How to fix Apple iPhone XR cellular data that’s not working after updating to iOS 12.1.4

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Prior reports have it that some iPhone owners ended up facing problems with cellular data following the recent iOS 12.1.4 update installation. If that’s true, then Apple has got another bug to fix. Way back December of last year, when Apple pushed iOS version 12.1.2 update, a lot of iPhone owners were complaining about the same issue in which they’re prompted with a Cellular Update Failed error. This error impedes the affected iPhone from making and receiving calls or access cellular data until it’s been updated. This is usually accompanied by a No service prompt on the signal indicator.

If by any chance, you will bump into the same issue after installing the latest iOS version 12.1.4 on your iPhone XR, I’ve highlighted a few workarounds below. Feel free to refer to this troubleshooting guide should you wish to fix the problem and try to get cellular data and cellular services working again on your iPhone XR.

Before anything else, if you have other issues with your device, try to browse through our troubleshooting page as we’ve already addressed several issues with this device. Odds are that we’ve already published a post that tackles similar problems. Try finding issues that have similar symptoms with what you currently have and feel free to use the solutions we’ve suggested. If they don’t work for you or if you still need our help, then fill up our questionnaire and hit submit to contact us.

How to troubleshoot iPhone XR with cellular data that’s not working after iOS update?

To get started, restart or perform a soft reset on your iPhone. Restarting the phone is highly recommended after every new update installation. Doing so clears out minor software glitches including those that were triggered by the recent iOS update. It also prevents apps from acting up after the latest platform transition. More importantly, errant caches from the latest update are likewise cleared out during the system restart. That said, soft reset your iPhone XR or force it to reboot instead. If the problem continues after restarting, then you may begin troubleshooting. Here are some options for you to try on.

First solution: Change cellular settings and disable Wi-Fi calling.

Some iPhone owners who were facing the same post-update dilemma where able to find temporary remedy by modifying cellular settings and disabling Wi-Fi calling feature on their iPhone. To see if this will work the same wonder to you, follow these steps to manage your iPhone XR cellular settings and turn OFF Wi-Fi calling:

  1. From your Home screen, tap on Settings.
  2. Navigate to Cellular menu.
  3. Tap the switch to enable Cellular Data, if necessary.
  4. Tap the switch to turn Wi-Fi Calling OFF, if it’s ON. Otherwise, toggle the switch ON and OFF again.
  5. Next, go back to Cellular settings menu.
  6. Then scroll down to Cellular Data Options.
  7. Tap on the option to Enable LTE then set it to Data Only.

By default, the selected option is Voice & Data so you just have to change that to other options. Don’t forget to restart your iPhone after making these changes then see if the problem is gone.

Second solution: Check and install carrier updates.

Carriers also push separate updates for iOS devices. These updates are different from the iOS updates rolled out by Apple periodically. Carrier updates typically offer new and enhanced cellular network functions as well as fix patches for problems affecting cellular services. Often times, carrier settings updates are mandatory or automatically implemented. Optional carrier updates on the other hand needs user intervention to be implemented.

  1. Connect your iPhone to the Internet through Wi-Fi.
  2. While it’s connected, tap Settings from the Home screen.
  3. Then go to General.
  4. Select About and scroll down to the Carrier section.

Wait for a few seconds for the carrier information to populate. If a carrier update is available, tap the option to Update. Doing so will trigger your device to install the latest carrier update on your iPhone XR.

After updating the carrier settings, restart your iPhone to apply the new changes and to refresh its network system. Then try and see if cellular data is already working as intended.

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Third solution: Toggle Airplane Mode ON and OFF.

Some people who encounter the same cellular bug were able to find temporary solution from the Airplane Mode toggle. It’s actually an old trick that’s used by many iPhone owners when dealing with minor issues on the phone’s wireless functions. If you wish to try your luck in this tweak, then it wouldn’t hurt to try it. Here’s how it’s done:

  1. Go to Settings-> Airplane Mode menu.
  2. Then toggle the switch to turn Airplane Mode ON. Doing so will disable the phone’s wireless radios including Wi-Fi connections.
  3. Restart your iPhone XR or perform a soft reset while Airplane Mode is enabled.
  4. After the phone reboots, head back to Settings-> Airplane mode menu and then tap the switch again to turn Airplane mode OFF.

Wait for your device to re-establish wireless network connection and see if the problem is solved.

Fourth solution: Reset network settings on your iPhone XR.

Settings reset can be considered among the last options if none of the previous methods is able to fix the problem. At this point, you can try resetting the phone’s network settings to delete all current network settings changes including automatic network overrides from the recent update that might have halted the phone’s cellular data functions. Here’s how it’s done:

  1. From your Home screen, tap on Settings.
  2. Select General.
  3. Scroll down to and then tap on Reset.
  4. Select the option to Reset network settings.
  5. If prompted, enter your passcode then follow the onscreen instructions to confirm network settings reset.

The phone restarts automatically after the reset. So just wait until it boots up and then you can set up and re-activate wireless functions including cellular data.

Fifth solution: Restore your iPhone XR to factory defaults or from a previous backup.

Opting for an iOS restore is often needed if all else failed to fix the problem. If you’ve managed to save a healthy iOS backup on your computer, then you can restore your iPhone XR from that backup until Apple rolls out an official fix patch. The following steps will restore your iPhone XR to a previous iOS backup via recovery mode in iTunes. You can refer to these steps whenever you’re all set:

  1. Connect your iPhone XR to your computer using the Apple-supplied syncing cable/Lightning cable.
  2. While it’s connected, press and quickly release the Volume Up button.
  3. Then quick press and release the Volume Down button.
  4. Next, press and hold the Side/Power button and continue to hold as it restarts. Don’t release the Side/Power button when the Apple logo appears as you need to put the device in a recovery state.
  5. Release the Side/Power button when you see the Connect to iTunes logo on the screen.
  6. Go to iTunes then you should see a message saying that your connected iOS device is in recovery mode and prompts options to update or restore.
  7. Choose the Restore option to wipe everything from the phone system and then restore iOS through iTunes.

Allow iTunes to finish downloading the latest software for your iPhone then follow the rest of the onscreen instructions to complete the system restore. Do not disconnect the phone from the computer unless the entire system restore is finished. Otherwise, you may end up having a corrupted or unstable OS.

The last option you have left, should the recovery mode restore failed to fix the problem would be a DFU mode restore. This is the deepest type of system restore done on an iPhone. While in DFU mode, you can downgrade your iPhone XR or restore to previous iOS version with no cellular issues. You can find a step-by-step guide on how to carry out a DFU mode restore on an iPhone XR by heading to this site’s tutorials section.

Seek more help

You can escalate the problem to your network service provider or carrier so they can also take a look at the problem on their end. If the problem is already known to them, then they will likely push a dedicated fix patch through a mandatory carrier settings update.

Alternatively, you can report the problem straight to Apple Support so that they’ll become aware and tag it among the next update bugs to address in the next fix patch. While waiting for the required fix patch, you can ask for recommendations or other temporary solutions..

I hope that we’ve been able to help you fix the problem with your device. We would appreciate it if you helped us spread the word so please share this post if you found it helpful. Thank you so much for reading!

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