iphone 12 dropping calls

Go through the 4 pages of posters. Most who are having this issue have identified Verizon as their carrier. The reason I suggested you can't compare iPhone 11 with 12 is because you suggested your 12 has issues, where the 11 does not. This is I'm convinced because of the 5G rollout, which is exclusive to iPhone 12. And I'm pretty sure it seems to effect Verizon users the most.

I understand, but those links also lead to sites that speculate wildly and do not have actual proof of how many with which carrier are seeing issues.

Based upon this forum, the vast majority experiencing issues are Verizon customers but, as I’ve said, it’s more likely to be MSC equipment rather than carrier related per se.

It is notable that more than one person has said they were told by Verizon that a fix to tower switching equipment is coming.

I'm adding to the discussion after doing some personal testing. Generally when connected I have full bars on the phone signal whether 5G or 4G and people can hear me fine. Call drops, I look at the bars and they all go blank for a second then reconnect after a few seconds almost like the "radio" had to re-set itself.

This is what I have tried so far with some progress:

Turned off wifi - no help still getting dropped calls

Turned off wifi calling - no help still getting dropped calls

Turned off 5G - no help still getting dropped calls

Used Skype on 4G LTE - I tried this on a business call today and NO DROP. I am not sure what this means and it could be an anomaly so I will needs to try it again.

Does this help narrow down a phone vs carrier issue?

To communicate with a Wi-Fi network, a device must identify itself to the network using a unique network address called a Media Access Control (MAC) address. If the device always uses the same Wi-Fi MAC address across all networks, network operators and other network observers can more easily relate that address to the device's network activity and location over time. This allows a kind of user tracking or profiling, and it applies to all devices on all Wi-Fi networks.

To improve privacy, iOS 14, iPadOS 14, and watchOS 7 use a different MAC address for each Wi-Fi network. This unique, static MAC address is your device's private Wi-Fi address, used for that network only.

Use private Wi-Fi addresses in iOS 14, iPadOS 14, and watchOS 7 - Apple Support

A network should normally never make assumptions based upon a MAC address, but if one does, it can lead to issues with devices that use private addresses.

The exception is in private networks as in corporations that require registration of a MAC address before they allow access to their private network.

If shutting off private addressing "fixes" anything, it's because some portion of the network is making assumptions based upon the sending MAC address, which is something they should not be doing.

For example, say a cellular carrier knew you had an iPhone and so only accepted Wi-Fi calling packets originating from a MAC address associated with Apple devices; that would result in the behavior you see but would be the wrong thing for a carrier to do from a networking standpoint, as MAC addresses often get rewritten for all sorts of networking reasons other than just privacy.

Contact AT&T and see what they have to say.

The vast majority of people with AT&T (and only AT&T as opposed to say AT&T with a Verizon eSIM) see no issues whatsoever.

I'll repeat again I have a 12 Pro Max with AT&T and haven't had a single call drop since I got my phone in November.

Apple will tell you it’s a carrier issue, but can’t tell you what it is. I find it hard to believe they know it’s a carrier issue but don’t know what the issue actually is. And we see these issues across multiple carriers which leads back to the common denominator, the iPhone 12.

I’ve spoken with several senior advisors and the engineer’s report is telling them it’s a carrier issue. Several here say call the carrier (which I have) but they can’t fix the phone and it’s starting to appear more like a switching between cell and WiFi issue which to me sounds like a phone issue not being able to handle the hand off.

In rural Alberta Canada LTE and 5G is very limited, but it’s funny how my old iphone8 will work when you lock it onto 3G network, I’m sure my 12 would also work better if it had an option to lock onto 3G not just 5G or LTE, next phone will not be apple product if this issue can’t be resolved.

most expensive paperweight I have purchased to date!

Yes, ask Verizon if you are locked to their network. If you are, they'll tell you what is required to get off their network, then you can move to AT&T. Or you can return the phone if you haven't had it longer than 14 days.

You say that but you provide no proof, yet multiple posters indicate their carriers have admitted it is a carrier issue, and at least some with this issue have had it fixed by changes their carrier made to their local cell tower.

That wouldn't be the case if it was Apple's issue.

Apple did make a phone that is compatible.

I and millions of others use Wi-Fi calling all day every day without issue.

For example, I have AT&T and regularly take calls and leave or return home meaning I transition between cellular and Wi-Fi calling multiple times without issue.

However, when Wi-Fi calling was first offered, I experienced an issue similar to that you describe, until AT&T got the Wi-Fi/cellular handoff right across their network.

Either way, it's a cellular provider issue.

That's not a valid method of investigation.

The same carrier likely deploys the same configuration across their network, and if defective it would have similar effects.

Yet millions of people with your model iPhone are not seeing this issue.

It could be your phone, but you've said it has been replaced, so it has to be the cellular provider.

There seems to be a lot of unhappy 12 owners including myself having the same problem on this forum, dropped calls, mine will loose service and not regain service until I toggle airplane mode then immediately full service, has to be a phone issue as I’m pretty sure the carrier can’t control how the phone switch’s or searches for cell towers, coworkers with androids are not having this issue at all.

So the millions of AT&T users with iPhone 12s and absolutely zero issues are what, lucky?

Though Verizon is not the only carrier with whom people are having issues, it is a carrier issue as evidenced by the fact that when it resolves for people it does so without a new release of iOS - it most commonly resolves without users having to take any action at all.

The same thing was happening to me I was dropping calls and nobody could hear me and they kept the phone kept breaking up. Luckily I’ve got someone from Spectrum out here to fix my Internet and I was telling him about it and when he checked my network I have been using net work they did not have 5g. I have to use wifi in my house because AT&T have no reception

If Verizon can't fix their issue, you should have grounds to get out of your contract with them (if you're under contract) and move to AT&T.