Issues connecting to cellular data on iPhone After Update

Today I updated my iPhone form iOS 16.0 to 17.4. When I opened my phone I found that I was no longer connected to my cellular data. When my wifi is off and my cellular is on, I get popups saying “Cellular Data is Turned Off.” I also keep getting popups to update my carrier settings but when I click update it shows me the popup a second time. Then, it appears again a few minutes later. Something to note is that I am currently on roaming since I am out of my home country.


So far I’ve tried:

  1. restarting my phone
  2. resetting network settings
  3. deleting any vpns in settings
  4. updating my carrier in settings (this did not appear)
  5. manually setting my provider since i’m on roaming
  6. contacting tmobile support (they said ask apple)


Any idea what I could do to fix this issue? Haven’t found anyone on here with the same problem.


[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Posted on Mar 5, 2024 5:21 PM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Mar 7, 2024 11:26 AM

I was on the phone with apple last night. Figured out that plugging the phone into a computer, backing it up, then doing the factory reset, update download and install, and restore all through apple devices fixed the problem.

138 replies

Apr 15, 2024 1:22 PM in response to lukas1661

I updated my iPhone too and had the exact same issues. I had no trouble in calls or messages but my cellular data was completely off. I tried many things; including turning on and off the airplane mode, resetting APN settings, contacting my operator, vodafone, and had them reset my network settings. I was considering changing my sim card or switching to another operator but before that, i backed up all my data to iCloud and rebooted my phone. No data went missing and the issue was resolved. So, the only thing that worked for me was rebooting and it took me approximately two hours to do the whole thing.

Apr 12, 2024 1:22 AM in response to lukas1661

Hey everyone. Just had the exact same problem yesterday after refreshing to IOS 17.4.1. Drove me crazy after trying everything and nothing has helped. BUT! I saved all my stuff to my ICloud and basically erased my IPhone. Then I started setting up everything from the beginning, just when you buy a new one and after all my apps, photos etc was back to normal my cellular data was working again! Don’t know if this helps but is worth a try!

Jul 8, 2024 11:19 PM in response to lukas1661

I have had the same problem (iPhone 14 pro), after the last update. Hard/soft resets make no difference. I thought it might be related to WiFi locking out the mobile data signal even though 4g/5g signal was always showing. Swiping down to turn off the WiFi made no difference to the mobile service, it still didn’t work. However, GOING TO SETTINGS AND DESELECTING WiFi did. This might be the answer until Apple release a fix - hopefully shortly.

Mar 12, 2024 9:06 AM in response to lukas1661

On March 11, 2024 I installed the ios 17.4 update on my 15 pro and the phone had no cellular reception since. I was on the line with apple support, ran diagnostics and they told me it was a hardware issue and that I needed to go to a repair shop. The apple support staff member agreed that a factory reset is an option before going to the repair shop.


All the factory reset did was that a message "unable to activate" with a red exclamation mark popped up and I was unable to even sign in with my apple ID.


In the shop I was told that it was a hardware issue and that the everything but the display and cameras would be replaced. I would rather have the whole phone replaced if I'm being honest.


I mean how is it possible that a software update ruins your phone? I'm just glad I wasn't travelling when it happened.


Note: My partner's friend's 15 pro max had the same issue on iOS 17.4 but it disappeared after about 2 hours. Idk, maybe had I waited for a few hours, the issue would have disappeared too.


If anyone at Apple is reading this, I am not happy!

Mar 13, 2024 8:44 AM in response to lukas1661


So to recap, after updating to 17.4 I had issues with iMessage on 2 different sims (same network) phone calls not being received, personal hotspot not showing as an option and 4g not working, only LTE and 5g. I’m not able to use internet while on a phone call either.


After contacting both Apple and my carrier (EE in the uk) twice, I can confirm my issue is iOS/phone related, Apple engineers called me up today after a week of investigation, they refused to acknowledge it’s because of 17.4 and asked me to go to my carrier and ask them questions and investigate. After I called EE up and confirmed everything was working ok, I decided to put my physical sim (same network) into another iPhone logged into my account, straight away it worked perfectly, iMessage worked, personal hotspot showed up again and I was able to get 4g, calls everything.

conclusion, I’m having to transfer my eSIM to another phone temp until there’s an update on apples side. I’ve gone back to the Apple engineers to let them know, so will update when they get back to me, I’ve done all the troubleshooting they’ve asked me to do now so they can’t deny it’s not a problem anymore.

Mar 10, 2024 8:05 AM in response to sxdty

Same for me with my iMessage and FaceTime not working. Since updating it’s just not activating, just spinning. I’ve been in contact with both my network provider and Apple. I was on the phone with Apple support for 2 hours trying to explain the issue, they have had to raise it with engineers in the US as they couldn’t resolve it, they refused to indicate it was an update issue when I questioned it however. I updated to 17.4 before bed and noticed it wasn’t working in the morning.

I did all the standard things, soft resetting, network reset, and it’s happening in both my eSIM and physical sim both different providers (same network) but I believe it’s the update that’s done this.

This thread has been closed by the system or the community team. You may vote for any posts you find helpful, or search the Community for additional answers.

Issues connecting to cellular data on iPhone After Update

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.