Many AT&T iPhone Users Unable to Download Apps and Stream Music Over LTE

[MacRumors]

A growing number of AT&T subscribers on the MacRumors forums appear to be having issues downloading apps and streaming music over LTE, with some claiming AT&T is throttling App Store downloads and Apple Music content.

When connected to Wi-Fi, users report that apps download normally, but over LTE, app downloads do not progress. Other users are reporting issues streaming content from the Apple Music app, with songs that start and then hang. As described by MacRumors reader Blizaine:

I have three different iOS devices. Two are running iOS 9.0.1 and one is running iOS 8.4.1. When they are connected to wifi, apps download fine. When on LTE, the app just sits there and the progress bar does not move, even after a very long period of time. When I run a speed test over LTE, I'm getting a solid 10-15Mbps down (3-4 bars).

Also, i have a VPN configured on one of the iOS 9.0.1 devices and when I enable the VPN over LTE, apps download fine. One of the devices also uses a different iTunes account. I supposed it could be a regional problem. I'm in Indianapolis Indiana, USA. I've tried toggling the Download over Cellular option off and on and I've reset the network settings on one device and even did a factory reset on another, with no success.

Verizon and T-Mobile users do not appear to be experiencing any issues downloading content over LTE, suggesting the problem is limited to AT&T subscribers. Affected customers are using a range of iPhone and iPads, including the iPhone 4s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6s, and iPad Air 2.

One MacRumors reader contacted AT&T's Advanced Tech Support line and was told that this is an issue AT&T has been receiving multiple calls over. AT&T support claimed it was a problem related to iOS 9/iOS 9.0.1 that would be fixed with iOS 9.0.2, but yesterday's iOS 9.0.2 release does not seem to have fixed the problem for most users.

It is likely the trouble people are running into downloading apps and songs over LTE is a bug and not intentional throttling. Some users who are having trouble with downloads are also reporting slow speeds, pointing towards a possible network issue, but others say their LTE speeds are normal. The issue may also be limited to specific geographical areas, as there are some in California and Colorado that are not experiencing problems.

The problem seems to have begun over the past few days, and it does appear that AT&T is making an effort to fix it, with some users reporting intermittent success getting app downloads and Apple Music to work today.

Article Link: Many AT&T iPhone Users Unable to Download Apps and Stream Music Over LTE

 

[AtheistP3ace]

I have seen this myself. No fun! Hoping for more info on a fix soon.

 

[NorthMcCormick]

SO I'm not crazy!

It took me an hour to download a 15Mb app while I had my brother on Mobile try it and it downloaded in 2 seconds.

My other apps were loading just fine. AT&T better not be pulling any crap on me.

 

[jclardy]

I actually noticed this yesterday, tried to download a tiny app and the progress meter barely moved an millimeter after like 5 minutes. Got back to my wifi and it downloaded immediately. I figured it was the app store being buggy, but I guess not.

 

[iotashan]

I thought that this was just crappy AT&T service! Never occurred to me that it's a temporary bug.

In all fairness, I've seen this in all of the iOS 9 developer previews, also, which is where I started to experience Apple Music. (Almost) Never being able to populate the Radio tab is one of the reasons I decided to not auto-renew.

 

[koulmj]

CINGULAR!!!!!

 

[ovo6]

Thanks macrumors I thought I was the only one, my 6s is having trouble streaming Apple Music too.

 

[KPOM]

I'm downloading two updates over LTE right now. I am also re-downloading a program I deleted. It seems to work. My guess is that the outage is just a glitch.

 

[Starflyer]

iPhone 6S+ w/ iOS 9.1 beta: No issues streaming Apple Music or App Store downloads.

 

[jigzaw]

Had the 6S Plus since Saturday and I live in L.A. No problems so far..

 

[strayts]

Same issue here. iPhone 6 9.0.2. Music barely streams.

 

[gsmornot]

App updates and Apple Music both fine for me. I just tried a download to double check and got a 48MB app in about 20 seconds. I have read that some have had trouble but so far so good here. 6S Plus with 9.1 Beta 3.

 

[cmcconkey]

Everything good here in north Georgia. Just downloaded 6 apps that were about a gig total and they downloaded like a champ.

 

[SimonTheSoundMa]

Apple Music streams over cellular without falling over itself? Never known it to work, just get blank boxes for cover art too.

 

[ryannel2003]

Ok so I thought I was the only one. Apple Music has been streaming better today but it a majority of the time it starts playing the song for a few seconds then pauses and never starts back up. Super annoying.

 

[jelly]

I figured something was up. It has been much better today after the update but yeah it was totally unusable. Spotify was working fine.

 

[gsmornot]

Apple Music streams over cellular without falling over itself? Never known it to work, just get blank boxes for cover art too.

Mine works fine. I have one spot with poor coverage and I know where it is but otherwise no trouble streaming.

 

[aseriesoftubes]

I use an iPhone 6 on T-Mobile. After upgrading to iOS 9.0.1, LTE stopped working altogether. My phone shows that I'm connected to the LTE network, but when I attempt to connect to the internet, I get an "unable to connect to network" error. If I disable LTE and reboot the phone, I can get online, but at the slower 4G speeds. I have erased and restored the device to no avail. The 9.0.2 upgrade did nothing to resolve this issue.

Because geography might be a factor in this issue, I should mention that I'm in the Seattle area.

 

[IFortWorth]

This is my problem with AT&T. Incredibly slow speeds on LTE. I'm in N Fort Worth. Other areas are not as bad but also not as good as I've experienced in the past. Time to get this fixed AT&T!!

 

[Waxhead138]

Not sure if this is an ATT problem as much as it could be an update issue, that may cause different issues with different carriers. When I downloaded 9.0.1, I know certain apps that I had updated the day before I had to update again....and they were the same release dates and notes as the first time. I have Verizon.

Also, anyone notice a battery life drop, not severe, but present....after 9.0.1?

 

[Paradoxally]

ATT sucks. Why people still have them as their carrier is beyond me.

 

[eboakes]

I have had this problem for months! It made Apple Music absolutely worthless. I had no idea that it was an AT&T problem. I gave up on Apple Music after trying to use it for a few weeks, but the songs took so long to download that it was pointless. I turned it off and do not intend to pay for it. Apple will need to get the carriers to fix this or others will do the same thing as I did, and conclude that the problem is Apple's servers, not their carrier!

 

[jwnelson301]

I too am having issues with Apple Music over LTE with AT&T. Wifi works fine.

 

[Wise87]

knock on wood, everything is working fine for me.

 

[mytdave]

I have an iPhone 4s running iOS 8 on AT&T. I'm currently in North Carolina. I also have experienced this issue - and for me it's been the App store and iTunes store. Took about 20min to download 1 song from iTunes store. This is recent. Have not noticed this problem in the past.

It's definitely not an iOS bug, it's an AT&T network problem. I don't think it's intentional, but it only seems to affect buying/streaming from Apple, so it makes you wonder... Anyway, all my other apps (that use the cellular network for data) seem to be working fine.