Getting 'No Service' with iOS 14.7.1? You aren't alone.

Customize Ios 14 App Icons Hero
Customize Ios 14 App Icons Hero (Image credit: Christine Romero-Chan / iMore)

What you need to know

  • Some users are reporting that their iPhones are unable to find cell service after installing iOS 14.7.1.
  • Some people suggest that removing the SIM card might work, but others say it didn't for them.

Apple released iOS 14.7.1 a few weeks ago and it seems it might have added a bug that prevents some iPhones from being able to hold on to a cell signal.

According to people across Apple's forums and spotted by 9to5Mac, people are experiencing the issue on a variety of devices including older iPhones like iPhone 6S. Others have newer devices like iPhone 11 and similar models, but they are all seeing the dreaded No Service message at the top of the screen.

Unfortunately, some people report that going through the usual fixes of resetting network settings and removing SIM cards isn't working, too.

Same problem. iPhone 6S, despite doing all the ons and offs, resetting the network settings, my phone is no longer a phone. This is great.

Apple does already have a support page for such an issue, but it simply tells people to check for Carrier Settings updates and then do the whole SIM card dance. If that doesn't work, Apple suggests contacting carriers to see if the SIM can be swapped out.

One potential solution is of course to buy a new iPhone. Apple's iPhone 13 launch is just around the corner and who doesn't want an excuse to buy what is sure to be the best iPhone Apple has ever made?

On a positive note, we do know that Apple is testing iOS 14.8 internally. It's possible that could fix the issue, although if that was the idea we might expect it to have been released by now. Whatever's going on, fingers crossed that things get fixed sooner rather than later.

Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.