More often than not, signal issues in mobile devices are attributed to a software problem. In fact, many people had encountered such a problem after adding new apps, changing some settings, or implementing new update on their respective devices. Among the most widespread issues reported online would include but not limited to a No service error, No signal, and intermittent signal. The latter can also be due to location like when using the device in a certain place that’s way farther from the network base or cellular tower. Most likely the signal acquired by the device is weak thus unstable. Nonetheless, there are a number of iPhone SE owners who have just bumped into an issue on signal drops after installing a new software update on their device. Apparently in this case, it’s a software issue or update bug is likely the culprit. Read on to find out what to do if ever you’ll experience a similar issue in which your iPhone SE suddenly keeps losing signal after updating iOS.
Now, before we proceed with our troubleshooting, if you have other concerns with your new iPhone SE, drop by our troubleshooting page for we have already published some guides and tutorials. You may also contact us by completing our iPhone issues questionnaire. This is a free consultation servicer we offer and all we need is information about the problem. So please give us that so that we can help you better.
First solution: Reboot your iPhone (soft reset).
Some updates contain minor glitches that somehow affect the network functions of the receiving device. Minor as they are, these glitches can be dealt with by a soft reset or device restart. This does not affect any of your iPhone data so no need for backups. Here’s how:
- Press the Power button for a few seconds until the Slide to Power Off screen appears.
- Drag the slider to power off your device completely.
- After about 30 seconds, press and hold the Power button until the Apple logo appears.
- Alternatively if your iPhone SE already running on iOS 11, you can turn it off by going to Settings-> General-> Shut Down then drag the Slide to Power Off button to the right. Doing so shuts down the phone. After 30 seconds, press the Power button to turn it back on.
Wait until your phone boots up then try to see if that fixes the problem.
Second solution: Reset network settings.
Some updates may override your current settings automatically. When this happens, you can only expect to possible outcomes and that’s either good or bad. Apparently in this case, the outcome is bad as you ended up with signal issues on your phone. However, this can still be rectified by some workarounds. To make sure everything on your iPhone’s network system is set accordingly, you can perform a network settings reset and then setup your networks manually. Here’s how it’s done:
- Tap Settings.
- Tap General.
- Scroll to and tap Reset.
- Select the option to Reset network settings.
- If prompted, enter the correct passcode for your device.
- Then confirm reset.
Your phone will reboot automatically when the network settings reset is complete. After it reboots, you will need to re-configure your network settings and set up your Wi-Fi network.
Third solution: Reset all settings.
If a network settings reset doesn’t do any good or your iPhone SE still keeps losing signal after doing so, then you can try resetting all settings on your device instead. It may not be just the network settings are messed up by the update but your other settings as well. So give it a shot and see what happens. Here’s how:
- Tap Settings.
- Tap General.
- Scroll to and tap Reset.
- Select the option to Reset all settings.
- If prompted, enter your device passcode.
- Then confirm reset.
Your device reboots then all your settings will be restored to their original or default values. But all your data and personal information stored on the internal memory will remain intact or not affected.
Fourth solution: Check and install new carrier updates.
Carrier settings updates are usually implemented automatically unless you’ve set up your device not to do so. These updates are different from iOS update. They are usually pushed by your carrier when a new iOS version particularly major update is released. This is to make things work well with the new platform. If you aren’t sure if your iPhone is set to auto-install updates like this, follow these steps to manually check for carrier settings update to install on your device:
- Ensure that your iPhone is connected to Wi-Fi.
- Tap Settings.
- Tap General.
- Tap About.
- If an update is available, you will be prompted with an option to update your carrier settings. Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the carrier settings update download and installation.
If you insert a new SIM card into your iPhone like when you just switch to a different carrier/service provider, you will also need to download the carrier settings for your new carrier.
After installing new carrier updates, reboot your iPhone to apply the recent changes and then see if that makes your signal stable.
Fifth solution: Reset/restore your iPhone SE.
As your last option, you may try a full iOS reset or master reset. This usually helps deal with more complex software problems that could not be rectified by the prior solutions. However, this will also wipe everything out from your device including critical data, personal information and customized settings. That said, creating a backup would be necessary before you proceed. Whenever you’re all set, follow these steps:
- Tap Settings.
- Tap General.
- Scroll to and tap Reset.
- Select the option to Erase all content and settings.
- Enter your device passcode, if prompted.
- Confirm iPhone reset.
- Wait until the reset is finished and your iPhone reboots. By then you may proceed with the initial setup.
Alternatively, you can restore your iPhone SE in iTunes. You may opt for a recovery mode restore first or DFU mode restore if the prior iOS restore failed. A more detailed walkthrough on how to carry out each of these iPhone restore is found on our iPhone SE Tutorials. Just visit our Troubleshooting page whenever you would need further assistance in the process.
Seek more help
Escalate the problem to your carrier or Apple Support if your iPhone SE is still losing signal even after exhausting all prior means to fix the problem on your end. There might be a more serious issue likely a bug that comes along with the latest update that needs to be rectified by an official fix patch. Otherwise, take your iPhone to a nearest Apple service center and have it checked by a technician for any visible indications of hardware damage that might have caused frequent signal drops on your device. In this case, service would be necessary.
Connect with us
Visit our troubleshooting page to view more solutions to other iPhone problems we have addressed in our prior posts. If you wish to reach our iOS support team for further assistance, then you may do so by filling up this form with all the required information. Be sure to provide us with the significant details of the issue that you need help with so we would be able to give you the best possible solutions and recommendations to try on.