iPhone 14 Pro Signal Issues

I have an iPhone 14Pro and the signal is not as good as my iPhone 12 that I use for another line. I have noticed this in several states and almost all locations. Any suggestions?


[Re-Titled by Moderator]

iPhone 14 Pro, iOS 16

Posted on Oct 14, 2022 9:12 AM

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Posted on Nov 1, 2022 7:32 PM

This same issue comes up every time a new iPhone is released, and it occurs for the same reason:


Cellular carriers need to properly optimize their towers and antennas for the latest cellular frequencies.


When it comes to 5G, the iPhone 12 supports the following frequency bands:


  • 5G NR (Bands n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n20, n25, n28, n38, n40, n41, n66, n71, n77, n78, n79)
  • 5G NR mmWave (Bands n260, n261)


The iPhone 14 Pro supports the following frequency bands (differences from iPhone 12 in bold):


  • 5G NR (Bands n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n14, n20, n25, n26, n28, n29, n30, n38, n40, n41, n48, n53, n66, n70, n71, n77, n78 n79)
  • 5G NR mmWave (Bands n258, n260, n261)


When a cell phone connects to a cell tower, it tells the tower "Hi, I'm this kind of phone, and I support these frequency bands."


The tower says "Great, let's see what's least congested… OK, use frequency band (as an example) n48."


If the cellular tower isn't properly adjusted/optimized for the assigned frequency band (again as an example) n48, your iPhone 14 Pro may see little to no signal where your iPhone 12 on frequency band n28 sees full bars.


If the tower assigned your iPhone 14 Pro to use band n28 as well, everything would work as it did before, but because the newer frequencies are most likely to be less crowded, that probably won't happen.


Long story short, contact your cellular provider, only they can fix this.

122 replies

Jan 11, 2023 3:13 PM in response to Kelzz87

Unfortunately, it's not that simple, as sometimes Verizon does better, sometimes AT&T, and sometimes T-Mobile.


I personally have AT&T and have had excellent results… in my service area.


However, there was one area of town where despite showing two bars of service, calls would consistently break up and drop.


About three months ago with no change to iOS or carrier settings, the problem resolved itself basically overnight (though I had called to complain several times), and now that area is no different than any other.

Jan 12, 2023 2:24 PM in response to Dogcow-Moof

So that I understand, I have an iPhone 14 pro I’m on the Verizon network I live in the Bay Area. My friends and family have iPhone, 13s 12s etc. The network here is fantastic. All my other friends have beautiful coverage. This is a Verizon issue and not my iPhone 14 pro? My wife just got the phone this week and she’s also complaining of horrible reception. This isn’t a troll or a knock. I’m literally just trying to aim my complaint in the right direction. thx

Jan 18, 2023 7:40 PM in response to Dogcow-Moof

Very interesting insight. However I believe it behoofs Apple as a company to fully vet and test their newest devices with all major eSIM carriers. If in fact it is true the 14 Pro has more and newer frequency bands before allowing a shattering potential loss of revenue for the company if people believe their new phones appear not as good as their old phones. If it is local tower issues, and based on what we are seeing "en masse" acrossed the networks regardless of frequenacy optimization this leads me to believe the only logical solution would be to go back to and iPhone 12 Pro max or possibly the 13 or 13 Pro. I bought two new phones a 13 mini and a 14 Pro. The mini flies with full bars. The 14 Pro 1-2 at best. Local tower issue? Maybe but I doubt unless some engineer at Verizon can figure this out they are going to lose a number of subscribers. Also APple gets egg on their face too because heck, frequencies are "invisible" to the naked eye. Experience is in the eye of the beholder and as I hold my 14 pro next to my 13 mini, I want my old 12 Pro max back until they figure this out!

Jan 19, 2023 3:05 AM in response to CiREdrol

They have.


They have no control over carriers or whether they properly configure their towers.


I have explained why what you see is likely a local tower issue and how you can probably verify it for yourself simply by driving ten or fifteen miles away so you are using a different tower.


There's nothing for Apple to figure out here; their devices are fully tested and work properly with properly functioning cellular networks.

Mar 3, 2023 4:04 PM in response to JCZmac

I am experiencing this problem as well. It would seem abundantly obvious that you are correct. The iPhone 14 does not currently afford me with the same level of connectivity that earlier model handsets do. As an end user, the reason behind this reduced capacity, be it Apple’s fault or the service provider’s fault, is largely irrelevant. The UX with my earlier handset is currently superior which makes the 14 Pro Max an inferior handset for me at this point in time.

Apr 6, 2023 12:05 AM in response to lukefromstreamwood

It's almost certainly T-Mobile given the phone works fine for the vast majority of users.


I suspect if you travel a few miles away so your phone is connected to a different cell tower, your issues will resolve themselves.


Apple's not going to issue a recall for a cellular network issue, and there are tens of millions of people using iPhone 14s on T-Mobile networks with no issues whatsoever.

May 1, 2023 3:29 PM in response to JCZmac

Hi, Iphone user which has recently owned the Iphone 12, I phone 12 pro, Iphone 13 pro max and the Iphone 14 pro max. I love the apple phones but after always having calls dropping and a bad reception for the past 4 years I was tempted to buy a Samsung phone. Honnestly, I miss my Iphone but I don't miss having such a bad calling experience. I just thought that was normal untill las week. I can't belive such expensive phones are soo bad the #1 priority which is calling and speaking.

May 7, 2023 7:33 AM in response to Dogcow-Moof

This issue should be resolved by apple with an os update that shuts off the problematic frequencies. Resort to the same frequency list the last generation of phones worked off of until and unless the towers are optimized. Putting the entire blame on the carriers is ignoring the fact that the device is designed to connect to a frequency that is known to be a problem and will likely continue to be a problem for a long time. Tmobile, iphone 14 pro, 1 bar lte only no 5g.

May 7, 2023 7:48 AM in response to Capcontulsa

Apple cannot legally or technically block specific frequencies. And to do so would mean that you would have no service if you traveled through an area that used those bands instead of your current local bands.


How would you suggest that Apple identify “problematic” frequencies? They will only be problematic in a specific area. I have T-Mobile, iPhone 14 pro, and I get a 5Guc (millimeter band) connection, and 300-500 mbps almost everywhere I travel. If your “problematic” frequencies were arbitrarily shut off by Apple I would have no service at all.


I suggest you contact T-Mobile for suggestions.

May 7, 2023 10:14 AM in response to Lawrence Finch

I have spent hours on the phone with tmobile technical support. I switched from an iphone X max to this 14. The X max consistently had twice the bar signal this 14 gets. Previous posts have strongly suggested the root of the problem is that the latest phones(Apple as well as Samsung) try to use a frequency that;

1)was not available on X, 12 and 13, and

2) has not been optimized by the tower operators.


May 7, 2023 10:57 AM in response to Capcontulsa

Cellular telephone signal bars are not comparable across devices. They’re an arbitrary and approaching fictional representation of signal. More bars is usually better, but anything past one bar is just “more bars”, and not any sort of cross-comparable measurement. (Same goes for the “analog” gages shown in modern vehicle dashboards, these days.)


There are articles on the ‘net that describe accessing a “Field Test mode” and using that for potentially viewing dBm signal strength measurements, but that’s all dependent on the specific hardware involved, is undocumented, subject to change, etc. Whether any if that is available, or works for the phones here?


TL;DR: if your phone connects and works, it works. If the iPhone does not connect and does not work, then contact your carrier initially and then Apple if it needs a repair, or try a different carrier if the iPhone is working but is not connecting where you need to use it. If y’all want to compare bars, well, have at. Comparing bars is whole lot like comparing pubs. Most folks have their own individual criteria for making that comparison. 🤭

iPhone 14 Pro Signal Issues

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