AT&T users face iPhone 18 Pro Max bug needing swaps

A small number of AT&T customers who recently upgraded to the 1,299-dollar iPhone 18 Pro Max will need to replace their devices after a glitch caused them to lose cellular connectivity. The handset went on sale two weeks ago as the highest-end model from Apple outside of its upcoming foldable iPhone Duo.

The problem prevents affected owners from placing calls, accessing cellular data, or sending and receiving text messages on the AT&T network. The total number of impacted customers remains unclear, but devices become largely unusable without an active Wi-Fi connection.

In a statement to Bloomberg News, a spokesperson for Apple confirmed that an issue affects a small group of iPhone 18 Pro Max users on the AT&T network. To limit the problem, a carrier settings update and iOS 27.0.1 have been issued. The carrier fix downloads automatically over the next 14 days, though users can manually check for it by opening General and then About in settings.

For devices that have already experienced the failure, swapping the handset for a new unit through either AT&T or Apple is the only solution. The US variant of the iPhone 18 Pro Max uses a cellular modem made by Qualcomm, while other models, including the smaller iPhone 18 Pro, run Apple's proprietary C2 modem. Reports show that only the larger handset has been hit by the AT&T glitch.