Macworld

Following numerous complaints from iPhone 18 Pro Max owners, it’s now been officially acknowledged that some units have a problem placing calls, sending texts, and accessing data. Initially by the carrier AT&T, which sent out a message to customers warning about the issue and strongly advising them to update iOS “immediately”. And now by Apple itself.

As seen by MacRumors, the carrier sent out the following text on Thursday:

“Hi, it’s AT&T. Action needed: An important Apple software update for your iPhone 18 Pro Max is available. Some phones may be unable to complete calls/text/data, including to 911. Update to iOS 27.0.1 immediately — Settings > General > Software Update. Please contact AT&T or Apple if you have questions.”

While this formal admission will be some comfort to affected parties–since the first step on the road to a fix is admitting that one is needed–the proposed solution may not be viewed kindly. Apple’s release notes for the iOS 27.0.1 software update do not mention fixing this issue. And many users who’ve encountered the bug explicitly report that updating to 27.0.1 doesn’t fix it.

The problem was first reported in mid-September. “New [iPhone 18 Pro Max] can’t make or receive phone calls or FaceTime,” complained the author of one Apple Support discussion thread. “Text messages are extremely slow to come through… It does all of this even when the phone is showing four bars of 5G… then the phone randomly drops service and goes into SOS.”

A Redditor, meanwhile, wrote: “I got my iPhone 18 on Friday. I have coverage through AT&T. I have been noticing that I have been getting SOS on my phone. Wi-Fi works for the internet but I can’t make calls. Even if it doesn’t say SOS, trying to make a phone call is impossible now.”

There are thousands of replies to these and similar discussions, many of whom confirm they’ve had the same experience. And they are pessimistic about AT&T’s solution. One commenter on the Apple Support thread replies, “I just received a text from them that the latest [iOS 27.0.1] update would fix the problem – I had already updated to this so I know it isn’t the resolution. This just reaffirms that they have no idea what the problem is or how to fix it.”

And while a separate Reddit thread entitled “iPhone 18 Pro Max Cellular Issues: Did iOS 27.0.1 resolve them?” includes a couple of replies who cautiously think it may have helped, but overwhelming people are unconvinced the issue is fixed:

  • “No, it did not fix that issue. Can confirm personally.”
  • “No… The bugfix update did nothing.”
  • “I feel like the 27.0.1 update made it worse.”
  • “I did the update but still have the problem.”
  • “I’m still having the issue even after the update, so it’s definitely AT&T.”
  • “I updated and it didn’t fix it and had to get the phone replaced for SECOND time.”

After we initially posted this article, AT&T contacted Macworld and asked us to publish a statement:

“Apple has released a software update to address an issue that may affect calls, data, texts, and 911 calls on a small number of Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max phones. AT&T customers with an iPhone 18 Pro Max should update their phones now to the latest available software. Our top priority is ensuring customers can stay connected when they need it most, and we are working with Apple to make it right.”

Based on the unsatisfied responses of affected parties, however, this didn’t seem convincing. At this point, it wasn’t even clear if it was a hardware or software problem, let alone whether it was possible to fix it through an iOS update. Resolution looked to be a long way off.

Apple gets involved

On October 3, Apple got in touch to offer a company statement and a fix. But it’s not entirely good news.

“We have identified an issue affecting a small number of iPhone 18 Pro Max users on the AT&T network that may cause a device to lose service and be unable to make calls,” said an Apple spokesperson. “We released iOS 27.0.1 earlier this week and strongly encourage all iPhone 18 Pro Max users to update now, and are also issuing a carrier settings update today. These updates together are meant to help prevent this issue from occurring.”

The company believes that the problem can be avoided (that’s to say, avoided in the future, not fixed if it’s already happened) if users install iOS 27.0.1 and the latest carrier settings update. You need both to be protected, apparently. AT&T-based iPhone 18 Pro Max owners should find that the carrier settings update downloads automatically within the next 14 days, but they can manually trigger this process by opening Settings and going to General > About.

But this is a prophylactic measure, not a cure. If an iPhone has already been affected and is therefore without service, Apple admits that it cannot be reactivated via software and will require a hardware replacement. In such cases, the owner should contact Apple Support or AT&T, or visit an Apple Store or AT&T location.