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

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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!

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364 replies

Nov 6, 2019 6:40 AM in response to ming36

I am having the same issue on my EE iPhone 11 Pro max phone. I have tried everything, reset the network/all settings, turned airplane mode off/on, turned the phone off/on, reset the phone to factory default without restoring the back up. Still it does not correct the problem.

The data signal just drops and the connection is lost, then it comes back on again after a few seconds. This happens every few minutes during my chats and data calls.

Nov 8, 2019 9:12 PM in response to mybranaa

13.2.2 did not fix this for me. Despite having a T-Mobile signal booster in the house, which provides a strong LTE signal on band 66, sitting 2 feet from the signal booster the phone connects to it and I get 4 full bars, fast data and everything works perfectly. About a minute or two later, it will inexplicably revert back to the weak 1 bar LTE signal I get from the actual tower, with slow or no data speed. Sometimes it will eventually go back to the strong signal from the signal booster, other times it stays connected to the weak tower signal forever. I paid $1200 for a phone with no cellular functionality.

Nov 27, 2019 3:05 AM in response to ming36

I have the same issue with a new Iphone 11. The problem has been there since I started using the phone, which means that I have never been able to use cellular data on my brand new iPhone. As soon as I try to use my 4G network (the carrier is Tele2 in Sweden) I lose all bars, after about 2-3 seconds they return. The problem appears regularly. At the same time, older iPhones work fine. I have been in contact with both Apple and my carrier for what seems like endless phonecalls and suggested fixes from Apple that have not worked. Moreover, they both blame each other and fail to take responsibility for the problem.


I was surprised to find thread today, as Apple continuously have declared that I have a very strange issue that they have never heard of before.

Dec 2, 2019 12:03 PM in response to Wol0witz

I am using ios 13.3 public beta latest version. Till have the same issue on 4G FDD-LTE & TD-LTE (2300Mhz) sim AND 4G GSM sim SAME TIME. Till the phone struggle to give a stable of effective signal. When the 4g signal down and regained, the device failed to gain signal automatically. Many times it need turning on and off the airplane mode to get data again.

i think this should be a hardware and software combined conflict. Apple have the ability to sort this out itself, not depending on developers for these kind of Critical issues. dear apple, please look in to this matter and provide a solution. Otherwise recall the devices and replace the devices.

Jan 24, 2020 12:41 PM in response to Wildchinook

Everyone has the same issues. Not the networks obviously. I have a 2 week old 11 Max on T-Mobile running iOS 13.3 and I’m having all the same issues. Took it to the apple store at the Mall of Georgia and they were worthless. I walked down to swap the sim at T-Mobile who were helpful and it didn’t fix it either. I have 2 days left to return it or get a different phone. Is signal better on the regular iPhone 11? maybe go back to an old iPhone or back to a Pixel.

Feb 26, 2020 6:09 PM in response to ming36

I’m having serious connection issues as well, my wife can be right next to me with her iPhone 8 with 3 bars and mine with barely have 4g, constantly loses connection! I cycle airplane mode a dozen or more times throughout the day and that seems to help but it’s temporary. I’ve power cycled the phone, reset the network connection you name it to no avail!

Feb 26, 2020 7:10 PM in response to onireli

The phone had no issues for a month and then in the last few days the problem has happened again. Today I was in an area where I had three bars of LTE but every app and browser reported no internet connection. Switching to airplane mode and back again did not fix. When I moved to a new location with four bars I still didn’t have any internet, but from there I switched to airplane mode and back again and now internet service is restored.

Oct 9, 2020 4:41 AM in response to userfish

After to complaining to everyone about how my iPhone 11ProMax is absolutely the worst cell phone I have ever owned in 20years I decided to have it replaced. (My kids call it my iCamera because at least the camera is amazing!)

Apple support was, as always exceptional and two days later I received my replacement phone.

I have to admit it is better, but just marginally. Calls are still very choppy and what's really odd is that it will show four bars and the second I make a call it drops to one or two. I hang up and it's at four again.

I vaguely recall, but can't find where someone mentioned a setting in the cell phone setup where you can maybe turn off LTE or something like that?

Anyone have any ideas?

And I will be 110% replacing this as soon as the iPhone12 is available. I assume that's what next week's announcement is about.

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iPhone 11 Pro Max 4G LTE Signal Issue

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