iPhone 18 Pro Max losing cellular service/SOS on AT&T — known reprovisioning issue?

My son’s new iPhone 18 Pro Max is having serious cellular connectivity problems on AT&T.

It repeatedly loses cellular service and goes into SOS. It may reconnect to 5G/5G+, but calls and cellular data become unreliable again. Text messages are also sometimes taking as long as five minutes to arrive.

Interestingly, I also have an iPhone 18 Pro Max on the same AT&T account and mine is working normally.

I spent over an hour with AT&T Tech Support. They opened a service ticket and the representative told me this is a known network issue involving the reprovisioning of phones. I was told to allow 24–48 hours for it to be resolved and to use Wi-Fi in the meantime.

I’m trying to determine how widespread this is. Are other iPhone 18 Pro/Pro Max owners experiencing SOS, intermittent cellular service, delayed texts, or 5G showing even though calls/data aren’t working?

I’d especially like to hear which carrier you’re using — AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, etc. — because I’d like to determine whether this is primarily an AT&T provisioning issue or something affecting the iPhone 18/iOS more broadly.

Posted on Sep 23, 2026 7:59 PM

Top-ranking reply

raubinpierce

Level 1

18 points

Posted on Oct 1, 2026 3:10 PM

I fought the good fight for 12 days...

TLDR: Return it, get a new one. Like magic.

3 tickets with AT&T, each one closed 24 hours later, with a email note telling me "AT&T Free Msg: The network ticket we filed for you is closed. Everything looks good on our end. For indoor specific issues connect to Wi-Fi.(www.att.com/features/wifi-calling) XPRU_X011EH""

Each time obviously not resolved... each time start over because the previous ticket was closed and contained no info... the 4th time I just stopped responding and tried apple support again... who sent me to AT&T again, again and again... Closest Apple Store is 65 miles from my house, a couple miles closer than the one I picked up the phone from 12 days prior... but still a jaunt... got there at about 3:30... 3 hour wait to get to a genius.. who told me what we already know, which is they don't know yet... and they had no repair units to swap with me... I was still in the return window, and they had my version in stock... I returned the old one, bought the new one... problem gone... so far...

Working theory I discussed with the apple peeps was bad batch of IMEI numbers, either duplicates, malformed or a bad batch of chips from Qualcomm that is can't hash correctly and gets booted from the system...

SO hard to blame AT&T if a new handset fixed the issue... but still pawsible if AT&T is responsible for the IMEI issue if that turns out to be the case.

GenX rant ahead about a 1st world problem:

Apple can contact me for more info on my experience, because the other thing all these comments and threads have in common is that Apple Customer service was abysmal... AT&T also having abysmal service left all of us "fans" of apple in a lurch... imagining that it is ok, 2 weeks out from launch, to have customers not only with non working phones but also leaving the return window, with perhaps no phone to fall back on because it was an upgrade, while you absolutely know the product is defective or at least non functional with it's signature feature... (I know I know... but it is called the iPHONE...and off wifi access is why its not called iPod or IPad)

PROACTIVE...Apple absolutely knows who is with at&t...and Apple definitely knows or should know by now, which launch day customers were effected... yet still crickets, no contact... One sure way to destroy a brand... destroy the trust of your most ardent fans...

This world makes it hard enough to try and still believe there are companies that still care about their customers beyond the $$$$, AT&T lost their way some time ago, but Apple was still one of them for me... I'm not sure it is anymore, and that just makes me sad.

❤️‍🔥

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46 replies

Sep 29, 2026 8:55 AM in response to LCAbyss

Curious if they tested your phone and if it passed/failed at all? They ordered a replacement for mine even though it passed all the tests. So, I’m wondering if everything is working for you now because the phone was defective and that was the problem. If mine is technically fine but having the problem, then I’m worried the new phone will still not work. :/

Slishb

Level 1

8 points

Sep 30, 2026 11:38 AM in response to BlueEyedGirl961

That’s great that Apple actually helped you guys! They completely refused to help me in Louisville, so I guess I will get to not have a phone until my return window is up, in which case I guess I’ll just have to force them to with my warranty. This has left a really sour taste in my mouth for apple and att.

lap01nte

Level 1

8 points

Sep 30, 2026 11:59 AM in response to lobsterghost1

I am under the belief it is an Apple issue. and how their device and software does not integrate with the ATT network. they are the ones that made a change. I do think it should be a joint effort on how to resolve the situation...however the problem is with in apples scope cause to correct it would have to be done with in their permission/clearances. which if funny cause ATT was the ones that had the exclusive contract when it first dropped. how far we have come

Oct 3, 2026 4:59 AM in response to Jeff Donald

Jeff Donald wrote:

AT&T released an update late yesterday and is pushing it to users. Please go to Settings > General > About > and wait a minute or two for a notification to appear. If it does, follow onscreen instructions to install. A restart will likely occur. You might want to check with an AT&T corporate store if it’s not been pushed to you yet.

For both of our iPhones (18 Pro and 18 Pro Max), the carrier settings automatically installed, but going to General > About, I did see a notification they were installed and applied to both phones. Reception seems to have been improved, but neither of us had any SOS issues on either phone.

Oct 3, 2026 5:50 AM in response to lobsterghost1

Neither my wife nor I have had the issue either. I did get a text from AT&T advising me to install the update, but my modem was already at a higher version. I suspect multiple versions for different models may have been released.

Oct 3, 2026 5:57 AM in response to Jeff Donald

Jeff Donald wrote:

Neither my wife nor I have had the issue either. I did get a text from AT&T advising me to install the update, but my modem was already at a higher version. I suspect multiple versions for different models may have been released.

I do feel bad for those who bought brand new iPhones to find they couldn't use them as a phone with AT&T. I hope this fully resolves this for those afflicted.

iHelper_

Level 1

8 points

Oct 3, 2026 9:29 AM in response to Iphone18pm

I can help you reach a DR for your son or ask a neighbor, someone else posted the same issue with AT&T, said he woke up to his house on fire and couldn’t call his kids, i pray they made it out ok or he at least ran down the hall to get them out. If you need me to make a call for you please don’t hesitate.