Iphone 5 signal loss

New to this forum but having just upgraded to iPhone 5 from 4 on orange in UK am stuck with this problem too.

Fixes so far- reset network settings, restored phone several times over after wiping it. Had another SIM card sent

by orange. Now on second handset. All to no avail- simply will not retain signal strength and defaults to NO SERVICE which requires manual reboot to recover. All in all- a fabulous piece of hardware for apps and tunes but awful device for telecommunications! It seems likely the problem is either iOS 6 since my old 4 works fine and I did not update it- or- there is a software bug inherent in the iPhone 5. Not pleased.

The 'reset network settings' fix should ONLY fix the 'stuck on NO SERVICE' problem.

Everything else reported in this thread is a different matter.

For me? Still no problems after I reset my network settings!

I did the reset network and did not fix the problem. I have to call Apple this week for something else and I will ask them about this. I have lost the signal at home often with the 5 and never lost a signal at home with the 4.

Jim Kelly

I'm having this exact same problem. I've done hard resets and also reset the network settings. Nothing has fixed it. When I'm without network throught the day, my building is like a fortress against the At&t network, my phone will jump betwen Edge and No service once I'm outside. It does this every 2 seconds or so.

Not the exact same problem, Diffent issue.

Arthur Daily- really pleased network reset fixed it for you but that doesn't mean everyone else must be having different problems- my 2nd handset still loses signal in weak signal areas. The point being that it does not recover it when back in strong signal areas but defaults to NO SERVICE which it remains locked to until I activate a search for signal by toggling the airplane mode. Hours of calls to carrier have not resolved issue. Nor replacement sim. Nor new handset. Apple stores are acknowledging there is a problem with some handsets locking on NO SERVICE rather than searching for signal when lost. Like I said, glad you got your problem sorted but how helpful are you being advising all who use this forum that your fix worked and everyone else must be having different issues. Some problems seem software related and some seem handset related even if they elicit the same No Service error. Surely you can't have tested every iphone 5 out there to confirm your belief??

Hi 1973jo

I'm disappointed the fix didn't work in your case,

I'm sorry if you may feel my repliys are aimed at you, they are not.

By your discription above it dose appear you've not been lucky so far and I hope

You get it resolved fast

My repliys ARE aimed at the many posts over the 6 or so pages of this thread from

Users claiming to have the 'exact' same problem, but go on to describe

them as,

My phone has a worse signal than my ip4 = different problem.

My signal keeps switching from no service to edge = different problem.

My signal only shows 2 bars, when I used to get full before, = different problem

My phone keeps dropping calls = different problem

This is not a one-fix-for-all-problems.

A few other people have tried to pull this thread back on topic

By explaining/reminding the original posters problem, himself included.

Incedently the OP (jvanassen) who started this thread did reported back after promising to do so, that this

So called 'fix' did indeed fix the problem for him of the remaining stuck on 'NO SERVICE' issue.

I've also reported back from time to time that the error hasn't reoccurred for myself.

I'm not adviseing 'all who use this forum' as that would be quite an impossible task,

There are hundreds of thousands of posts here at apple support community's.

I've simply located a post via google on a forum (that subsequently turned into a thread) with a problem I also had,

Joined the forum and passed on my findings in an attempt to help him out. It did, and helped a few others also. For this I'm happy.

It's also fixed the problem for EVERYONE i know in the real world who's ip5 exhibited this same fault.

The iPhone 5 obviously has quite a few teething problems I hope are all software based and hope

apple will address them ASAP.

but just like one or two others who've posed in this thread to haveing the same issue, including yourself

The fix did not resolve the issue.

For this I'm not happy, I'm not saying You have a different fault,

By your discription it dose indeed sound the same.

This thread summarizes my exact problem with 2 new iPhone 5’s (my wife’s and mine) on the AT&T network. Frustratingly, AT&T acts like they know little to nothing about it and they send me to Apple. I call Apple and they point back to AT&T. I tried resets with the Apple team and they work in the same manner a power down and up of the phone does or activating and then inactivating airplane mode (a fix until the next no service episode at which point a 4G or even reliable EDGE connection are unavailable). Apple asks me to try new SIM cards but I hardly think both my wife’s and my SIM’s are defective. I called my local AT&T store and received a helpful rep who reports he has the same problem with his new iPhone 5 and he agreed to try a SIM swap in his tomorrow to see if that does anything (he and I are not believing it will). More when I hear back from him tomorrow. If only AT&T or Apple would claim this and promise to fix it I’d feel better. I’m now wondering if the only sane move is to return my new iPhone’s while I can as newly purchased items. I am perplexed and frustrated that this sort of quality problem is happening to me on a product that has been so long in the making.

I’m really happy with the rest of the iPhone 5 but cannot live with this connectivity problem.

Just called AppleCare Support about this issue. Explained to them that I reset network connections, wiped out and set up the phone again and also reset network connections after. Still same issue once I am at my workdesk I will get No Signal. Step outside and it will not go back to the AT&T network. Waited one time 5 minutes. Only way to get it back is on/off airplane mode. The service rep told me that this is the way it is and basically do a reset each time or toggle airplane mode on and off. Kind of implied that it was AT&T problem. I explained to her that I rarely lost a signal at work with the Iphone 4 and when I did within 30 seconds the signal would return once outside. But normally I would have a signal at work. Not sure if I want to continue like this for the next few months until I retire, but sounds like I do not have much of a choice. I was a little surprised at the Apple response to this.

Well she does not know what she is talking about as this is not normal. I have owned a iPhone 3GS which the wife has now and a iPhone 4 and 4s and every time I lost a signal in a no signal area and went into a signal area the iPhones would just relock back onto a signal automaticly. The iPhone 5 is the only phone that does not do that.

Even the wife's 3GS with iOS 6 works as I have tried them side by side and hers locks on and the iPhone 5 just says no service until I do the reset.

It's either 2 things, 1 it's a software bug or 2 it's a hardware fault of the iPhone 5. I just hope it's a software fault and I hope it will be fixed in 6.1.

If this is not fixed then I will be getting a full refund as its not usable as a phone.

My others friends have a iPhone 5 and there all on different networks and all have this problem.

It's a joke and apple better get this sorted. Quick as I have lost alot of calls because of this. I have been thinking of getting a cheap phone just for calls.

I have never had this problem ever on other iPhones.

As I've previously posted, I've got this problem. All attempts to resolve have faile including efforts from apple. I have receive my new replacement phone from apple today, so I'll know tomorrow whether it has worked, but I'm jot counting on it.

My mrs has the iPhone 4S and has had the same problem for over 12 months and still does. So don't hold ur breath people!!!

Which carrier? And please update us on if the new phone fixed it. I'm getting close to a return date here and want to bail on this product if I'll have to live like this for more than a couple weeks. If no one accepts responsibility it is a fiasco. I am with AT&T but not sure if a move to Verizon would fix it.

I live in the uk and am with orange. I've had a hudge list of problems with the iPhone 5 and I've had the phone on for 6 min and have discovered that most of the problems remain!!! Unfortunately I'm stuck with a ****** apple product!! I should have got the Samsung galaxy S3!! First and last iPhone I ever buy!!!

Just tried something new- seems to be working!!!!!!!!!!

Go to Settings> Privacy> Location Services> (scroll to bottom) System Services and disable all except Compass, Time Zone and Traffic. For the first time in nearly 3 weeks my iphone 5 is coming out of NO SERVICE and finding signal all by itself... just like in the olden days...

Can't promise this is a fix for all or explain the reasoning but fingers crossed 🙂

I have the initial problem as well. I travel from home to work, somewhere on the journey I lose signal, and it doesn't then re-find the signal. I go to Airplane mode and back and its find the signal perfectly.

I have tried the reset network settings, sounded very feasbile as to why that may be the problem, I did restore my iPhone 5 from a backup of an iPhone 4s.

That was yesterday. At work now, and the same issue, so the network settings didn't fix it for me.