Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
I am connected to my home wifi and the connection drops a lot. Even though it shows it is connected, I will try to load speed test, web browser and it will say I am offline. My iPhone X works just fine. My iPhone XS Max is the one having the issues. I am going to erase everything and setup as new and see if that helps. Very frustrating

I did a full restore to a new iphone, still the same issue. I had read online about that it might fix the issue. It doesn't.

I am on a apple store bought, on verizon. WIFI constantly disconnects for some reason. Very annoying
 
  • Like
Reactions: ROLLTIDE1
I have no issues with speed on my XS - seeing 80-90 Mbps down on LTE with AT&T, and wifi is easily able to keep up with my Internet speeds 100/100 Fios. Just putting this out there - plus LTE still works on my high floor office area where my 7 just couldn't get a usable signal.

All this Qualcomm business is just in your minds folks. Glad they're slowly being pushed out of their attempted monopoly.

Did you know there’s an iPhone 7 “no service” repair buried deep in the Support section of the Apple Support website? Good for three year repair of chip that fails.
 
Sprint for ya.
 

Attachments

  • 4F37BB89-0C30-4682-8A46-0ADD8D11A6C1.png
    4F37BB89-0C30-4682-8A46-0ADD8D11A6C1.png
    787.3 KB · Views: 205
My Xs Max is switching to Edge all the time, i haven't had that for years. Carrier is the same, but usually able to fetch at least 3G signal. However the Max goes to Edge often. I hope they can fix it in a software update.
 
Here you have a network test results for both XS models:
https://www.notebookcheck.net/Apple-iPhone-XS-Smartphone-Review.333546.0.html
https://www.notebookcheck.net/Apple-iPhone-XS-Max-Smartphone-Review.333544.0.html

2.4GHz Wi-Fi band has better range than 5GHz so for larger distance it is better to stay at 2.4GHz and connection should be more stable.

Regarding GSM/LTE network problems I do not think that Apple made the same mistake twice like in case of iPhone 4 antennagate. Possibly this is a problem of Intel modems that might be fixed in firmware under a pressure from Apple. I hope this will be not a second famous N 6235 wireless card full of signal dropouts due to signal interference between wifi and Bluetooth modems and not fixed within several years by Intel (they even block official thread on Intel forum and leave all end customers alone or redirect to notebook OEMs).
 
Well, I wouldn’t get the XS/XR until this works out, if ever. But before getting an 8, put its picture next to an X, an XS series, a Galaxy S8 or S9. Look at them. Compared to those phones the 8 looks like an out of date 1974 toy. It’s ugly and I would be embarrassed if anyone saw me carrying it.
Ugly with a good heart? :)
 
Did you know there’s an iPhone 7 “no service” repair buried deep in the Support section of the Apple Support website? Good for three year repair of chip that fails.
Thats for no service, and considering I had all Qualcomm based router a few years back based on a Qualcomm IPQ8065 CPU and Qualcomm QCA9984 wifi chipset that could not hold a signal on iPhones when you left the house and came back or just turned the wifi on and off on the iPhones. The routers came out the box like that it was considered full release code but nobody had noticed this glitch it would seem. There was lots of beta testing to sort that out... Any company can put our bad silicon or even just bad code, including Qualcomm.
 
Last edited:
Performance vs. Range

The new iPhone XS(Max) have 4x4 antena design, this improves performance as there can be multiple channels of up/down data stream. This also degrades range as there is literally less metal attached to each of the antennas (hence the lower gain results). It's that simple.

This is a design decision on Apple's engineers part that stipulates on the assumption that the 4G coverage has gotten good enough that focus on improving performance is now more important than maintaining connection with wider range. Since we are on the verge of 5G this is a fair assumption... Another assumption would be that a 1000$+ phone is more likely to be used by someone living in an urban environment with better reception.

Please stop making yourself crazy with notions that this is an Intel issue, a software issue or something that can be fixed.

It's not and it can't.

It's how the phone was designed - with the same hubris like the USB-C Macbooks, Apple leads and expects everyone to fallow. In this case - your carrier and/or Wi-Fi haven't catched up yet.
 
Last edited:
AFAIK, apple is new to this 4X4 antenna. Samsung already had them in their previous generation flagships. And they also had decreased metal contact, due to increased number of antenna, but their antenna are still able to generate adequate power.

So, your logic is although convincing but flawed.
Performance vs. Range

The new iPhone XS(Max) have 4x4 antena design, this improves performance as there can be multiple channels of up/down data stream. This also degrades range as there is literally less metal attached to each of the antennas (hence the lower gain results). It's that simple.

This is a design decision on Apple's engineers part that stipulates on the assumption that the 4G coverage has gotten good enough that focus on improving performance is now more important than maintaining connection with wider range. Since we are on the verge of 5G this is a fair assumption... Another assumption would be that a 1000$+ phone is more likely to be used by someone living in an urban environment with better reception.

Please stop making yourself crazy with notions that this is an Intel issue, a software issue or something that can be fixed.

It's not and it can't.

It's how the phone was designed - with the same hubris like the USB-C Macbooks, Apple leads and expects everyone to fallow. In this case - your carrier and/or Wi-Fi haven't catched up yet.
 
Don’t think I’m affected as speed wise

On my xs max
50mb and 19MB up

iPad Pro
47 MB down and 18 up

Signal is low but it always is at home.
 
  • Like
Reactions: roncron
AFAIK, apple is new to this 4X4 antenna. Samsung already had them in their previous generation flagships. And they also had decreased metal contact, due to increased number of antenna, but their antenna are still able to generate adequate power.

So, your logic is although convincing but flawed.

Listen Spock :) I'm not disagreeing with you. I never said you can't have both performance and range. But as Apple engineers weren't able to achieve what Samsung engineers did with the S9 (whether it was trough different chassis design or just more experience developing antennas) - Apple clearly knew the gains were lower, and decided to go with 4x4 design anyway. Ergo they chose performance over range. That's the point I was trying to convey.
 
  • Like
Reactions: egodspeed
masterin: When you does not know the root cause of problem you cannot tell this is just a OS software issue or modem firmware issue or just some hadware problem. Of course possibly this is a new characteristics of new product but this product is just launched so it may have some bugs that affect network performance and it can be tuned better to customer needs.
 
At least for my experience and testing, I think the problem is combination of the hardware in the new phones and something in iOS 12. While my Max is having the cellular connectivity problems, so is my husband’s 8. His went from LTE to 3G at our house after the update. But that being said, my old 6S Plus has no issues and still connects with LTE every time. So who knows. I do have an appointment this afternoon at Apple and am bringing in all my testing results and all the devices. They are going to laugh when they see me coming with a bag of phones and iPads.
 



Apple's iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max launched last Friday, and shortly after, some customers who purchased one of the new devices started noticing an issue with LTE and Wi-Fi speeds and connectivity.

According to multiple threads on the MacRumors forums, iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max users are experiencing connectivity problems with Wi-Fi and LTE on the two new iPhones when compared to other, older Apple devices.

handsoniphonexsmax-800x450.jpg

Multiple users have said that there are noticeable differences in cellular reception between the iPhone XS models and the iPhone 8 and iPhone X, with a 15-page thread suggesting this is a widespread problem that quite a few people are noticing. As described by MacRumors reader onepoint:Users are noticing fewer bars and poorer signal on iPhone XS and XS Max compared to devices like the iPhone 8 and iPhone X, especially in areas where signal is weak. Many of the complaints come from Verizon users, suggesting the issue could potentially be carrier specific. Multiple AT&T users, for example, have said the signal is the same or better, while Verizon users are seeing signal issues.

Some iPhone XS owners have theorized that the issue is related to Qualcomm vs. Intel modems. The new iPhone XS and XS Max are using Intel modems, while older devices used a mix of Qualcomm and Intel modems. AT&T iPhone 8 and iPhone X models used Intel modems previously, while Verizon iPhones had Qualcomm modems. As explained by MacRumors reader radiologyman:Some AT&T and T-Mobile users are, however, complaining of connectivity problems too, while others have noticed better signal, leading to a confusing mix of user reports.

It's not clear if modem differences are causing the perceived connectivity issues that iPhone XS and XS Max owners are noticing or if there is a genuine bug with the new devices, but in the days following a new iPhone release, there are often carrier updates that can solve connectivity problems.

Given the confusing mix of information coming from users on the forums, the LTE connectivity problems may be related to software and could be fixed through the aforementioned carrier update or a software update from Apple, but we'll have to wait for more information to figure out exactly what's going on.

In addition to the LTE problems, there appears to be a separate issue with Wi-Fi. On the MacRumors forums, users began noticing slower Wi-Fi speeds on iPhone XS models compared to other Apple devices, which readers quickly deduced was a 2.4GHz vs. 5GHz Wi-Fi issue.

It appears that the iPhone XS and XS Max are preferring 2.4GHz networks over 5GHz networks when connecting to routers that use the same SSID for both the 2.4 and 5GHz bands. From MacRumors reader playtillyadrop:The majority of people experiencing slower speeds found that their iPhone XS models were indeed connected to the 2.4GHz network rather than the 5GHz network. In our own testing, we found that when comparing an iPhone XS Max and an iPhone X, the iPhone XS Max connected to the 2.4GHz network while the iPhone X connected to the 5GHz network.

With routers that do not have separate SSIDs for the two bands, it can be difficult to tell which you're connected to, leading to perceived slower connection speeds.

This is clearly a bug that needs to be addressed by Apple through an update to make the iPhone XS models prefer the faster 5GHz network to the 2.4GHz network, but in the meantime, providing separate SSIDs for the 2.4 and 5GHz bands can allow you to make sure your iPhone is connected to the 5GHz band at all times.

Some users have also had luck with resetting their network settings and/or forgetting their Wi-Fi network and reconnecting, but the iPhone XS models appear to default back to 2.4GHz often if not made to connect to the 5GHz network.

This connection issue appears to be at the root of most of the slow Wi-Fi complaints, but there have been a few other complaints of poor connection speeds when connected to a 5GHz network, so it's possible there's also something else going on.

We've contacted Apple to ask about both the Wi-Fi and LTE issues that customers are experiencing with the iPhone XS models and will let MacRumors readers know if we hear back.

Article Link: iPhone XS and XS Max Owners Complain of Wi-Fi and LTE Connectivity Issues
 
I have both the S7 Edge (Not a note, but I assume similar experience) and the iPhone 7+.
While it is true that the 7+ received more updates than the S7 Edge, I think most people would consider Apple updates as "malware". My 7+ is horribly slow; it's slower than the S7 Edge and it's very sluggish. It's battery life is horrendous and it just keeps getting worse with each update.

My S7 Edge is still stuck on Android 7.X, but it's faster than when I got it at launch, its battery is almost the same as when I first bought it, and it just doesn't feel "sluggish".

At this point, I'd rather have no updates than updates that make your device worse with each iteration.

It's well known with Androids that with every update, they actually run slower. So you seem to be the first person I have heard where your android is faster than an iphone. Literally every speed test of the note 9 vs the Xs acknowledges the smoothness of ios vs a Samsung product.

With the exception of a stock google phone like a pixel, I've never heard of an android being lag free. It's also hilarious that you consider apple, who makes ZERO dollars via advertising to be "malware" yet a Google product, whose bread and butter is 'advertising' and 'data mining' to be clean.

I have a Note stuck on android 6, a mere 2 years after launch. Takes over a 2 minutes for it just to even boot up. An older iphone 5S received the latest update and is still as smooth as butter - 5 years later.

The note is on its 6th battery and of course, Samsung stopped making them a year after launch, so they're all Chinese knockoff crap. I have 3 year old iphones who are on their original battery and their health is still at 85%.

It just boggles the mind that anyone would mention lag of all things, being an android user. The equivalent would be an apple user saying, android is just so totally locked down vs iOS.

Okay, I get you don't like Notes... your point is?
Notes are one of my favorite devices, to be frank, I don't care what other people thinks.

Well then what are you doing in a forum. An apple forum that is..

You are just bluffing. I have the note 5 from 3 years ago and it has been updated to oreo and gets regular updates.

I have a note 2 from years ago and it is running fine with most LATEST version of apps. I bet iPhones from note2 era are now waiting to die (or have died) where apps are all outdated versions and you cannot update them at all.

How many "updates" have the Note 2, 3 and 4 received... The flagship android phone of 2014 (Note 4) received 1 update and is now stuck on 6. As with any Samsuuuuung product, support was basically abandoned 1.5 years later.

That is compared to a 5 year old iphone 5s, which just received the latest 2018 update. How about all of those 'official' Samsung batteries, for those, you know removal batteries that Samcrap customers used to foam at the mouth over. Note 4 is on its 6th battery to date btw; iPhone 6 is on its original.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Eagle1337
I was an iPhone XS owner for about 5 hours until I ran into WiFi problems, reception issues and data migration issues related to Apple Watch.

XS isn’t ready for prime time. By far the most disappointing iPhone I’ve ever purchased.
 
Just upgraded to Xs from my 7 and both WiFi and cell coverage sucks on this new phone. In areas like my gym and train where I had both WiFi and cell coverage I now cannot connect. Constantly having to reset sometimes fixing the problem and allowing messages to come in and go out, sometimes not. I’m thinking of returning it even though I love the screen and camera. PS. I can’t even post this reply because the reception sucks.
 

Attachments

  • 6E07AEEE-D4D8-40FC-96F6-DC7DF5B319DB.png
    6E07AEEE-D4D8-40FC-96F6-DC7DF5B319DB.png
    510.5 KB · Views: 181
In the following, I absolutely don't mean to diminish the very real frustration and very justifiable anger those of you experiencing these issues must be feeling. But I'm going to suggest that, based on what we know so far, this appears to be a minor glitch in the scheme of things affecting a very small % of units and that Apple will resolve it very soon.

And therefore, those of us who are thinking about buying an XS or Max, or (like me) have ordered one and are waiting for it to be delivered, should not get too stressed. (Yet.)

The source of this stress is reports like the following that suggest these issues are due to hardware and cannot be fixed with a software patch, e.g.

https://www.tomsguide.com/us/iphone-xs-antenna-problems,news-28160.html

which is based on

https://www.wiwavelength.com/2018/0...453.28932202.1537964837-1389112693.1510663760

a blog post written by someone named Andrew Shepard.

(FYI, Shepard posted an update yesterday to clarify his earlier post:
https://www.wiwavelength.com/2018/09/antennagate-2018-youre-getting-my.html )

Andrew Shepard seems like a really smart guy who knows what he's talking about. But we really don't know much about him. The Tom's Guide article calls him a "radio expert" but based on what? Shepard's blog and twitter feed do not have an "about me" section that lists his credentials. On his Google+ page (people are still using Google+??), he describes himself as an "armchair engineer & communications policy wonk" who attended the University of Kansas. (Does he have a B.S.? Masters? He doesn't say.)

Because we don't know more about his credentials, and because (as far as I know) his findings have not been replicated or corroborated by other, independent, credible sources, we should take his analysis with some healthy skepticism.

It's certainly possible that Apple screwed up by using a crappy antenna design or that Apple chose poorly performing antennas on the XS/Max models, in which case Apple will have to recall or replace millions of $1000+ phones.

But until Mr Shepard's analysis is confirmed by other objective independent and reputable sources, I think it's far more likely that the issues many of you are experiencing are a horribly frustrating but ultimately fixable new product rollout glitch, and that Apple's engineers are busting their asses to get a fix ready to push out.

We don't know how many XS and Max models are having these problems, but it's very likely a tiny %. If Apple has sold 1 million units since launch and 10,000 unfortunate people are having problems, that's 1%. Apple's probably sold much more than 1 million, though I don't think we can know how many people have units with these issues. But if the number is around 10,000 (justifiably angry) people, that would account for the volume of activity on forums discussing these problems. But again, if it's only 1% or so, then those of us who've already ordered or are thinking of buying an XS or Max are very likely to get one that's not experiencing these problems.

Also: some of you have reported similar issues on older devices since updating to iOS 12. Again suggesting that the problem is due at least in part to something other than XS/Max units having defective or poorly performing hardware.

Lastly, if Apple had indeed screwed up and put bad hardware in its XS & Max models, it's overwhelmingly likely that Apple's stock would have taken a hit. Big institutional investors like insurance companies and pension funds hold huge amounts of Apple stock and have armies of experts that analyze every scrap of information to determine whether to buy, sell, or hold. If there were an unfixable problem with the XS & Max iPhones, I'm pretty sure they'd be all over it as they have far more to lose than any one of us.

For all these reasons, and until other sources besides Mr Shepard come out with corroborating information, I'm inclined to not worry too much that the super expensive iPhone Max I ordered has hardware defects that would lead to the kinds of problems many of you are experiencing. I am guessing that Apple will resolve this issue in the near future.

Of course, we should all be extremely prudent and (a) report any issues to Apple so they get a sense of how widespread these problems are, which should give them a greater sense of urgency to fix them and (b) return our phones to Apple if the issue isn't resolved within the 14-day return window.
 
That ignores the fact that more samples and diverse experiments lead to better results.
Also, it leads to the absurd incursion that testing is useless.
It doesn't, your "more samples and diverse experiments" happen best when it's wide-released to the public. People may not like it, but early adopters in this day and age *are* beta testers.

Also, there's a huge difference between "testing is useless because we're not going to find all the bugs" and "well, we think we've found all the bugs we can find, no point in agonizing over the fringe cases since we can roll out fixes after release, if there even are any." My point is the situation is the latter in most cases.
 
In the following, I absolutely don't mean to diminish the very real frustration and very justifiable anger those of you experiencing these issues must be feeling. But I'm going to suggest that, based on what we know so far, this appears to be a minor glitch in the scheme of things affecting a very small % of units and that Apple will resolve it very soon.

And therefore, those of us who are thinking about buying an XS or Max, or (like me) have ordered one and are waiting for it to be delivered, should not get too stressed. (Yet.)

The source of this stress is reports like the following that suggest these issues are due to hardware and cannot be fixed with a software patch, e.g.

https://www.tomsguide.com/us/iphone-xs-antenna-problems,news-28160.html

which is based on

https://www.wiwavelength.com/2018/0...453.28932202.1537964837-1389112693.1510663760

a blog post written by someone named Andrew Shepard.

(FYI, Shepard posted an update yesterday to clarify his earlier post:
https://www.wiwavelength.com/2018/09/antennagate-2018-youre-getting-my.html )

Andrew Shepard seems like a really smart guy who knows what he's talking about. But we really don't know much about him. The Tom's Guide article calls him a "radio expert" but based on what? Shepard's blog and twitter feed do not have an "about me" section that lists his credentials. On his Google+ page (people are still using Google+??), he describes himself as an "armchair engineer & communications policy wonk" who attended the University of Kansas. (Does he have a B.S.? Masters? He doesn't say.)

Because we don't know more about his credentials, and because (as far as I know) his findings have not been replicated or corroborated by other, independent, credible sources, we should take his analysis with some healthy skepticism.

It's certainly possible that Apple screwed up by using a crappy antenna design or that Apple chose poorly performing antennas on the XS/Max models, in which case Apple will have to recall or replace millions of $1000+ phones.

But until Mr Shepard's analysis is confirmed by other objective independent and reputable sources, I think it's far more likely that the issues many of you are experiencing are a horribly frustrating but ultimately fixable new product rollout glitch, and that Apple's engineers are busting their asses to get a fix ready to push out.

We don't know how many XS and Max models are having these problems, but it's very likely a tiny %. If Apple has sold 1 million units since launch and 10,000 unfortunate people are having problems, that's 1%. Apple's probably sold much more than 1 million, though I don't think we can know how many people have units with these issues. But if the number is around 10,000 (justifiably angry) people, that would account for the volume of activity on forums discussing these problems. But again, if it's only 1% or so, then those of us who've already ordered or are thinking of buying an XS or Max are very likely to get one that's not experiencing these problems.

Also: some of you have reported similar issues on older devices since updating to iOS 12. Again suggesting that the problem is due at least in part to something other than XS/Max units having defective or poorly performing hardware.

Lastly, if Apple had indeed screwed up and put bad hardware in its XS & Max models, it's overwhelmingly likely that Apple's stock would have taken a hit. Big institutional investors like insurance companies and pension funds hold huge amounts of Apple stock and have armies of experts that analyze every scrap of information to determine whether to buy, sell, or hold. If there were an unfixable problem with the XS & Max iPhones, I'm pretty sure they'd be all over it as they have far more to lose than any one of us.

For all these reasons, and until other sources besides Mr Shepard come out with corroborating information, I'm inclined to not worry too much that the super expensive iPhone Max I ordered has hardware defects that would lead to the kinds of problems many of you are experiencing. I am guessing that Apple will resolve this issue in the near future.

Of course, we should all be extremely prudent and (a) report any issues to Apple so they get a sense of how widespread these problems are, which should give them a greater sense of urgency to fix them and (b) return our phones to Apple if the issue isn't resolved within the 14-day return window.
No
 
I'm having connectivity issues with my Xs max 256gb. Low signal almost all the time and I lose Lte and have to restart my phone for it to reconnect. I'm with US cellular and live in North Carolina.
 
Lol, 90% of Apple fixing something that costs money is after lawsuit or public viral outcries.

iPhone 4 didn't get fixed, you got an a case. The Macbook Pro's gpu failures didn't get fixed, they just replace the boards, but not before lawsuits. Last time they "fixed" something with reception, they tweaked the bars visually to hide the issue.

Take off your Apple tintet glasses, get out of the distortion field and face reality of Apple. Apples stance is 100% "It's your fault" until they are backed up against the wall in court.

Apple has fixed literally thousands of issue with iPhone software and hardware over 10 years. And 99% without some ridiculous lawsuit that eventually gets thrown out.

So who are you working for? The Samsung Army?
 
Just upgraded to Xs from my 7 and both WiFi and cell coverage sucks on this new phone. In areas like my gym and train where I had both WiFi and cell coverage I now cannot connect. Constantly having to reset sometimes fixing the problem and allowing messages to come in and go out, sometimes not. I’m thinking of returning it even though I love the screen and camera. PS. I can’t even post this reply because the reception sucks.
Did you setup as new our use a backup ?
 
For all these reasons, and until other sources besides Mr Shepard come out with corroborating information, I'm inclined to not worry too much that the super expensive iPhone Max I ordered has hardware defects that would lead to the kinds of problems many of you are experiencing. I am guessing that Apple will resolve this issue in the near future.

Of course, we should all be extremely prudent and (a) report any issues to Apple so they get a sense of how widespread these problems are, which should give them a greater sense of urgency to fix them and (b) return our phones to Apple if the issue isn't resolved within the 14-day return window.

How dare you take a balanced common sense approach!
 
  • Like
Reactions: tf_dc and DotCom2
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.