iPhone XS Max Is the mobile reception on the xs Max even worse than iPhone X ?

[rotobadger]

and now they appear to be working on the LTE issues.

I have not seen anything to indicate this whatsoever. Do you have a link or source? Not trolling, I’m genuinely interested to see where Apple has acknowledged this LTE issue and are letting people know they’re working on it.

And I don’t mean a Genius Bar guy told you or the the Apple help person on the phone. I mean an official Apple acknowledgment.

 

[rebretz000]

I wonder if some of the LTE issues we're seeing are due to lack of MIMO deployment by carriers. While the XS phones have MIMO capability, it needs the carriers to provide it also otherwise there's no benefit. I've found some articles about carriers announcing MIMO deployment in certain markets, but I don't know the current extent of it.

Here's a quote from an article dated July 16, 2018, about Verizon:

"Verizon aims to boost wireless speeds and capacity with technology upgrades planned for 1,100 markets or more. The company will provide carrier aggregation to subscribers in more than 2,000 markets and will add 4×4 Massive Input, Massive Output (MIMO) and 256 Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) in 1,100 markets."

It's possible that Apple is ahead of the curve here. Maybe someone with a better understanding of the cellular industry can chime in.

Not sure if it has anything to do MIMO in general as a lot of Android phones have 4x4 MIMO already.
It could be something to do with the way Apple implemented it. Again based on the FCC documents that WiWavelength posted Apple didn't implement true 4x4 MIMO but a variation of it.

 

[GfPQqmcRKUvP]

I originally supported your constant posting in this thread but Apple has been addressing the issues with several fixes to the Wifi issue and now they appear to be working on the LTE issues.

The # of posts you have here seem highly frequenl- constantly bumping this thread and posting incendiary comments. Are you affiliated with Qualcomm in some way perhaps? Just trying to get people extra upset?

Note- I absolutely acknowledge there is an issue in fact I was one of the first to report it but your posts here are very unusual by any reasonable standard.

Several fixes to the WiFi issue? There has been one, and it didn’t work for everyone. I’m on my third XS. This is a big problem and Apple is hoping people won’t talk about it.

 

[indychris]

Well you e got to love Apple’s customer service. I sadly returned my 2nd XSM today due to coverage issues. Speed was never a problem but the poor reception in areas that previously worked fine was, as well as the delay or failure to recapture a good LTE signal when in a solid coverage area.

Fortunately the guy at the Keystone Apple Store in Indy was great! While not admitting that there’s a problem he did acknowledge that he’s heard rumblings online. And he totally was sympathetic to having almost $1800 wrapped up in a phone that doesn’t perform as well as previous models.

I sure am going to miss the camera though. It takes some great photos!

Hopefully they’ll get whatever issues exist ironed out in short order.

 

[The Game 161]

Several fixes to the WiFi issue? There has been one, and it didn’t work for everyone. I’m on my third XS. This is a big problem and Apple is hoping people won’t talk about it.

Just like many have had zero issues. When millions of phones come out there will be duds. Part of getting a phone from launch. Just the way it is. Least apple are addressing issues

 

[PBz]

I was going to roll the dice on an XS this week but with the hurricane coming I will just hold onto my 8+ that works. We aren’t supposed to see much intense weather but who knows.

 

[ET3SW]

I originally supported your constant posting in this thread but Apple has been addressing the issues with several fixes to the Wifi issue and now they appear to be working on the LTE issues.

The # of posts you have here seem highly frequenl- constantly bumping this thread and posting incendiary comments. Are you affiliated with Qualcomm in some way perhaps? Just trying to get people extra upset?

Note- I absolutely acknowledge there is an issue in fact I was one of the first to report it but your posts here are very unusual by any reasonable standard.

Thanks. This needed to be said. Super annoying and not helpful at all

 

[ROLLTIDE1]

How is Apple actually addressing the issue ? I keep seeing these post and don't understand how it helps those who are having the major cellular issues. Why is apple removing post and banning people who post about it ? I have spent hours on the phone with upper level apple support and have given them close to 2K miles of real world usage and they have done device captures on 3 devices now and have my logs. If your not having a problem them I am happy for you but it might be best if you travel some and make sure that you have data flowing 24-7 and you can make calls cause you may be surprised when your device is faulty

 

[Wags]

Just like many have had zero issues. When millions of phones come out there will be duds. Part of getting a phone from launch. Just the way it is. Least apple are addressing issues

Seems to be lots with no problems. I also guessing many have not been to spots with marginal coverage or really noticed. Mine works best yet in good areas but does worst yet in low signal areas. Feast or famine. So most of my usage is in good strength areas but don’t want to have barely working or not working iPhone when I do.

 

[ROLLTIDE1]

I was going to roll the dice on an XS this week but with the hurricane coming I will just hold onto my 8+ that works. We aren’t supposed to see much intense weather but who knows.

Prayers are with ya'll over in the Panhandle . We will be over soon with relief supplies

 

[PBz]

Prayers are with ya'll over in the Panhandle . We will be over soon with relief supplies

Yes, prayers for those in that area... we are over in Ponte Vedra Beach so shouldn’t see the really bad stuff. Possibility of bad wind and tornadoes. We had a tornado warning here yesterday and my son’s school did the drill.
[doublepost=1539185989][/doublepost]Apple is addressing but not making any statements. I think what many are looking for is for Apple, not blogs reporting what some users are experiencing (reaching out to them), to say something. Maybe it isn’t THAT widespread. Who knows. it seems like a big issue but we are just a small sample.

 

[madKIR]

I wonder if some of the LTE issues we're seeing are due to lack of MIMO deployment by carriers. While the XS phones have MIMO capability, it needs the carriers to provide it also otherwise there's no benefit. I've found some articles about carriers announcing MIMO deployment in certain markets, but I don't know the current extent of it.

Here's a quote from an article dated July 16, 2018, about Verizon:

"Verizon aims to boost wireless speeds and capacity with technology upgrades planned for 1,100 markets or more. The company will provide carrier aggregation to subscribers in more than 2,000 markets and will add 4×4 Massive Input, Massive Output (MIMO) and 256 Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) in 1,100 markets."

It's possible that Apple is ahead of the curve here. Maybe someone with a better understanding of the cellular industry can chime in.

MIMO support has been around for a while. The previous iPhones all supported 2x2 MIMO. Let alone the competition, that already had 4x4 MIMO last year.

 

[Packers1958]

Deleted

 

[gadgetfreaky]

I have not seen anything to indicate this whatsoever. Do you have a link or source? Not trolling, I’m genuinely interested to see where Apple has acknowledged this LTE issue and are letting people know they’re working on it.

And I don’t mean a Genius Bar guy told you or the the Apple help person on the phone. I mean an official Apple acknowledgment.

New modem firmware in the new beta yesterday - I have noticed it seems to address (a bit) the signal re-acquisition issue.

 

[rebretz000]

New modem firmware in the new beta yesterday - I have noticed it seems to address (a bit) the signal re-acquisition issue.

This is good news.

 

[hardwax]

hi guys, so after some testing I've found the following:
- inside places: LTE/4G gets very weak, 1 bar, and field test shows rsrp0 at -115 to -125 dBm, which I think is pretty bad, speed is not good
- outside places: I get a big speed improvement, full bars, and rsrp0 below -90dBm
- wi-fi is working fine

important disclaimer: i'm using the american model in a latin america country which doesn't work on the 28 band, where local carriers have been boosting the 4G signal stronger, so it's only using 3 and 7 bands.

what do you guys think? i'm inclined to think my iphone Xs doesn't have a modem issue like most people and the bad reception inside places is due to the lack of the 28 band, but i'm not sure.

 

[Wags]

hi guys, so after some testing I've found the following:
- inside places: LTE/4G gets very weak, 1 bar, and field test shows rsrp0 at -115 to -125 dBm, which I think is pretty bad, speed is not good
- outside places: I get a big speed improvement, full bars, and rsrp0 below -90dBm
- wi-fi is working fine

important disclaimer: i'm using the american model in a latin america country which doesn't work on the 28 band, where local carriers have been boosting the 4G signal stronger, so it's only using 3 and 7 bands.

what do you guys think? i'm inclined to think my iphone Xs doesn't have a modem issue like most people and the bad reception inside places is due to the lack of the 28 band, but i'm not sure.

Inside is for sure worst than outside.
Using the bars as a gauge, 1 to 2 bars get bad fast, especially indoors. If have 3 or 4 it does very well.

 

[gadgetfreaky]

Several fixes to the WiFi issue? There has been one, and it didn’t work for everyone. I’m on my third XS. This is a big problem and Apple is hoping people won’t talk about it.

it's fine to talk about it- you'll find I talk about it more than most however I am just a consumer- I don't work for Qualcopmm or Intel with an Axe to grind. That's different and you should disclose any relationships.

As for Wifi- the specific issue around 2.4 and 5gig wifi on a combined SSID- I''ve found that issue completely resolved. Perhaps there are other issues Im unaware of?

 

[chripuck]

Got to see my Xs Max not perform in a gymnasium tonight while watching my nieces play volleyball. The gym is a concrete building with a metal roof. So that combination will degrade a signal. I am on Verizon, as are my sister, her husband, and also my other sister. They all have older LTE iPhones. During the matches their phones were working fine, even with 1 bar and showing LTE. My shiny new Max kept showing no service, trying to aquire a connection, and every once in awhile, 3G. This is a poorly designed phone. IMO, their biggest failure to this date.

I'm convinced this is a software issue, not that it makes it ok. If you go into the service menu, you can look at the phy_cell_id to see which tower you are specifically connecting too. If I turn on airplane mode, let it sit for a minute then turn it off, the phone gets great reception but to a different cell tower. After a few seconds it always seems to go back to the crappy cell tower. My guess is they have a software issue and they are favoring one tower over another based on an incorrect assumption in their code. I'm almost certain this will be fixed with software in the next few weeks.
[doublepost=1539199334][/doublepost]

it's fine to talk about it- you'll find I talk about it more than most however I am just a consumer- I don't work for Qualcopmm or Intel with an Axe to grind. That's different and you should disclose any relationships.

As for Wifi- the specific issue around 2.4 and 5gig wifi on a combined SSID- I''ve found that issue completely resolved. Perhaps there are other issues Im unaware of?

It boggles the mind why you would want a combined SSID anyways. I have both networks running on my router, but I have them seperately named so I don't have to rely on the software on my phone to determine the best connection. Just a basic understanding of how wifi works tells you it's a bad idea.

For anyone who's curious, the reason why it's bad to name them the same is because the only way for your phone to know when to switch between the 2.4 and 5 ghz bands is to constantly poll the router to get the signal strength. Either your phone is going to blow through extra power constantly checking or it's going to potentially stay on a bad band trying to save power. Seriously people, just rename your two bands appropriately.

 

[ROLLTIDE1]

I'm convinced this is a software issue, not that it makes it ok. If you go into the service menu, you can look at the phy_cell_id to see which tower you are specifically connecting too. If I turn on airplane mode, let it sit for a minute then turn it off, the phone gets great reception but to a different cell tower. After a few seconds it always seems to go back to the crappy cell tower. My guess is they have a software issue and they are favoring one tower over another based on an incorrect assumption in their code. I'm almost certain this will be fixed with software in the next few weeks.
[doublepost=1539199334][/doublepost]
It boggles the mind why you would want a combined SSID anyways. I have both networks running on my router, but I have them seperately named so I don't have to rely on the software on my phone to determine the best connection. Just a basic understanding of how wifi works tells you it's a bad idea.

For anyone who's curious, the reason why it's bad to name them the same is because the only way for your phone to know when to switch between the 2.4 and 5 ghz bands is to constantly poll the router to get the signal strength. Either your phone is going to blow through extra power constantly checking or it's going to potentially stay on a bad band trying to save power. Seriously people, just rename your two bands appropriately.

Why do you think some people have problem and some do not ? Could we have bad batch of phones ?

 

[Wags]

Could be bad batch of supplier parts. Still think majority not even aware because of usage area or habits. Millions are not having problems but the same millions are unaware that they could.

 

[chripuck]

Why do you think some people have problem and some do not ? Could we have bad batch of phones ?

Bad, probably not. Different performance profiles that were not accounted for in code? Likely.

I can easily reproduce it on my XS. I can turn on airplane mode, turn it off and I get a full 4 bars and a -80 signal strength (which is pretty good) and I'm connected to physical cell ID 106 on TMo in Atlanta. After ~30 seconds, it switches to cell ID 273 and I go to -110 signal (which is horrible) and 2 bars. It doesn't hold the signal to the good tower long enough to run a speed test, so I can't check anything there. I know of some dead zones that iPhone 8's are fine in and have been confirmed to me by TMobile as being good coverage. I'll check it out but I'm guessing the same thing happens.

I wish I had an iPhone 8 or 7 to check, but my guess is the 7/8 are hitting up a different tower.
[doublepost=1539200984][/doublepost]

Could be bad batch of supplier parts. Still think majority not even aware because of usage area or habits. Millions are not having problems but the same millions are unaware that they could.

Based on my findings I have to respectfully disagree. The phone seems to have a great signal, it just can't make it's mind up on what tower to stay connected too. I really do think this is a software issue.

 

[rebretz000]

Bad, probably not. Different performance profiles that were not accounted for in code? Likely.

I can easily reproduce it on my XS. I can turn on airplane mode, turn it off and I get a full 4 bars and a -80 signal strength (which is pretty good) and I'm connected to physical cell ID 106 on TMo in Atlanta. After ~30 seconds, it switches to cell ID 273 and I go to -110 signal (which is horrible) and 2 bars. It doesn't hold the signal to the good tower long enough to run a speed test, so I can't check anything there. I know of some dead zones that iPhone 8's are fine in and have been confirmed to me by TMobile as being good coverage. I'll check it out but I'm guessing the same thing happens.

I wish I had an iPhone 8 or 7 to check, but my guess is the 7/8 are hitting up a different tower.
[doublepost=1539200984][/doublepost]
Based on my findings I have to respectfully disagree. The phone seems to have a great signal, it just can't make it's mind up on what tower to stay connected too. I really do think this is a software issue.

My signal with an iPhone Xs was worse than any of my other phones. There is no consistency with the issues. Makes it hard to fix.

 

[chripuck]

My signal with an iPhone Xs was worse than any of my other phones. There is no consistency with the issues. Makes it hard to fix.

Mine is also worse than any phone in the past and is definitely worse than my in laws iPhone 8's which I bought them at the same time.

As previously mentioned, you can toggle airplane mode on/off and you'll seemingly have a great signal for 15-30 seconds, then it will dramatically decline. If you have the service menu open while you do this then it'll show you what your signal strength is along with what physical cell tower you're connected too. You can clearly see the moment the signal drops dramatically coincides with the transition to a different tower (which we don't have control over.)

They clearly have some unaccounted for data in their calculations that is telling the iPhone to pick another tower. We don't have visibility into that algorithm, but I'm sure once they figure out the problem a software update should dramatically improve the usability.

That said, I'm not saying that even fixed it will be as good as the 7/8, but it should be much better than what it currently is. Honestly, it's unusable at this point in many places around the metro Atlanta area.

 

[indychris]

Based on my findings I have to respectfully disagree. The phone seems to have a great signal, it just can't make it's mind up on what tower to stay connected too. I really do think this is a software issue.

After driving from Indiana to Arizona with one XSM and Arizona to Indiana with a second, both running right next to my 8+, I just can’t get my head around your statement. While I clearly had issues with losing LTE and then taking forever to reaquirem (which may well be a software issue), my biggest frustration was that in any type of marginal setting (of which there are MANY when driving from IN to AZ!), my 8+ would almost always retain some degree of usable signal, while the XSM registered “No Service” for a significant portion of the trip. I had numerous dropped calls and garbled audio for a number of calls I did get through. I navigated and made numerous calls on my 8 with very little disruption.

I can’t fathom that there isn’t some type of antenna or modem issue with this design. If it gets ironed out, then I’m certainly back in for a 3rd try as I love the screen, size, camera and even Face ID (which I admittedly scoffed at before). But until an $1850 phone (with AC+) performs up to standard with my 8, there’s no way I’m sinking that kind of money into something just because it has an apple on it.