iOS 12.1.2 disconnects some iPhones from cellular data: Here’s how to fix it

By Aaron Mamiit Published December 25, 2018

Some iPhone users who have upgraded to iOS 12.1.2 are reporting a variety of issues, mostly that their devices are being disconnected from cellular data.

Just one day after the early December launch of iOS 12.1.1, which improved the FaceTime user interface and added Haptic Feedback features for the iPhone XR, Apple rolled out the iOS 12.1.2 public beta. The latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system looked to clean up a variety of bugs, including cellular connectivity issues that appeared in iOS 12.1.1.

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Apple released iOS 12.1.2 on December 17, with the upgrade intended to solve issues with eSIM support for the iPhone XR, XS, and XS Max, as well as fix cellular connectivity problems for users in Turkey. Days after the initial build of iOS 12.1.2, Apple pushed out a second build to fix unnamed issues with the first one, without changing the software upgrade version number.

However, it appears that things have not gone according to plan for Apple, as hundreds of users have taken to Twitter, Facebook, and Reddit to report that the iOS 12.1.2 upgrade caused cellular data issues on their iPhones. Some users said that iOS 12.1.2 completely disconnected their iPhones from cellular data, rendering the devices unable to send and receive phone calls and text messages. A small number of users also claimed that they have been unable to link up to Wi-Fi connections.

For the unfortunate iPhone owners who have been affected by the issue, 9to5Mac suggested a couple of solutions. The first possible fix is to go to the iPhone’s Settings app, enter the Cellular menu, and disable Wi-Fi Calling. The second suggestion is to go to the Cellular Data Options under the same menu and change the Enable LTE field to Data Only from Voice & Data.

These solutions are only temporary fixes, and they might not work for everyone. Ultimately, the best way to deal with the matter should come from Apple, which already has iOS 12.1.3 in developer beta testing.

Users who have not yet upgraded their iPhones to iOS 12.1.2 might want to hold off on doing so. Not everyone is affected by the cellular data bug, but it may be a good idea to wait for the next iOS version, just to be sure.

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