User profile for user: SwanValkyrie
SwanValkyrie Author
User level: Level 1
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Iphone 14 Pro / Ios 16 has less service bars than IOS 15

I am in Australia with Telstra service provider. My previous Iphone was Iphone 11 Pro on os 15.6. When I bought the new Iphone 14 Pro on IOS 16 the service bars are alot less than my old phone, this is causing many dead spots in areas that shouldnt happen and I cant connect receive data.


I switched over the sim card back to my old phone and it would have 3 bars of service. When I put it into my Iphone 14 Pro in the same spot it would have 1 bar of service. Same carrier (Telstra), so this is NOT a carrier issue exactly but software issue.


I read this is affecting many customers in US but also affects Australia.


Iphone 14 Pro is on latest ios 16.1.1


Network settings have been reset. I also toggled between 4g/5g and both were the same strength.


Others online tried resetting network settings, resetting device, but its the same issue.


Can someone confirm from Apple that this an issue that is being looked into? And will be fixed in a later patch?


If anyone else has this in the community, especially from Australia please upvote/comment so this means apple will fix this ASAP.

iPhone 14 Pro

Posted on Nov 9, 2022 1:16 PM

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User profile for user: Lawrence Finch
Lawrence Finch
Community+ 2025
User level: Level 10
228,732 points

Posted on Nov 11, 2022 5:30 PM

There are too many variables to make a meaningful comparison. You are comparing an iPhone 11 with iOS 15 and an 14 pro with a different iOS. First, “bars” are not a consistent measure from one device to another, even if it is the same model, and you are comparing different models. You also haven’t mentioned the network used for each comparison. Is the 11 connected to 3G, 4G, LTE, or VoLTE? What about the 14? Is it connecting to LTE, VoLTE or 5G? (The iPhone 14 does not support 3G, because it is going away worldwide). Have you tried different networks - that is LTE vs 5G?


This is a user-to-user forum. Apple does not participate, other than to provide stock answers to posts that have gone unanswered. So no one from Apple will confirm anything, and most likely they would just say take your phone to a genius bar. And I can assure you that my connection on my 14 Pro is far better than it ever was on my previous iPhone; I have gotten 400 mbps download speeds on the 14! The best I ever got on my XR was 40 mbps, and most of the time it was around 15 mbps.


There may be a problem with your specific phone, but it is not a generic problem that affects millions of phones, because if it was there would be thousands of posts in this and similar threads. Use the Support link at the top of this page to discuss the problem with your specific phone.


Addendum: You said you switched the SIM back and forth. With most carriers a new SIM is required to support 5G service, so ask your carrier about that.

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User profile for user: Lawrence Finch
Lawrence Finch
Community+ 2025
User level: Level 10
228,732 points

Nov 11, 2022 5:30 PM in response to SwanValkyrie

There are too many variables to make a meaningful comparison. You are comparing an iPhone 11 with iOS 15 and an 14 pro with a different iOS. First, “bars” are not a consistent measure from one device to another, even if it is the same model, and you are comparing different models. You also haven’t mentioned the network used for each comparison. Is the 11 connected to 3G, 4G, LTE, or VoLTE? What about the 14? Is it connecting to LTE, VoLTE or 5G? (The iPhone 14 does not support 3G, because it is going away worldwide). Have you tried different networks - that is LTE vs 5G?


This is a user-to-user forum. Apple does not participate, other than to provide stock answers to posts that have gone unanswered. So no one from Apple will confirm anything, and most likely they would just say take your phone to a genius bar. And I can assure you that my connection on my 14 Pro is far better than it ever was on my previous iPhone; I have gotten 400 mbps download speeds on the 14! The best I ever got on my XR was 40 mbps, and most of the time it was around 15 mbps.


There may be a problem with your specific phone, but it is not a generic problem that affects millions of phones, because if it was there would be thousands of posts in this and similar threads. Use the Support link at the top of this page to discuss the problem with your specific phone.


Addendum: You said you switched the SIM back and forth. With most carriers a new SIM is required to support 5G service, so ask your carrier about that.

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User profile for user: lexOS1
lexOS1
User level: Community Specialist

Nov 11, 2022 5:11 PM in response to SwanValkyrie

Hi SwanValkyrie,


Thank you for participating in the Apple Support Communities. If you are having issues with your signal strength, here are a few steps to try:


  1. Restart your device to confirm that the issue is still there: Restart your iPhone - Apple Support
  2. Reach out to your carrier to see if the issue continues with a new SIM card.
  3. If the issue persists, reach out to Apple Support here: Contact - Official Apple Support


Have a great day.



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Iphone 14 Pro / Ios 16 has less service bars than IOS 15

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