Software updates are supposed to offer benefits but the cons remain part of them. While not all end up dealing with post-update problems, there will always be some who face troubles. This happens because not all devices are configured in such a way to blends well with the new system structure. In fact, most devices are customized based on the end-user’s preferences. It’s therefore possible that some settings aren’t configured to work properly with the new system. And this is when adverse symptoms start to emerge.
Transpiring among the widespread post-update issues among iOS devices is on sudden poor reception or weak signal. The same symptom was seen on some iPhone X variants following the iOS 12 update rollout. In case you’ll encounter this problem after updating your iPhone to iOS 12, then this post may help you out. Read on to find out what to do if your iPhone X suddenly gets poor reception or weak signal after the updating to the iOS 12 platform.
But before we actually move on to our troubleshooting, if you have other issues with your phone, then visit our troubleshooting page as we’ve already addressed some of the most common problems with this device. In case you need more help with your problem, fill up our iPhone issues questionnaire and hit submit to contact us.
What to do if your iPhone X is getting poor signal reception?
Before ruling out software problems on your iPhone X, make sure you are within your network’s coverage. You may be using your device in an area that’s way too far from your network’s cell towers, hence your iPhone isn’t getting strong signal. Otherwise, try applying any of these subsequent solutions.
First solution: Toggle Airplane Mode on and off then restart your iPhone X.
Many people were able to deal with minor network problems including weak signal by applying the Airplane mode trick. Surprisingly, the old trick is still found effective even in recent platform transitions. It basically involves enabling the feature for a few seconds, restarting the phone and then disabling Airplane mode again. By doing so, wireless connectivity features are rebooted and the phone’s network functions are refreshed, quashing minor errors.
- To do so, head over to Settings-> Airplane mode menu, and then tap the switch to turn Airplane Mode on.
Then restart or soft reset your iPhone X while Airplane mode is turned on.
- To soft reset your iPhone X, press and hold the Side button and either Volume button simultaneously for a few seconds. Release both buttons when the Slide to Power off command appears. Drag the Power off slider to the right to turn off the phone. After 30 seconds, press and hold the Side button again until the Apple logo appears then release.
Wait and see if your iPhone X is already getting a good reception afterwards.
Second solution: Install pending app updates and carrier settings update available.
Apps that have gone rogue after the major iOS transition can also be the culprit especially when they tend to affect the network functions. Oftentimes, background apps that were corrupted from the update are to blame. But there are also other cases wherein out-dated apps are the underlying causes. This is more likely to occur if you haven’t set your apps to auto-update. To clear this out, manually check for and install pending app updates on your iPhone X with these steps:
- Tap the App Store icon from the Home screen.
- Scroll to and tap the Updates icon at the bottom right side of the App Store main screen. A list of apps with pending updates will then populate.
- Tap the Update button next to an app to update individual apps. Otherwise, tap the Update All button on the upper-right to update all apps simultaneously.
Wait until all apps are finished updating and restart your iPhone X. Performing a soft reset or device restart is important to properly apply new software changes and likewise to refresh the phone system.
Third solution: Reset network settings on your iPhone X.
Some major updates override your iPhone settings automatically. If this happens, there’s a tendency for some network settings and options to have conflicts. As result, adverse symptoms including signal issues manifest. To clear this out, performing a network settings reset can help. Doing so will erase all current network configurations on the phone and then restore the default network values. All invalid or incorrect network settings are therefore voided out. But before you do so, take note of your Wi-Fi passwords because you will need to re-enter this information afterwards. Then follow these steps to begin the network settings reset on your iPhone X:
- Tap Settings from the Home screen.
- Tap General.
- Scroll to and tap Reset.
- Select the option to Reset Network Settings.
- Enter your device passcode when asked.
- Then tap the option to confirm network settings reset.
Your iPhone will then start wiping all customized network settings and restores the defaults. It will restart by itself when the reset is done. After it reboots, you can set up and connect to your Wi-Fi network again. See if that fixes the problem.
Fourth solution: Factory reset your iPhone X (master reset).
A factory reset is one of the last options to consider if the problem continues after exhausting all applicable solutions. This reset will wipe everything from your device and then restores the factory default settings. All downloaded files, customized settings, and other saved data will be wiped out in the process, thus creating a backup is recommended beforehand. A quicker way to perform a factory reset is through the settings menu. Here’s how it’s done:
- Tap Settings from the Home screen.
- Tap General.
- Scroll to and tap Reset.
- Select the option to Erase All Content and Settings. This will wipe everything from your iPhone X system including personal information, customized settings, and downloaded applications.
- Enter your device passcode when asked.
- Then tap the option to confirm master reset.
Wait for your iPhone to finish wiping and restoring system data. As soon as it’s done, you can proceed with the initial setup process to use your iPhone again.
Fifth solution: Restore your iPhone X through iTunes (recovery mode restore).
If a factory reset still failed to resolve the issue and your iPhone X is still getting weak signal or poor reception, then you can proceed to restoring iOS through iTunes. There are two options for you to restore your iPhone X — a recovery mode restore and DFU mode restore. Both these methods are carried out using iTunes on a computer, so you must secure a computer beforehand. You can use either a Windows PC or Mac computer for as long as it runs on an operating system that’s compatible with iOS 12. Also make sure that you’re using the latest version of iTunes software. Once you’ve got everything ready, follow these steps to restore your iPhone X in recovery mode through iTunes:
- Connect your iPhone X to your computer with the supplied USB/Lightning cable then open iTunes.
- Wait for iTunes to recognize your phone and then perform a force restart without releasing the Side/Power button when the Apple logo appears. Here’s how:
- Press and quickly release the Volume Up button. Then press and quickly release the Volume Down button. Finally, press and hold the Side/Power button until the Connect to iTunes screen appears. Again, do not release the Side button when you see the Apple logo since you need to put your device in recovery mode.
- Shortly after seeing the Connect to iTunes screen, you will be prompted with the option to Restore or Update. If you want to reinstall iOS without erasing your iPhone data, then select Update. Otherwise, choose Restore.
Wait for iTunes to finish restoring iOS and then download the software for your device. The download process usually takes 15 minutes. If it takes over 15 minutes, your iPhone will exit the recovery mode (Connect to iTunes screen) and should that happens, just let the download to finish and then go back to the previous steps to re-enter recovery mode or Connect to iTunes screen and complete the entire iOS restore process in iTunes.
If that won’t fix the signal issue, then you may have to resort to a DFU mode restore — the deepest type of system restore done on an iPhone. A more detailed walkthrough on how it’s done can be found on our iPhone X tutorials section. If you need more help with the steps, feel free to visit our iPhone X Troubleshooting page then navigate to the Tutorials section to find the topic.
Is your iPhone X still getting poor reception or weak signal?
A post-update issue that could not be resolved by any applicable workarounds must be escalated to your carrier or Apple Support for them to make further assessments and/or develop a fix patch, if needed. Alternatively, you can take your iPhone to the nearest Apple Genius bar so you can have it scrutinized by an iPhone technician. Doing so will help rule out hardware issues from the underlying causes.
Connect with us
If you need more help with the use of certain functions and features of the Apple iPhone X smartphone, feel free to visit our Tutorial Page. There you can find a list of how-to contents, step-by-step tutorials, as well as answers to FAQs regarding iPhone X. If you have other concerns or encountered some troubles while using the phone, you can reach us through this form. Just be sure to tell us more details of the problem or device issue(s) you may have and we will be more than happy to assist you further.