Troubleshooting iPhone Cellular Connectivity Issues After iOS 17.2.1 Update

June Wan/ZDNET

That mysterious iOS 17.2.1 update released just before Christmas seems to be causing havoc for some iPhone users.

A couple of readers pointed me to a thread over on Apple’s support forum where users are complaining of having problems connecting to their cellular network following the update.

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The problem seems to affect calls and data, and while the majority of complaints appear to be from T-Mobile and Verizon customers, the problem doesn’t seem limited to these networks.

Forum users have offered up a few suggestions, ranging from deleting any VPN profiles off the iPhone (tap Settings > General > VPN & Device Management > VPN, then tap the i next to any VPN profiles and Delete VPN) to resetting network settings (tap Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset and then tap Reset Network Settings), but these have had limited success, and I believe that these are solving secondary issues, not the issue being caused by the update.

And the majority of affected users don’t have a VPN installed.

Bottom line: These are worth a try, but don’t hold your breath.

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