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AT&T tells iPhone 18 Pro Max owners to install iOS 27.0.1 after phones get stuck in SOS mode
AT&T is texting affected iPhone 18 Pro Max owners to install iOS 27.0.1 because some phones may be unable to complete calls, texts or data, including to 911. Teams issuing the phones should install it before moving any eSIM, the setup step tied to some failures.
The Product Desk · Product desk
What happened
- Reports began on Reddit and Apple's support forums last week of new iPhones, especially the Pro Max, starting in SOS mode or running very slowly on AT&T.
- The Pro Max is the only new iPhone with a Qualcomm modem, while the Pro and iPhone Duo use Apple's own C2, and the cause of the fault remains unclear.
- A separate speaker 'popping' complaint from Reddit and MacRumors users could not be recreated by Tom's Guide on either of its two test phones.
- Other reported faults, including Control Center freezes, widget crashes, overheating and battery drain, mostly appear resolved by iOS 27.0.1.
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Why it matters
- exposure An employer handing out unpatched Pro Max phones on AT&T may be giving staff a handset that cannot reach 911 when they need it.
- contradiction AT&T presents iOS 27.0.1 as the remedy, yet some owners say it failed them, so a patched phone still needs a test call on cellular before anyone trusts it.
- cost Phones the update does not fix have no settled replacement path, because it is contested whether Apple or AT&T takes responsibility for a swap.
- decision Exchanging hardware over the speaker pop spends spare units on what Apple and Best Buy reportedly told owners is likely a software fault.
A new iPhone 18 Pro Max takes the eSIM from the phone it replaces and then shows SOS where the carrier name should be [1]. Tom's Guide said some of the problems appeared to involve eSIM transfers from older phones or between accounts [2]. A rollout plan that leaves the OS update until after handover assumes the phone can reach the network to fetch it. The phones in these reports started in SOS mode [1].
AT&T's text was confirmed to Tom's Guide by an AT&T spokesperson [3]. It is addressed to one model: "An important Apple software update for your iPhone 18 Pro Max is available" [5]. It tells owners to "Update to iOS 27.0.1 immediately" through Settings > General > Software Update [6]. "Our top priority is ensuring customers can stay connected when they need it most, and we are working with Apple to make it right," the spokesperson said [7].
Some owners said the iOS 27 update did not fix the problem [8]. Tom's Guide was told affected users can visit an Apple or AT&T store for support [11]. Apple had not responded to the publication's questions about either problem [12].
The speaker complaint rests on forum posts. Users on Reddit and the MacRumors forums describe a crackle or pop, and one theory points at the earpiece speaker [13]. One described the sound as if someone is "pulling out a aux cord and you hear a brief click pop noise" [18]. Another tried a second unit. "When setting it up I could hear a crackling sound coming from the speakers a few times and exchanged it," that owner wrote. "I set up the second one all seemed good but i heard it again." [15]
My recommendation for anyone issuing these phones is to install iOS 27.0.1 over Wi-Fi before the eSIM moves, then place a test call on cellular before the phone leaves the desk. The cost is bench time on every device. It also will not rescue every unit, because some owners say the update alone did not help [8].
Two facts sort a fleet: model and carrier. A Pro Max on AT&T is the combination AT&T's own text names [5], so it gets the full sequence, plus a written answer from the carrier on who handles a swap if the update fails [9]. For a Pro or Duo on AT&T, or a Pro Max on another network, the same update-first order costs little. The reports call the Pro Max especially affected, a word that leaves room for other models [1]. Pro and Duo units on other carriers should still get 27.0.1 for its other fixes [17]. A phone that pops through its speaker gets logged and stays in service until a software answer comes, since a fresh unit did not help the owner quoted above [15].
What to watch
- Apple's answer to Tom's Guide on the AT&T fault, and whether it ties the problem to the Qualcomm modem that only the Pro Max uses.
- A stated swap policy from Apple or AT&T for Pro Max phones that stay in SOS mode after installing iOS 27.0.1.
- Whether testers reproduce the speaker popping, or a later iOS release addresses it.