How to Fix Your IPhone When IOS Update Is Causing Problems
Whether you’ve installed the new iOS beta on your iPhone or upgrading to a new publicly available iOS version, the process usually goes smoothly. However, when that doesn’t happen, the worry is: How the heck do you get an iPhone that is working near perfect, aside from some new fatal error?
This is exactly what happened recently with Lifehacker managing editor Joel Cunningham. At my urging, he went and installed the iOS 14 developer beta on his main iPhone – why not? – only to find that the device is not working the way it used to. As he writes:
“I’ve never installed a beta before, but Lifehacker Senior Technical Editor David Murphy made iOS 14 so compelling – and the installation process so easy – that I decided to bite. And it was easy – I followed his instructions and was ready to go within half an hour of the updates, and I was impressed with the settings of my aging iPhone 7. But then I realized that my phone could not make or receive calls or text messages. The internet still worked, as did Apple Messages and Facetime, but there was no way to send messages or receive calls over cellular data, and I could only blame the beta. ”
Joel Slack asked me for help and I was more than happy to share the troubleshooting methods that helped me whenever I had problems with messages or calls on my iPhone. It’s not just to repair your iPhone if the beta update fails; I had the usual iOS updates that suddenly turned my smartphone into a web-only brick. Here’s what I did – in the order I did it – to get my messages and cell phone back up and running.
1. Restart your phone.
This tried and tested method is my first aid when my iPhone gets naughty. Turn off your iPhone , wait a few seconds and hold the power button until you see the Apple logo to turn it back on. We hope this solves the most basic problems you have, such as a sluggish operating system. If not, you need to get a little more creative.
2. Check for carrier updates.
It’s possible, though unlikely, that you might have some kind of outdated carrier update for your iPhone that fixes things again. You don’t check this through Settings> General> Software Update , just go to Settings> General> About and wait for the carrier update notification pop-up. If you have not received this notification, then you do not have it. Let’s go to troubleshooting!
3. Reset your iPhone’s network settings.
If you’re having connectivity issues after updating your iOS, consider resetting your iPhone’s network settings. This will delete your saved wireless networks and passwords temporarily, but they should be automatically restored on your device if you’ve previously synced your Keychain with iCloud.
Go to Settings> General> Reset> Reset Network Settings to get started and make sure you have your VPN idle information – if, for example, you need it to log into your work network using an iPhone. It’s better to set it up right away than to be surprised later.
4. Remove the SIM card.
Still having problems? Let’s try to remove your SIM card – and we hope you kept this tiny tool on your old smartphones; otherwise you will be hunting for a tiny paper clip or pushpin. Pull out your iPhone’s SIM card, turn it off, turn it back on, and reinsert the SIM card. This should fix any issues you are having with messages or calls, and this is what made Joel’s iPhone work again.
I doubt your SIM is broken – that would be a weird decision after updating your iPhone’s operating system, but just in case, you can always go to your carrier’s store and get a replacement (or order online).
5. Reset iPhone and restore from backup (or set it up as a new device).
The nuclear approach is always there if you need it: if your iPhone gives you problems that you cannot fix in any other way – and I would even contact Apple Support before doing so, provided that you have installed the usual iOS update rather than beta – you can always start from scratch. Go to Settings> General> Reset> Reset All Settings to erase data from your device. Restore from a backup ( you have a backup, right?) To save time, but you can also set up your iPhone as if it were a brand new device. I would go with the latter as it is a great way to clear your device of apps and other junk that you don’t use often. (However, make sure you’re signed in to iCloud so you can recover items like your notes, photos, etc.)