Q: iPhone 4S "no service" problem

Patbehn, what country are you in?

The No Service issue could also occur if the phone is banned. Just you said its second hand with no paperwork!

In the UK, phones reported stolen etc are added to a banned IMEI register which will also cause No Service.

Tested the iOS 5.1 beta 3 last night and received the same problem with No Service / Searching when at home.

However, I have no problems elsewhere which leads me to think the problem is with the local cell towers around my home!

I think I have discovered the root cause I have been suffering with, iOS 5.1 beta 3 restores the ability on the iPhone 4S to toggle Enable / Disable 3G Data. When 3G Data is enabled I suffer with no reception at home, however when I disable 3G data and only have 2G data enabled the signal strength was excellent and I could make phone calls around the house. I have not been able to do this since installing iOS 5.0.1.

I do not know if the baseband update in iOS 5.1 beta 3 also helped fix the problem but I have just downgraded my 4S back to iOS 5.0.1 (4A406) which has restored the modem firmware to 1.0.14. The phone is working great as usual here at work but I will retest at home with the Cellular Data option disabled.

Hope this helps anyone else with similar issues

I have the same problem and it seems to be the 5.0.1, since i updated same problem, mine every day...

great. as i mentioned earlier, my phone which has 5.0, looks like i have to live the battery issue.

though i got a replaced one by apple dont know if it works fine if i upgrade to 5.0.1

let us see when this will be fixed.

The battery drain issue was not fixed by 5.0.1 so I would stick with 5.0

If iOS 5.1 does not fix this No Service / Searching bug or signal drop, I will be demanding a refund from Apple as this will be my fourth exchange for the same problem.  I need a phone that works!

Steve Jobs wasn't lying when he said he reinvented the phone...  I need a phone that works and they reinvented it to be an iPod Touch S!

I will give Apple one last chance to make it right... iOS 5.1 has to fix all the issues with iOS 5.x with regards to the battery, Wi-Fi, signal etc since they have had 3 months to do it... if not.. so long Apple and hello GOOGLE ANDROID!

Denmark. And no, it's not banned in any way. This is an issue which just occurred to me lately, some weird psycho signal problem which I do not know how Apple made.

Let's focus on the issue...I JUST got a new SIM card, and I'm located in Taiwan.

1)  Inserted SIM card for the first time, there's no problem there, got full coverage.

2)  When I go into an elevator/basement where there is no coverage, iPhone4 is NOT able to relocate the sevice.

3)  When I reboot my iPhone4, I get service back.

4)  I used the SIM card on other phones and there is nothing wrong with the SIM card or how it is placed.

5)  I am CERTAIN this problem cycles when I go into no service area like the basement or elevator.

I do not live in Taiwan, so I got a cheap 2G SIM card.  From what I have experienced and read on the forum, I am leaning towards the theory on the Modem Firmware 04.11.08 bug (even though I have no technical data to back me up)...

It might help to know what kind of SIM cards you guys have, perhaps the "reset" solution only works for more advanced cards like 3G cards, while those with 2G cards are seeing this problem over and over again...

HOWEVER, the 2G SIM card I used in China worked flawlessly with the SAME iOS.  Perhaps this varies on different carriers.  I am tempted upgrade my calling plan to a 3G card...the customer service for my carrier kept hinting me to upgrade it after seeing my iPhone4, I'm not sure if she was just trying to sell me their product, or there has been a ton of complaints for 2G SIM card.

patbehn,

try turning the cellular data off and see if your signal returns

If always happens when you come out of a non servicable area... elevator, basement or subway and the iPhone takes forever to catch a signal or says you have a signal in a non servicable area... 3 iPhones later... same issue.  It has only happened after iOS 5.0.1... It leads me to believe it is SOFTWARE!!!

Get your crap together Apple!

3 months and counting!

Trust me, I did all suggested solutions, but none worked. I'm a 99 percent sure that this is a software bug, and I hope it gets fixed in 5.1!

hello sir,

i am wondering if your wife's iphone4 is still working after downgrading it from 5.0.1 (9A405) to 4.3.3

i have a friend willing to downgrade my iphone4 which still persists with the searching/no service issue - he used to work for apple and i am confident that he can do the procedure properly - but i thought id not waste his time if it did not provide lasting resolution for your wife

of course, my 4s is still doing it with the (9A406) - but i have exchanged that for a new iphone 4s - which is coming via fedex - and truthfully, im likely not going to even open the box of the new 4s until there is clear resolution of the problem. and will use the iphone4 if you can confirm that 4.3.3 solves the problem

I too am still suffering from this problem after having my 4S for a week.  I have spent countless wasted hours on the phone to Orange (my provider), restored the phone software and all to no avail.  I'm about ready to return the phone and ask for a refund.  It's of absolutely no use when I cant make a call on it or even text without waiting for a bar or 2 of signal to appear.  I thought this was a one off until to my horror, I found this thread. 

efab:

My wife's iPhone 4 appears to be fine running iOS 4.3.3. I have disabled 3G as I have found that causes me issues on my iPhone 4S when I'm at home.

Just a quick update.

I downgraded my iPhone 4S from 5.1b3 to 5.0.1 (4A506) yesterday and when I got home the phone was unusable. I could not make or recieve phone calls and the No Service message was displayed. Turning off cellular data within settings did not help. When 3G is disabled on iOS 5.1 b3 I found the signal / no service issues to disappear at home and the phone worked great!

I have again updated to iOS 5.1 beta 3 at it works correctly when I am at home once 3G DISABLED (the enable/disable toggle is only available in the beta release).

I have spoke to O2 in the UK and they have said that there are no issues with the cell masts/towers at my home location. However, when I tried a Vodafone SIM  running 5.0.1 at home, the signal was excellent and I never received a No Service message in over 48 hours.

After 3 weeks and loads of effort I am giving up and sticking with 5.1b3 and hope the problem is fixed in the official release.

Hope this may be of help.