iPhone iOS 17 Interrogation Codes

Have the iPhone interrogation codes changed for iOS 17? I keep getting "interrogation failed" errors.

iPhone 13 Pro, iOS 16

Posted on Sep 20, 2023 7:39 AM

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Posted on Sep 20, 2023 2:14 PM

KiltedTim wrote:

No, the codes do not tell you if it’s being hacked. Don’t believe everything you read on the Internet.

Sturgeon’s Law (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sturgeon's_law) says 90% of everything is garbage (he used a different word, but the forum software would have redacted his word). Theodore Sturgeon passed away before the internet; if he was still alive I’m sure he would have upped it to 99%.


BTW, the term for what you call interrogation codes are technically known as Vertical Service Codes. This link describes what the actually do→https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vertical_service_code. You will notice that there are none that say "see if someone is hacking your phone”. And some of them can totally screw up your mobile phone service or crash your phone unrecoverably.

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Sep 20, 2023 2:14 PM in response to KiltedTim

KiltedTim wrote:

No, the codes do not tell you if it’s being hacked. Don’t believe everything you read on the Internet.

Sturgeon’s Law (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sturgeon's_law) says 90% of everything is garbage (he used a different word, but the forum software would have redacted his word). Theodore Sturgeon passed away before the internet; if he was still alive I’m sure he would have upped it to 99%.


BTW, the term for what you call interrogation codes are technically known as Vertical Service Codes. This link describes what the actually do→https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vertical_service_code. You will notice that there are none that say "see if someone is hacking your phone”. And some of them can totally screw up your mobile phone service or crash your phone unrecoverably.

Sep 20, 2023 12:08 PM in response to CivicJournalist

There are no codes that will tell you "if someone is hacking your phone".


It sounds like you're talking about the codes that, in theory, can be used to determine how your phone service is set up. In my experience, those never worked on all carriers and seem to be working on even fewer as time goes on. They do not tell you, the end user, anything useful.


Unless you are high profile journalist, activist or politician whose data would be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to acquire, no one is hacking your phone. Keep your system software updated and don't jailbreak your phone. You'll be fine.

Sep 20, 2023 12:07 PM in response to CivicJournalist

That is NOT what those codes do. All they do is return the values for certain settings on your cellular carrier’s system for your line. I will return the values for configuration settings like forward on no answer, which should go to the carrier’s voicemail system, etc.


It can not tell you anything at all about your phone or whether it’s been “hacked”.

Sep 20, 2023 12:24 PM in response to CivicJournalist

CivicJournalist wrote:

I would be happy to hear that, but all the strange things happening are signs of being hacked. The codes don't tell you who is hacking but only if it's being hacked in some manner. Maybe you can tell me why my Beats continuously stop pairing and I have to keep restarting my phone and repairing the buds.

While I don't doubt you when you say there is something wrong with your phone, the likelihood that it is the result of hacking is so small that it can safely be disregarded.


If the only problem you're having is with your headphones, that could have a number of causes but not hacking. Think about it. Why would someone want to prevent you from listening to music?


Are the headphones actually losing pairing? Or are they only disconnecting? What happens when you test the on another phone? What happens if you try a different set of BT headphones on your phone?

Sep 20, 2023 12:24 PM in response to CivicJournalist

Well, your symptoms have nothing to do with hacking. Something that people don’t realize is if your phone is hacked there will be no symptoms of it at all. A hacker doesn’t want you to know they have access to your phone.


Here is some light reading:

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iPhone iOS 17 Interrogation Codes

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