“Hello, this is AT&T. Action required: An important software update is available from Apple for your iPhone 18 Pro Max. Some phones may not be able to complete calls/text messages/data, including 911. Please 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 a comfort to affected parties (as the first step on the path to a solution is admitting that it is necessary), the proposed solution may not be viewed favorably. Apple’s release notes for the iOS 27.0.1 software update make no mention of fixing this issue, which isn’t a surprise given that the company (unlike AT&T) hasn’t acknowledged it yet. And many users who have encountered the bug explicitly report that updating to 27.0.1 does not fix it.
The issue was first reported in mid-September. “New [iPhone 18 Pro Max] “I can’t make or receive phone calls or FaceTime,” complained the author of an Apple support thread. “Text messages take a long time to arrive… It does all this even when the phone shows four bars of 5G… then the phone randomly stops service and goes into SOS.”
Meanwhile, one Redditor wrote: “I received my iPhone 18 on Friday. I have coverage through AT&T. I’ve noticed I’m getting SOS on my phone. Wi-Fi works for internet but I can’t make calls. Even if it doesn’t say SOS, it’s now impossible to try to make a phone call.”
There are thousands of responses to these and similar discussions, many of whom confirm that they have had the same experience. And they are pessimistic about AT&T’s solution. A commenter on Apple’s support thread responds: “I just got a text from them saying that the latest [iOS 27.0.1] the update would fix the problem; I had already updated this so I know it’s not the solution. “This just reaffirms that they have no idea what the problem is or how to fix it.”
And while a separate Reddit thread appeared titled “iPhone 18 Pro Max Cellular Issues: Has iOS 27.0.1 Resolved Them?” includes a couple of answers that I cautiously think may have helped, but a large number of people aren’t convinced the problem is fixed:
