Apple issues iOS update to fix iPhone 7 cellular connectivity issues

Apple released an iOS update today to address the complaints of thousands of Verizon customers who were experiencing signal drops and unexplainable issues with GPS when using the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. The update is numbered 10.0.3, and it’s solely focused on fixing the cellular connectivity issues for those two phones. If you have an older iPhone, you won’t see the update pop up.

It’s unclear exactly what the issue was. But iPhone 7 owners began complaining late last month and well into October about the device randomly dropping its LTE signal or showing a "No Service" icon when attempting to use Google Maps or Waze. This appears to be an issue mainly with how the phone interacted with Verizon’s network, and some users have theorized that it had to do with how the telecom handles transmitting voice and cellular data simultaneously. So toggling the "Enable LTE" function to "Data Only" in the settings panel seemed to temporarily solve the issue, according to Gizmodo.

There is also the possibility that the issue stems from a fundamental flaw with how the iPhone 7 using iOS 10 interacts with any CDMA-based network, which includes those of Verizon, Sprint, US Cellular and numerous other international carriers. Some users of different networks have reported similar service problems, so this may have extended well beyond Verizon's customer base. Whatever the true problem and its source, Apple has issued an official fix. So if you’re an iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus user who’s experienced wonky cell service over the course of the last month, check for an over-the-air software update.

Update 6:02PM ET, October 17th: Clarified that the iPhone 7's cellular connectivity issues have been occurring with other CDMA-based carriers.

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