AT&T has a long historical connection with the iPhone. Even though the late Steve Jobs reportedly pitched the iPhone to Verizon first. Jobs allegedly wanted a percentage of service fees and control over iPhone distribution, and the carrier rejected the offer.
After getting turned down by Verizon, Steve Jobs pitched the iPhone to AT&T
That led Jobs to turn to AT&T, and the rest is history. Of course, it wasn't long before Verizon wanted an iPhone of its own and, at first, was stuck with one of the biggest bombs in smartphone history: the BlackBerry Storm.
As you might know, a "small number" of iPhone 18 Pro Max units owned by AT&T subscribers do not connect to the carrier's network. These phones cannot make or receive phone calls and text messaging is out of the question. The internet cannot be accessed since there is no data connection.
Apple is replacing the small number of affected units
These devices are useless and are being replaced by Apple since a software update cannot fix the issue. Apple taking this measure indicates that the problem, while not widespread, is a serious one.
AT&T offering the iPhone 18 Pro Max in Black. | Image by AT&T
Even though Apple had agreed to replace affected iPhone 18 Pro Max units, the tech giant also disseminated iOS 27.0.1 along with a carrier update (version 72.1) in an effort to prevent additional iPhone models from being affected by this issue.
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After agreeing to send the replacement units and pushing out iOS 27.0.1, Apple had yet to account for one group of AT&T subscribers who owned an iPhone 18 Pro Max. These were the AT&T account holders whose iPhone 18 Pro Max units were running the iOS 27.2 Beta. Those subscribers are now receiving carrier update 72.0.3.
Apple sends out carrier update 72.0.3 to certain AT&T subscribers
Let's recap. To prevent functional AT&TiPhone 18 Pro Max units running iOS 27 from "catching" this issue, these AT&T subscribers had received carrier update 72.1. Those running the iOS 27.2 Beta on their iPhone 18 Pro Max are receiving carrier update 72.0.3. This update won't fix those units that no longer connect to the AT&T network.
Why the iPhone 18 Pro is not affected
Some of you are wondering why this issue is affecting only the iPhone 18 Pro Max. This is because in the US, the iPhone 18 Pro Max is the only 2026 iPhone that uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon X80 5G modem. The iPhone 18 Pro is equipped with Apple's in-house C23 5G modem.
The issue seems to be caused by a hardware problem related to how the iPhone 18 Pro Max interacts with AT&T's 5G Standalone spectrum bands. There are reports indicating that an unpatched firmware glitch causes the modem to transmit at an incorrect power level, causing physical damage to the circuitry of the modem or antenna components.
Once an AT&TiPhone 18 Pro Max stops working, it means that the modem is permanently damaged. Other carriers in the US, such as Verizon and T-Mobile, use different bands and signaling protocols than AT&T.
The glitch causing the iPhone 18 Pro Max to get bricked only happens when the Snapdragon X80 5G modem attempts to connect to AT&T's Standalone 5G network.
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Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.
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