No cellular data or wifi on iPhone 14 Pro Max

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Level 1

14 points

No cellular data or wifi on iPhone 14 Pro Max

I got a new iPhone 14 Pro Max last week, and it worked great for a couple days. Then, every morning when I woke up, there would be no cellular or internet. There was an SOS symbol at the top, no cellular bars, and even though the wifi appeared to be connected, I couldn't access any web pages, get emails, etc. Turning cellular data and wifi off/on didn't fix it, and enabling/disabling airplane mode didn't help. The only way to resolve it was to restart the phone. This happened every morning for four days. When I went to bed each night everything was working, but when I work up there was no cellular or wifi. Resetting the network didn't help and it was already on iOS 16.0.2.

I took it to the Apple Store two days ago, and the diagnostics they ran didn't find anything wrong so they replaced the phone. I was there for two hours because it had to install updates, download apps/settings, and they couldn't get the Verizon line to transfer, so I had to call Verizon from the store. It worked fine yesterday, but this morning there was no cellular, no wifi, and the SOS symbol was back. Restarting the phone was the only way to fix it. I hate to go back to the Apple Store again, but restarting my phone even morning isn't an option. My family and co-workers need to be able to contact me in the middle of the night if there's an emergency. Anyone else having this issue or have any suggestions?

iPhone 14 Pro Max

Posted on Oct 4, 2022 4:32 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Fenway33

Level 1

18 points

Nov 4, 2022 5:21 AM in response to HeyLetsRave

The only “solution” I have found it to take my phone off the charger before I go to sleep. So, I’ll charge it as much as I can right before my head hits the pillow then take it off. Since I’ve been doing that my phone has had cellular and Wi-Fi connections when I wake up in the morning. Based on this, this seems to be an issue related to overnight charging - perhaps in conjunction with some cellular tower reset in the middle of the night. Either way, it’s clearly a problem with the 14 and unacceptable.

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Answer 2

brianhmb Author

Level 1

14 points

Nov 1, 2022 2:47 PM in response to Fenway33

After working with Apple and Verizon support for weeks, they think the issue is caused by one or more Verizon towers that my phone eSIM connects to at night. According to Verizon, their towers send a refresh signal every night. This doesn't normally cause issues, but for some devices, it triggers the SOS mode and locks down all connectivity (cellular voice, cellular data, wi-fi). When this happens, the only way to resolve it is by restarting the phone. They've seen it happen with some Samsung models and, up until now, were unaware that some iPhone 14 models were affected. When Verizon support manually sent a refresh signal to my phone, the call dropped instantly, and it went into SOS mode. They opened a ticket with their network team to go onsite to "update the towers", and for the past week they've been sending text message updates every 48 hours to let me know they were still working on it. This morning I got a text saying my ticket was closed and they couldn't find anything wrong. Since the issue is still occurring almost every morning and I can't receive calls from family and work in the middle of the night, I think I need to cancel my Verizon account and go with T-Mobile or ATT, which I really don't want to do.

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Answer 3

brianhmb Author

Level 1

14 points

Nov 13, 2022 2:46 AM in response to Fenway33

Thanks Fenway33! I tested your theory this week, and you're right. I made sure my phone was charged before bed, didn't use the MagSafe charger for seven straight nights, and didn't have any issues. Last night, I placed my phone on the charger, went to bed, and woke up with my phone in SOS mode, no cellular voice/data, no wifi. I haven't tested using a lightning cable for charging overnight. I'll do that this week to see what happens.

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Answer 4

Nov 6, 2022 1:32 AM in response to Fenway33

That’s interesting that you mention the charger. I’ve noticed on the days I don’t collect my phone from the wireless charger until much later in the day (and therefore the phone has finished its charge window just before my alarm goes off), that it has no problems with connectivity.

I know that the phone won’t actually fully charge until just before my alarm is scheduled, part of the battery management, so I wonder if that contributes.

This morning I had no alarm set and no problems with connectivity. So it could be the battery management. I bet if you have an alarm set, that the battery as part of its rapid charge in the run up to an alarm, shuts down part or all of the connectivity to help charge more efficiently.

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Answer 5

MrBill3

Level 10

104,422 points

Oct 4, 2022 4:38 AM in response to brianhmb

Hello,

Wow, I feel your pain. I don't know the answer, but one thing to try is to keep the phone on a charger overnight and see if it helps. Many people consider this a best-practice anyway. See this for more detail:

When to charge your iPhone or iPad

Good luck.

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Answer 6

Fenway33

Level 1

18 points

Oct 30, 2022 2:30 PM in response to brianhmb

I’m having the same problem with my iPhone 14 Pro. For the first couple of weeks after getting the phone, everything was fine. Over the past couple of weeks however almost every morning after charging on a MagSafe charger, I wake up to fine my phone has no cellular (says SOS) and also no Wi-Fi. It’s definitely not an issue with my local cell or Wi-Fi service because my iPad and wife’s iPhone (12) work fine. I’ve tried switching cell and/or Wi-Fi off then on but that doesn’t work. The only fix is to power the phone down then restart. Very annoying bug (hoping it’s a bug and not a hardware issue). I was hoping iOS 16.1 would correct the problem but no such luck. Good to know I’m not the only one having this issue.

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Answer 7

Fenway33

Level 1

18 points

Nov 6, 2022 4:16 AM in response to LandyMacAir

Interesting. Perhaps, but I did fall asleep last night without taking my phone off the charger, with no alarm set, and when I woke up around 12:30 a.m. and grabbed my phone the problem returned - I was in SOS mode with no cellular bars and Wi-Fi not connecting. So, not only did that further corroborate my theory about charging overnight, it got me thinking whether there is a more precise time the phone glitches out while on the charger. Could it be midnight?

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Answer 8

Oct 20, 2022 2:23 PM in response to brianhmb

No answer either, it’s very frustrating.

I thought it could be a Home or Eve app issue since they are the two additional things I’ve started using, but I made sure not to run either and the phone still failed to connect and provide the basic phonely function.

In case it’s a hardware issue my phone is the iPhone14 Pro Max 1tb running the latest 16.0.3 software.

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Answer 9

Nov 4, 2022 4:51 AM in response to brianhmb

I have AT&T and have the same issues discussed in this thread. Every morning my phone needs to be restarted to have internet.

Says I have cell and Wi-Fi but there is no actual connection to internet. Not a single app will connect, web pages won’t load, and cannot receive or send texts. Not sure when it occurs overnight but always the case when I wake up in the morning.

was happy to find this thread as I couldn’t find anyone with similar issues. However, stinks that nobody has found a solution other than restart every morning.

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