iPhone 11 Pro Max 4G LTE Signal Issue

The new iPhone 11 Pro Max loses 4G signal from time to time (every a few minutes) when the Wi-Fi is off or no valid Wi-Fi hot spot is nearby.


Wi-Fi is off: The 4G signal drops to null in a sudden, and restores to full (4 bars) in 2-3 seconds. This happens regularly.

Wi-Fi is connected: The bars are steady - stay at 4 all the time.


I have tried:

  1. Disable Auto Network Selection
  2. Reset Network Settings
  3. Reset All Settings
  4. Reset All Content and Settings


None of them shows promising improvement.

iPhone XS

Posted on Sep 21, 2019 8:22 AM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Sep 28, 2019 6:58 AM

I just got back from Apple Store and they swapped out my phone for a new one and the problem was fixed!!!


I would suggest doing these steps first before you go to Apple Store:


1) Call your cell company to debug first. Apple is going to say since it’s cell service issue and it’s not Apple problem. Cell company is going to go through list of debugging issues (reset network settings, etc) to see if that fixes your issues. If that doesn’t fix, continue debugging steps below.


2) Do a screen record of your phone dropping the cellular connection as evidence of you having issues just in case you’re in the Apple store and you can’t reproduce the issue.


3) Backup your phone. I used my laptop to backup because it restores much faster that way than going through WiFi.


4) Do a full wipe of your phone and set up your phone as a new phone (don’t restore from backup). This way you can see if your cellular issues are from software or from hardware.


4) Test our your phone and see if you are experiencing same issues.


5) If your cell connection is still dropping, take it into the Apple Store.


Good luck! I feel this is for sure a hardware issue for most people!

Similar questions

364 replies

Apr 22, 2020 11:43 AM in response to ming36

I bought an iPhone 11 Pro 64gb 2 months ago. I constantly have 1 bar that goes up to 2 bars sometimes. Even though i don't have problems when i am on call i never saw the phone over 2 bars of signal. My mobile network is Cosmote which in Greece is almost the best when it comes to signal quality. Beside that lately i noticed that my wifi quality is bad too. iPhone shows full wifi signal but i have really bad quality on Messenger calls even though my internet is stable and good on the rest devices.


Lastly my previous iPhone 7 also made me think that's something wrong since i never saw it full not in Greece, not in United Kingdom that i live 2 years..But i had at least 2-3 lines contantly. So what is happening with iPhones and especially a 1230€ phone and can't have proper signal?

May 26, 2020 5:46 PM in response to Bigdisappointmentfirstiphone

It's not Verizon; there's something wrong with connectivity with the 11 series iPhones. This is my very first time with iPhone and Apple altogether, I've always had Android and I never had this connectivity problem. I will have to switch back as I will not tolerate paying as much as I did for this 11 pro and it to not work well and have this pretty serious connectivity critical problem. And SHAME ON APPLE for not truly addressing this! I work in Medicine and need good and reliable connectivity and will have to say goodbye to Apple products

Jun 15, 2020 11:05 AM in response to ming36

I have a brand new iPhone XI Pro Max and My wireless connectivity is only 1 bar most of the time. If I reboot it, each time it goes back to 3 bars +. I've done all the normal things to help it - like resetting the phone completely, so I'm looking for help for this issue. We have wire extenders throughout our building and I've never had any issues with my iPhone 7 Plus. Even at home I'm having the same issue with the lact of wi-fi bars. Please advise and thanks.

Jun 24, 2020 1:22 PM in response to Bigdisappointmentfirstiphone

I have this 4g dropouts for more than a month and i keep in touch with apple once every 2 days with no succes. Every time there is a new person from apple answering the phone and asking the same questions over and over again. This 4g problem is a time and mind consuming. Apple makes sooooo much money and they are not capable to make a phone that actualy works like a phone, that means having signal ffs. I am afraid that if they give me a new phone i will have the same problem after a while...

Jul 1, 2020 5:34 AM in response to Thithki

It's confusing as to why. With my 11 pro it depends on the area but the town I work in (New England US) I can have full bars, internet turned off and extremely slow/barely functioning webpage loading, sometimes won't load. But at home, I can have 1 or 2 bars and it runs pretty well and most often faster than the full bars in the town I work in. Is it like crossed towers causing issues or maybe b/c there's an airport near where I work? It's very confusing and seems backwards. I don't recall having this problem with all my prior android phones (this is my first trial run with Apple).

Jul 18, 2020 3:34 PM in response to Btheaudiophile

Thanks btheaudiophile. Just spoke to Apple again. I am going to try one more time with the ProMax. Senior Advisor said they don't actually get as many calls for the 11 Series as they do for others. Also said the Intel chip will be in the 12's and "they will be using the Intel chip more and more because it is so fast." I'm sure its fast - if it connects, but if the phone doesn't connect, the speed doesn't matter. Wheels spinning, going nowhere. We'll see - should have the 3rd ProMax in a couple of days. It will take a couple of weeks to see if it degrades, as both prior ones worked fine for a week or two, then slowly developed problems.

Aug 2, 2020 6:04 PM in response to Blackdiamond105

Can anybody tell me if they have Verizon?


I also have an 11 Pro and this is my fourth replacement device the signal strength is absolutely abysmal unless you are in a very strong LTE area even then after having four bars I will occasionally lose reception and I have to do airplane mode to bring back the data connection to Internet texting etc.. Am I the only one having this problem on Verizon or is this a common problem among all the major carriers?

Aug 2, 2020 6:58 PM in response to r2thehotone

Thanks to those who have responded. Seems that the 11 Pro Max does terribly with 4G.


Apple has sent me the second replacement for the iPhone 11 Pro Max, meaning the third Pro Max since the end of January. The first two all had the same problem, and with this third one, I have had some instances of dropped call, and once the person couldn't hear me even though I was showing four bars!! Never had this before with iPhone 5, 6, XsMax. I have Verizon. Verizon told me I have 5 towers within a half mile of my home. Yet, mostly I have 1 or 2 bars at home; sometimes 3. This never happened on any other phone. The first two 11 Pro Max' started out ok, and gradually degraded on the service. The second one got to the point where there were no bars at all for two weeks - after a few days, I got on with Apple, waiting for a new one - the third one. I've had it two weeks.


Do people have the same problem with the 11 Pro that many of us have with the 11 Pro Max?


Aug 15, 2020 6:41 AM in response to ming36

I have this same problem. Well had this problem. My phone went black and no longer works and the Apple store is closed indefinitely. I have had this phone less than two months and it has been horrible. My first IPhone, the experience 5 negative stars.

I have tried connecting it to ITunes and the side button combinations. No results. No help. No phone. I had to have my Android phone reactivated.

Oct 4, 2020 2:52 PM in response to kgla

Note...some people do report that having a metal case is the problem, or that having WiFi off is a problem. Not so for me. I never had a metal case. I have the plastic ones and even tried having no case for a while. But the phone is very slippery without a case. Also, problem I report (breaking up and dropping calls, getting worse over the weeks I have it), happen with no metal case and WiFi on.

This thread has been closed by the system or the community team. You may vote for any posts you find helpful, or search the Community for additional answers.

iPhone 11 Pro Max 4G LTE Signal Issue

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.