Some iPhone 15 (including iPhone 15, 15 Pro, 15 Plus and 15 Pro Max) owners seem to experience an issue where the iPhone’s cellular connection is not working as expected even when in an area with good cellular reception. With this particular problem, the cellular data connection keeps getting lost even though the cellular status icons (like 3G, 4G,5G or LTE) and the signal strength bars show it is connected to a cellular network.
If your iPhone 14 cellular data is not working, you won’t be able to connect to the Internet unless there is Wi-Fi. If you are having this issue, you may get “Network Error” or “Could Not Activate Cellular Data Network” types of error messages as you use your iPhone in a way that requires a cellular connection. In this article, i’ll explain how you can fix this problem.
Note: information in this article apply to iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Signs of this iPhone 15 cellular data issue:
Unless you are connected to Wi-Fi, you may experience the following:
- Apps that require an Internet connection won’t work. For example, you won’t be able to send or receive emails or load websites in Safari.
- Texts, including iMessages and SMS messages, won’t work.
- Phone calls will not work. You won’t be able to make or receive calls.
- You may see a No Service or Searching notification.
Ways to fix the iPhone 15 cellular data issues
Try these troubleshooting steps until your issue is resolved:
1. Turn on and off Airplane Mode
Sometimes the most obvious fix is the most reliable one. If your mobile data is giving you trouble, one of the first things you should try is turning airplane mode on and off.
- Tap Settings.
- Tap Airplane Mode to turn the feature on.
- Wait 10 seconds.
- Tap Airplane Mode to turn the feature off.
2. Update iOS
If your iPhone 15 cellular data is not working because of an iOS bug, an update could fix it. Check if there is an iOS update and if there is, update your iPhone.
- Tap Settings.
- Tap General.
- Tap Software Update.
- If an update is available, tap Download and Install. Additionally, you may want to turn on Automatic Updates.
3. Turn off Wi-Fi calling
Some affected users have said that disabling Wi-Fi calling fixed the cellular data problem on their iPhones:
- Tap Settings.
- Tap Phone.
- Tap Wi-Fi Calling.
- Turn off the Wi-Fi Calling on This iPhone option. Test to see if the iPhone 15 cellular data issue continues. If it does, you may want to turn this back on.
This may not be the fix you want. If turning off Wi-Fi calling fixes your iPhone 15 cellular data issue, I recommend you periodically check the software update (see #3) and carrier settings update (see #5) to see if any update may fix this problem. If this is a widespread issue, probably Apple or the carrier will release an update for it.
4. Restart your iPhone 15 to fix cellular data problems
If your iPhone 15 cellular data is still not working, restart your device. This can resolve a lot of network and connection-related problems, and only takes a few minutes to shut it off and then turn it back on again.
- Press and hold the Side button and one of the volume buttons (up or down) until the power off screen appears.
- Drag the power off slider to the right.
- Wait a few seconds for the device to turn off.
- Press and hold the Side button until you see the Apple logo.
5. Update carrier settings
This update usually occurs automatically. But you can do it manually, too. Carrier settings updates are how your carrier brings their cellular-related software updates to your phone. Your iPhone 15 cellular data issues might be fixed by a carrier settings update.
- Ensure that your iPhone is connected to a Wi-Fi network.
- Open Settings.
- Select General.
- Choose About.
If you see a popup notifying you that there is a carrier update, tap Update. If you do not see any popup messages, your settings are up to date.
6. Are you using VPN?
VPN is known to cause connection problems. Are you using a VPN service? If you are not using a VPN service, do you have any VPN profiles installed? Let’s see if this is the problem:
If you are using VPN, turn it off. And test your issue. If the issue persists, see the next step.
- Tap Settings.
- Tap General.
- Tap VPN & Device Management.
- Tap VPN.
- Tap the(i) button next to the VPN profiles you have.
- Tap Delete VPN.
Now check if your problem is fixed.
7. Reset Network Settings
If you tried all of the above but nothing changed, it’s time to take a slightly more drastic step. Resetting your network settings. Doing this will reset the network settings to the factory defaults. This does not mean that your content or other data will be erased. Your photos, music, etc., will stay intact. One of the main things is that your Wi-Fi connections will be erased. Thus, you may want to copy your Wi-Fi passwords before you do the reset.
Resetting Network Settings can fix a variety of connection issues; thus, it may help when the cellular data connection doesn’t seem to be working on your iPhone 15.
- Tap Settings
- Tap General
- Tap Transfer or Reset iPhone.
- Tap Reset.
- Tap Reset Network Settings and follow the onscreen instructions.
8. Take out and readjust your SIM card
If none of the steps above did the trick, the problem might lie in an ill-positioned SIM card. If our iPhone 15 has a physical SIM card, eject it using the SIM card removal tool and carefully reposition it in its tray. Be careful when inserting it back into your device. Once you’re done, your cellular connection should be back to normal. If you see other SIM card issues, such as an “Invalid SIM” or “no SIM card Installed” error, it’s best to contact your network carrier and get a replacement SIM.
9. Contact your cell carrier
If you’ve tried everything else on the list and nothing seemed to fix your iPhone 15 cellular data not working problem, it’s time to contact your cellular service provider. This may be an issue they can help you with. You can always contact your cell carrier on social media, but sometimes a good old-fashioned call might address your concerns better. Here are the customer support numbers of the major US providers:
- Verizon Wireless: 800-922-0204
- AT&T: 611 from an AT&T phone or 800-331-0500
- T-Mobile: 611 from a T-Mobile phone or 1-877-746-0909 from another phone
- U.S. Cellular: 611 from a UScellular phone or 1-888-944-9400 from another phone.