Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro Max recall explained: Is Qualcomm to blame?

Macworld

The launch of the iPhone 18 Pro Max has been anything but smooth for AT&T users. Ever since the phone started shipping two weeks ago, reports have been cropping up about an inability to make calls, send texts, or even call emergency services. Considering we’re talking about a phone, it’s a serious issue.

In a statement to Macworld and other media outlets, Apple said that “a small number of iPhone 18 Pro Max users on the AT&T network” with phones that have already been affected by the issue will need to get them replaced. If you bought an AT&T iPhone 18 Pro Max, here’s what you need to know:

What is the problem?

Apple has identified an issue that specifically stops the iPhone 18 Pro Max from accessing AT&T’s network, preventing users from making calls and sending texts. The smaller iPhone 18 Pro, which was released at the same time, does not exhibit the same issue, nor do iPhone 18 Pro Max devices on Verizon or T-Mobile.

The issue doesn’t appear to affect all AT&T phones, however. While there have been numerous reports from AT&T subscribers with iPhones that haven’t been able to make calls ever since they got the phone, others only experienced the issue after a few days, and still others haven’t had it at all. It’s not clear what triggers the issue.

Can Apple fix it?

Last week, Apple pushed out iOS 27.0.1 to fix a Face ID bug and other launch-day issues with the iPhone 18 Pro Max. The AT&T bug wasn’t listed in the release notes, but AT&T urged its subscribers to install the update as a potential fix. The carrier also pushed out its own update to iPhone 18 Pro Max users that will roll out over the next two weeks.

However, we have since learned that those fixes only prevent the problem from occurring in future; they don’t fix phones that are already exhibiting the issue. In fact, Apple and AT&T both acknowledge that phones with the problem will need to be replaced with a phone that already has iOS 27.0.1 and AT&T’s carrier settings update installed.

Is there an official recall?

Apple has only issued two iPhone recalls in its history, and both offered repairs rather than replacements. In 2021, Apple began a program to fix iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Pro units that did not emit sound from the receiver when making or receiving calls, and in 2024, iPhone 14 Plus owners who could not see previews when taking photos with the rear camera were also eligible for free repairs.

So, while this is the first time Apple is specifically offering replacement devices, Apple hasn’t declared an official service program. However, if your phone experiences the issue, you should contact AT&T or Apple to swap it out for a new phone.

Why isn’t the iPhone 18 Pro affected?

Neither Apple nor AT&T have divulged the specific issue with the iPhone 18 Pro Max that affects its ability to access data. There’s very little about the phone that isn’t identical to the iPhone 18 Pro other than the size of the screen and battery, but there is one notable component that’s different: the iPhone 18 Pro Max uses a Qualcomm modem rather than an Apple one.

According to teardowns, it’s the same modem as the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, the Snapdragon X80 5G Modem, and neither of those phones exhibit the issue. And even though Apple is offering replacement phones, the issue appears to be a software one related to how the hardware interacts specifically with AT&T’s network.

It’s not clear why the iPhone 18 Pro Max, Apple’s most expensive phone that doesn’t fold, uses an older Qualcomm modem in the U.S. rather than Apple’s new C2 modem, which supports mmWave networks for the first time. (In other countries, the 18 Pro Max does have a C2.) Indeed, a lot of older and cheaper iPhones have C-class Apple modems too: last year’s iPhone Air has the C1X, as does the iPhone 17e. The iPhone 16e from February 2025 featured a C1… but the more expensive iPhone 16 has a Qualcomm modem. It’s all quite complicated.

I have an AT&T iPhone 18 Pro Max. What should I do?

This depends on whether you’ve experienced the symptoms described above.

If your iPhone appears to have escaped the bug so far, install iOS 27.0.1 right now. (Open Settings, go to General > Software Update, and follow the prompts.) You’ll also want the latest carrier settings update. This should download automatically within the next 14 days, but you can manually trigger the process by opening Settings and going to General > About.

If you have experienced the problems… well, it’s still worth installing the updates because this is free and takes almost no time. There’s always the extremely slim possibility that you were suffering from an unrelated bug and it may be fixed by a patch or go away by itself. But realistically, you’re going to need a replacement phone. Assuming the problems persist, contact Apple Support or AT&T, or visit an Apple Store or AT&T location.

But your mileage may vary. A reader with one of the affected phones reached out and said he was sent to the Apple Store after trying Best Buy (where he bought the phone) and an AT&T store after neither had any information about the recall. Eventually he found an Apple representative who tested the phone and agreed to ship a replacement device. We expect Apple will announce an official program to address the issue soon.