In a text message sent to customers today, AT&T acknowledged that some iPhone 18 Pro Max devices on its network are experiencing cellular issues.
AT&T said customers should immediately update to iOS 27.0.1, although many affected users said the update doesn’t fix the problems. There are now at least thousands of users experiencing this problem, according to discussion topics in the Apple support community, Reddit, and MacRumors forums.
Here’s what the text message says:
Hi, I’m AT&T. Action Required: A major Apple software update is available for your iPhone 18 Pro Max. Some phones may be unable to complete calls/texts/data, including 911. Update to iOS 27.0.1 immediately: Settings > General > Software Update. If you have any questions, please contact AT&T or Apple.
Apple’s release notes for iOS 27.0.1 did not mention a fix for the AT&T cellular issues. Rather, the update fixed a Face ID issue on the iPhone 18 Pro models.
As we reported last week, affected iPhone 18 Pro Max users are unable to connect to the AT&T network for phone calls, text messages, or data either persistently or intermittently, and as a result, their devices typically enter SOS mode. The underlying cause has not been confirmed, and Apple has yet to publicly comment on the matter.
Notably, the US version of the iPhone 18 Pro Max is the only new iPhone released last month that features a Qualcomm cellular modem. The smaller iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo are equipped with Apple’s C2 modem worldwide, as is the iPhone 18 Pro Max in all other countries. However, it is unclear whether this is a contributing factor.
If a software issue is identified, another update such as iOS 27.0.2 may be required. If there’s a hardware problem, though, that would obviously be a much bigger problem. We will provide further updates as new information becomes available.
(P.S. There is some irony in AT&T sending a text message to alert iPhone 18 Pro Max users that they may not be able to send or receive text messages.)
