Setting up new iPhone and transferred number from old phone. New phone appears stuck on "Cellular Setup Complete" with only the greyed out bar at the bottom of the screen and a spinning "thinking" icon. Next step??
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you just described my day today. I got it resolved by Apple support by calling them. I’ve copied and pasted how they fixed it for me.
Apple support fixed it for me! They first had me tap the volume up then down then hold power button for 15 seconds to force the iPhone to power down. It did but automatically restarted and the problem was the same.
The solution:
now I’m trying to transfer my old data to my new phone which is another mountain to climb.
the problem was Apple is sending out these phones without the new update and it’s causing all these problems
good luck everyone! Calling Apple support was such a pleasant experience, hope you get the same.
Our carrier is apparently wanting to charge $60 for activation. Furious. Previous phones were transferred and activated at the Apple Store. It wasn’t offered. We picked up the phone and were sent on our way. At least the phone still works on my iPhone X
Same here. iPhone 16 pro max flashes the unlock keypad screen and the slide to turn off screen for a second with no allowance to do anything. Hello brick. Apple support has no ideas! iPhone scorching hot. I'm hoping the battery drains. What is going on with a $1,599 phone?
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Thanks, chipotlecaleb, for addressing this. I had no idea whether the phone was stuck or if it was downloading data in the background. After about 30 minutes, I searched for help and your feedback to restart the phone worked perfectly. Once I turned the phone back on, it restarted the process, so I restarted my old phone too. Now I'm in good shape! Thank you!
Had the same exact issue, left it there for over an hour thinking it was doing something. I tried turning off the 16 Pro and it would not shut off… finally after many many attempts I got it to restart, the phone loaded and gave me a message saying set up had failed. I gave up after many attempts and decided to just create a new Apple ID (iCloud email) and set it up as a new phone however after doing so now Apple has restricted my account? Never had such an issue setting up a new Apple product. 👎
fyi, I updated ios on my old phone yesterday before attempting data transfer tonight, but I’m stuck on “cellular setup complete” screen just like everyone else here. Very frustrating, and I agree with you re: user experience.
I hope Apple is taking note of how many people are having to hunt down troubleshooting tips for this.
My iphone 16 is locked on screen when I tried to mirror the phone to the new watch series 10. I tried the power button and the volume up button but nothing happens. phone is totally frozen. what can I do?
i coul not set up to start a new iphone 16 promax. It has been over an hour never happen before with any other phone. Can not transfer the data and require to delete and start over and over. Even now it not even set up yet.
Apple become a joke, The iPhone 16 does not pair and is frozen for so many apps, also no AI crazy money paying for $1599 iPhone 16. Chinese make so much better tech nowadays.
Apple should be a tech company but all tech is downgraded and glitching.
is that me just seeing those things wrong ?
Moving from 13 to 16 PRO. Got to the point where 16 PRO indicates it’s updating software, but the gear is not spinning and my WiFi is over 500 mbps, so it’s not a connectivity issue. I’ve restarted the 16 PRO and the 13 iOS is current. I’m stumped. If it sits for much longer I’ll call Apple support, but it’s definitely a disappointment that Apple could have this many people dealing with such issues opting their latest flagship phone.
I vaguely remember the days when Apple products “just work[ed].” Those days are becoming harder and harder to remember.
Don’t know if the “replacement” iPhone 16 Pro Max will work. Still haven’t received it as of October 11, 2024. At this point, I don’t even know if I still want it.
Jumped through all the hoops to get the phone on release day. Apple’s product was defective (whether hardware or software). So sorry, customer — we’ll keep your money, but go to the back of the line!!
I don't know the answer to any of these problems because mine was unfixable, according to Apple Support. I returned both of my purchased phones - did not reorder the 512 gb, but waited for a replacement for the 1 tb. It just arrived today, and I am anxious about even taking it out of the box lest another insurmountable malfunction should appear and further erode my trust in Apple products "just working." I haven't read anything from Apple addressing any of these issues to date.
I feel badly for each of you experiencing problems. Does anyone remember when it used to be such a treat to receive a new Apple device? Disappointing now, isn't it?
What a shame!
New iPhone 16 Pro Max is stuck on hello screen and flashes the login screen when trying to unlock - it is also very hot. My line was already transferred from my 13 Pro Max, so I have been without a phone all day. Can my carrier even help with this or is this just a total and complete failure on Apple? I would also like to be able to talk to support, but even if I was able to complete a call, Apple doesn't seen to offer phone support.
Same Here -- using Vol up for a sec / vol down for second then holding power button until powers off and then restarts all over / stuck on Hello Screen won't allow a scroll up - looped,. volume up / volume down power to logo, then restarts on hello screen won't allow a scroll up, just millisecond flash of the passcode screen and then back to hello.
WHAT CAN I DO?
I bought a new iPhone 16 Pro Max, and like everyone else, I started transferring data from my old iPhone. I needed to update the software, so I did. But after the update, when I turned on the phone and swiped up to enter my password to unlock it, the keypad appeared for a second and then disappeared immediately, making it impossible to enter the password. I decided to restart the phone. Normally, there should be three options: Power Off, Restart, and SOS. However, just like the keypad, they appear momentarily and then vanish. The phone also randomly either restarts or shuts down on its own. On top of that, the phone has heated up significantly, even though I haven't even started using it yet.
Got the same “brick” hello twice! Verizon sent me first phone, came below 18.1 and after doing number transfer it started upgrading to v18.1 and dead! Stuck at Hello “brick”. Verizon sent me a replacement (after charging me taxes for replacement till they receive my bad one back then promised credit) iPhone pro 16, same THING!!! And their (Apple and Ver) support has no clue!! Going to return both and use my iPhone 14 then switch to Samsung??
How to fix iPhone 16 Pro Max Stuck on Setup?
