issue might be intermittent at first, it seems that affected devices present with a more persistent "No Service" condition over time which a device reset or cellular radio cycling will not fix.

It has also been reported that affected devices will fail an iTunes restore with a "-1" code, and must fail an iTunes restore with this code for Apple to repair it under the "No Service" repair program. I'm not sure whether the restore in question is a DFU restore or standard restore, or even if it matters. However, my device has been successfully restored by iTunes, so it appears that it is unaffected (thankfully).

 

[Acronyc]

I had a similar no service issue on my iPhone 7. Once it left a service area it would be stuck in no service for a long time, even after several restarts, network settings resets, and lots of airplane mode toggles. Eventually it would just randomly get service again after some hours.

My iPhone 7 met the requirements for the replacement program in terms of model number and production date. I took it to an Apple store and they said that the program was for the phones that had no service constantly, not for those that would eventually get service back.

But they ran some diagnostics on my phone and found some failures with the logic board (I don’t remember what they were). That was enough for them to give me a replacement phone without any further questions or issues. It was really nice too because my phone was out of Apple Care.

If you can, I would suggest bringing it in to an Apple store for them to run some diagnostics. Maybe they will find an issue (not necessarily the no service problem) that is causing the problems you are experiencing and you can get a replacement phone.

 

[risk235]

When I took my daughter’s 7 for that issue, they shipped out the phone to fix it. They didn’t have any loaners so my daughter was without a phone for about a week. When she got the phone back they had replaced the logic board and put in a new battery.

 

[isajlew]

Don't get your hopes up too much. My phone exhibited all the symptoms and qualified for the repair program according to this article: https://www.apple.com/support/iphone-7-no-service/. I also replaced the sim card, and one week later, my phone was again without service completely. The Apple store employees also verified my phone qualified while I was in the store and submitted it for repair and provided me with a loaner phone.

A couple days later, support emailed me claiming to have found a pre-existing issue that disqualified my phone for service. When I probed for details, the first agent said something about a malfunctioning button, but there were no malfunctioning buttons when I delivered my phone to the Apple store. When they went back to engineering for an explanation, they just said my phone did not qualify for the service program.

Because the support article makes no qualifications about a second verification and I received uncorroborated information about why the phone was rejected, my service experience felt misleading at best, unethical at worst.

Instead of paying $319 for the repair, I opted for them to ship back my iPaperweight.