Apple\u2019s latest move came on 8th October, when\u00a0AT&T owners testing iOS 27.2 beta got a new carrier settings update<\/a>. It doesn\u2019t help phones that have already failed.<\/p>\n What happens to an affected phone<\/p>\n The phone drops off AT&T\u2019s network,\u00a0for some owners on and off, for others all the time, and the status bar usually shows \u201cSOS\u201d where the signal bars should be. The first post in\u00a0Apple\u2019s own support forum thread on the problem<\/a>, started on 19th September, reads: \u201cNew iPhone can\u2019t make or receive phone calls or FaceTimes.\u201d By 12th October, 988 people had clicked \u201cMe too\u201d on it. Anyone can click it, so it isn\u2019t a count of broken phones.<\/p>\n AT&T texted customers about it on 1st October. The message read:\u00a0\u201cSome phones may be unable to complete calls\/text\/data, including to 911.\u201d\u00a0It told them to update to iOS 27.0.1 immediately.<\/p>\n Apple describes the affected group as a \u201csmall number\u201d of Pro Max users on AT&T, and it hasn\u2019t given a figure.\u00a0It says it has only seen the fault on the Pro Max on AT&T, and no other iPhone models or networks are known to be affected.<\/p>\n No software fix for phones already hit<\/p>\n Apple\u2019s updates are meant to stop more phones failing. It released\u00a0iOS 27.0.1 on 28th September<\/a>, then on 2nd October\u00a0a carrier settings update, version 72.1, which downloads automatically to AT&T phones over 14 days. Carrier settings are the network settings on an iPhone, and\u00a0they update separately from iOS<\/a>. Apple also started requiring iOS 27.0.1 to set up a new Pro Max. In Apple\u2019s words:\u00a0\u201cThese updates together are meant to help prevent this issue from occurring.\u201d\u00a0That wording stops short of promising the updates will work.<\/p>\n The 8th October update\u00a0moves iOS 27.2 beta testers from carrier bundle 72.0.2 to 72.0.3<\/a>. Apple hasn\u2019t said what changed in it, or whether it carries the same changes as 72.1.<\/p>\n For phones that have already failed, Apple\u2019s answer is replacement. It tells affected owners to contact Apple Support or AT&T, or to visit an Apple Store or an AT&T store. It hasn\u2019t announced a repair programme for the fault, and\u00a0its list of service programmes<\/a>\u00a0doesn\u2019t include one. Apple\u2019s statement also doesn\u2019t say whether replacement is free.<\/p>\n Which phones, and where the modem comes in<\/p>\n![\"Turn](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Tech-ish-KES-02.jpg\")
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