iOS 26 Cellular doesn't work after update

Salmanali9 wrote:

Make sure whether Lockdown mode is enabled or not

NOBODY should enable lockdown mode unless under severe attack and just before contacting Law Enforcement. It is not a routine setting

I am facing the exact same problem on my iPhone 16 pro max. After updating to iOS 26 I realized I couldn’t make any call nor access my cellular data. After a day of continuous trying I simply let my sim out of the tray and waited a full day.

I could now use my cellular data but I couldn’t still make calls. I struggled with it for more than a day now hoping Apple gets this fixed but after my phone died down, I plugged it on charge and realized it’s back to how it was where even the cellular data doesn’t work anymore.

I retried the same method I used several times but to no luck.

I’m going through the same thing on my iPhone 15 pro. The weird thing was that the cellular issue didn’t happen right away, it happened about a day to day and a half later. Apple support via chat couldn’t fix it and said I have to go to the Genius Bar and they don’t have an available appointment until Tuesday evening! So I can’t make or receive calls for 4 days, that’s insane!

I have a similar issue, but it happens during the night while I'm charging the phone.

I updated the phone using my Mac, and restored my local save. After restoring, it didn't ask me for the physical SIM PIN code either.

I did the update on the 16th of September and since then, every morning, I have to type in my physical SIM PIN to activate cellular functions. I tried the different method described here to trigger a cellular update but I was never prompted to do one...

I did the diagnostic tool that didn't show any malfunction.

If you are using a refurbished or a phone purchased from a 3rd party seller - It is most likely not a hardware failiure as it is detecting the difference in your Sim slots (aka if you have a model made for US with esim only but your phone has a sim slot) but the issue IS from ios 26 still as it was not present there

First thing is to switch off your phone, second is to eject your sim with a sharp pin or the ejection tool that comes with the iPhone when you first purchased it. Third thing is to Swap your sim. Now here is the tricky part. There are two sim compartments on the sim tray, one at the top and the other is at the bottom (you have got to look well). The top tray faces your sim chip to the top, the bottom tray faces your sim chip to the bottom. Use the opposite tray of your current sim - so if your sim chip is facing the top, swap it to the bottom, if it is facing the bottom, swap it to the top (you have to make sure it fits). After that make sure the sim tray fits when you insert it back to its space. Next is to turn on your iPhone and switch off your WiFi for the sim to be detected. Hope this works for you. All the best!!! Mine is an iPhone 14 Pro Max.

I am also facing the same issue. I have iPhone 15 Pro Max. I tried to take the sim out and restart the phone without turning the wifi on, then I inserted the sim back. Now I can use the data and get receive incoming calls but am still not able to make outgoing calls.

Additionally, I cannot add my phone number in my cellular settings and am trying navel to turn on the hotspot.

I’ve tried restoring my phone, turning Airplane mode on and off, taking out and reinserting the sim in the other slot, checking carrier updates and what not.

Can someone please help me as soon as possible?

If you have a phone with dual physical SIM slots, try moving the SIM to the other slot:

Call failed on iPhone 14 Pro Max after iO… - Apple Community

I noticed it on first public beta and reported it. Surprised they never fixed it...

Facing the same issue. I cannot make calls and cannot connect to mobile data ever since I did the update. Apple support says I have a problem with my hardware and should contact the nearest service center. However, I don’t consider this because this problem only started after the update!! So apple should release a patch asap to fix this!

I’m facing the exact same issue. Ever since I installed the update, I can’t make calls or use mobile data at all. Apple Support just says it’s a hardware issue and tells me to go to a service center, but that makes no sense — this only started right after the update!

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Same here i was using 2 sim one was phyisical sim and 2nd was esim but today after update my phone just lost the settings for esim and the 2nd sim just got removed now I can’t add it again

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Same thing happened to me too with iPhone 14. Now there is no cellular so can’t make any calls or send any messages. Apple diagnostics said it was a hardware problem but I didn’t have a single problem before the update. It worked perfectly. I’ve tired every solution multiple times. How will this be fixed? And how long will it take? It’s essential to be able to use cellular.

I am surprised this issue hasn’t been fixed yet. Just today, I saw there’s an update to ios26 and naturally, I did the update only to be confronted with this same issue of loss of sim. I truly didn’t expect this and it is such grave inconvenience for me. Hope apple fixes this problem immediately please.

i updated to iOS 26 last night right after my phone is not getting any internet connection and Wi-Fi internet connection as fast internet wifi does not receive any internet connection when I hotspot to my iPad from my phone internet, my iPad gets internet from my phone, but my phone does not get any internet connection after ios 26 update