iPhone XS and XS Max Owners Complain of Wi-Fi and LTE Connectivity Issues

[Packers1958]

It's the antenna, not the modem. FCC already shown that in their tests. WiWavelength posted the first article on the 12th prior to release of the new phones, and no one paid attention. The second is his followup. Without a doubt, Apple will blame the carriers and ignore us.

https://www.wiwavelength.com/2018/09/iphone-xs-and-xs-max-mostly-fail-to.html

https://www.wiwavelength.com/2018/09/antennagate-reduxs-if-so-what-can-apple.html

 

[L-Viz]

More than 1500 bucks for a phone with ***** connectivitie?

Thanks, but I will stick to my SE.

 

[Sharkoneau]

Not sure if my phone is connecting to 5GHz or not (bands are unified in terms of SSID), but I just tested and pulled consistent 289/21 down and up on WiFi. Seems that I lucked out here. I set up my device as a new phone though, for the most part.

That being said, hopefully those facing issues see a resolution! I wouldn't mind a connectivity boost via software update, either.

 

[avanpelt]

My T-Mobile XS is doing great with WiFi, cellular and battery

As a T-Mobile customer, you also get the advantage of having access to the 600 MHz bands with the XS; which, depending on where you're located, can make a big difference in coverage.

 

[Berzerker7]

Getting my popcorn ready for when people start claiming unfixable hardware and Apple releases a software update that completely address the issue.

 

[lewchenko]

Will be interesting to hear Apple's response.
Hope they handle it better than iPhone 4's antennae gate.

I have an XS awaiting collection, but contemplating cancelling unless it's confirmed to be software or firmware. Not spending a grand to have to deal with issues relating to connectivity and wifi, especially if a fix doesn't come within the 14 day return window.

Free bumpers lol.

 

[Glideslope]

Fasten you’re seat belts. Here we go.......

 

[Stratus Fear]

Its nothing to do with the modem chips..

https://www.wiwavelength.com/2018/09/iphone-xs-and-xs-max-mostly-fail-to.html?m=1

There are hardware antenna issues, and software issues too.

Thanks for posting that article, I was about to do the same. The modem, from all accounts I've read, is vastly improved (and not just in feature set) to the older Intel modems, and is supposed to close a lot of the gap with the Qualcomm X20 modem.

On the other hand, I was actually pretty surprised to hear of all these issues. I have an XS Max; in the places where I've had the worst signal with my X (including at my house) I've had noticeable improvement with the XS (dBm/bars, call drops, etc). Reading more, I've seen a fair number of people reporting on either end of the spectrum, worse vs. better. Hopefully this inconsistency can be figured out, and whatever is going on be fixed.

 

[dspdoc]

Add me to the list. This morning my iPhone was randomly jumping back and forth between LTE and Wi-Fi.

 

[lwdc]

Thankfully no issues with my Max so far. Wifi connection at home is fine, and no issues connecting to LTE anywhere in DC and Northern Virginia.

 

[NufSaid]

So this is journalism?
Several readers in a forum report a problem and that is evidence for a story?

I get that you said it was the source.....but that is the source?

 

[Packers1958]

Apple and their great QC and testing.

 

[oneMadRssn]

I noticed the WiFi one as well. How it would jump over to 2.4 when it should stay on 5ghz unless the signal is really bad.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't selecting which network (2.4ghz or 5ghz) a router thing? I know at least on my router, I can set the dBM threshold for where it will steer devices to 2.4ghz instead of 5ghz. For example, I have it set so that if a device with it's 5ghz signal is worse than -92 dBM, it will send that device to 2.4ghz.

 

[dspdoc]

Battery life will suffer if your signal is low too.

I noticed the same thing. My battery started draining very rapidly when the phone was jumping back and forth between LTE and Wi-Fi.

 

[MattMJB0188]

Thanks, guinea pigs for investing in a $1200 device. I'll stick with my 8 plus, which has the Qualcomm chip, running circles around your Xs/XsMax LOL.

 

[Viper2005]

My XS Max has no issues with the Rogers LTE. I'm getting the same amount of bars in the house, and throughput speeds are comparable to my old X

 

[Glideslope]

Getting my popcorn ready for when people start claiming unfixable hardware and Apple releases a software update that completely address the issue.

That would be ideal. However, if one researches the antenna reception data from the FCC Certification Apple clearly saw less than ideal performance.

 

[nutmac]

Battery life isn't too stellar for me on the XS right now, either.

On Settings | Battery, select Last 3 Days then scroll down to "Battery Usage by App".

If you have lots of photos, Photos app may be sucking up lots of background activity.

 

[Cyberpower678]

No comment on LTE problems but the failing of the 5GHz band is probably because something about 5 GHz is not agreeing with the phone. I’m connected to a 5GHz band and notice that my connection drops from time to time.

 

[Packers1958]

My XS Max has no issues with the Rogers LTE. I'm getting the same amount of bars in the house, and throughput speeds are comparable to my old X

Go to an area with a weak signal. Your old X will not drop the signal. The new iPhones will. It's the newly designed antenna.

 

[lewchenko]

Turn the brightness down or maybe background refresh for all but your most used apps. Maybe set some apps to turn on GPS while using instead of always. If you’ve done all of this already then maybe something is wrong or the battery life just isn’t that great.

Never a good sign that you have to turn loads of stuff down / off on a brand new phone lol.

 

[Nilhum]

Apple wanted to use Intel over Qualcomm and this is the end result.

My XS Max has low signal in NYC of all places. I will wait for an update or else I will just return and wait for next years model use a Note 9 in place.

 

[VSMacOne]

Definitely started seeing this yesterday afternoon in an shopping mall. ATT LTE was showing 1-2 bars and kept dropping to 4G even in LTE the data was slow and iMessages were not working consistently. Looking forward to a fix ASAP.

 

[brent816]

My iPhone XS Max won't even connect to my 5GHz network. I try and it keeps not connecting. Everything else in my house can connect to it and have internet.

 

[Berzerker7]

That would be ideal. However, if one researches the antenna reception data from the FCC Certification Apple clearly saw less than ideal performance.

Yes it would be ideal, it's also what happens every time people think there's a huge scandal with new hardware design issues.