Home Forums Peripherals & Multimedia iTunes, iPhone, iPod, iPad, Apple TV Can't use cell data on iPhone 7

For some reason my iphone is not recognizing that I have a cell data subscription. I called my cell carrier and I called Apple. No one had an answer. The carrier sent me a new sim card which did nothing. My phone is too old for an e-sim.

Both companies went through several different ways to possibly fix it but nothing worked and they are all stumped and blaming each other. I have no need to be paying for cell data if I can't use it. The last resort was to reset my phone back to factory settings. I would like to try that last. They did send me instructions on how to back up my info though that was deleted today along with the other emails. There is too much for free iCloud space but maybe iTunes backup will work. I"m not sure about how that would work as it's now called Music and I don't even know if that app can do this.

Any ideas? I can't list all the things we tried so maybe there is something out there that will work that they don't know about? Wouldn't surprise me.

Apple said I would have to call my carrier to see if I can update the APN through them. The carrier said iPhones do use APNs. What? Spent about 4 hours back and forth and nothing was accomplished.

This Apple Support article tells you how to back up your iPhone to your computer. After you do this you can reset and restore your iPhone. Apple says all of your personal settings may not get backed up; then again, maybe they will but at least you should have all of your data, apps, etc.

1. iCloud backups only include data and settings but not the applications themselves so you may well have adequate iCloud space. Give it a try. (The restoration will reload the apps and OS directly from the App Store)
2. A complete reset and restore will restore your iPhone to the most recent version of iOS compatible with your iPhone and the latest available version of your apps, regardless of what version you had installed.
3. You can still backup your iPhone to your Mac and assuming your Mac is running macOS 10.15 (Catalina) or later Music (nee. iTunes) will not be involved. Just follow these instructions. This will, of course, be a LOT faster than the iCloud backup option.

Apple's instructions are found here, but what is available in settings depends on the carrier, and perhaps even on whether your iPhone is tethered to a particular provider. I know that none of the options described in the Apple document appear on my iPhone that was purchased for use with any provider.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

1. I know this is obvious, but i have to ask have you checked Settings > Cellular Data to see if it is turned ON?
2. Get and keep a good backup (I have mine set to backup to the iCloud every night — just in case. It is part of my plot to foil Murphy's Law)
3. I trained Microsoft support technicians for two years and based on my experience I would say your going back and forth between Apple and your cellular provider only increases the chances for misunderstanding and confusion. You need to get out of the middle. Regardless of where you bought the iPhone, pick one or the other and take your iPhone to them and ask them to fix it. Let them talk directly to one another and work out the solution. I know the Apple store is not convenient for you, but based on the level of competence I have found at local Cellular providers stores the Apple Genius Bar would be my choice.

Thanks, Ira. I will check that out.

Just follow these instructions. This will, of course, be a LOT faster than the iCloud backup option. OK.

Originally Posted by plantsower

Apple said I would have to call my carrier to see if I can update the APN through them.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

[*]I know this is obvious, but i have to ask have you checked Settings > Cellular Data to see if it is turned ON? Yep. And a bunch of other settings with Apple and my carrier.

Regardless of where you bought the iPhone, pick one or the other and take your iPhone to them and ask them to fix it. Let them talk directly to one another and work out the solution. I know the Apple store is not convenient for you, but based on the level of competence I have found at local Cellular providers stores the Apple Genius Bar would be my choice.

[/quote] Unfortunately, like you said the Genius Bar is not convenient and I didn't buy my phone, it was a hand-me-down. The carrier is out of Georgia so I can't get any onsite help from them either. I will read the links you and Ira sent me and go from there. I'll be back if I have questions. Thanks a bunch.

You can still backup your iPhone to your Mac and assuming your Mac is running macOS 10.15 (Catalina) or later Music (nee. iTunes) will not be involved. Just follow these instructions. This will, of course, be a LOT faster than the iCloud backup option.

Unfortunately, even though my iPhone is connected to my Mac via my lightening cable, the iPhone does not show up in the side bar! Apple had me do this too and said it was weird that it didn't show. While my iPhone is plugged into my Mac it is charging so I know the connection is good, but "iPhone" is not listed. So my Mac isn't acknowledging my iPhone and my iPhone isn't acknowledging that I have cell data activated. So frustrating!

We've both got older iPhones - Mine is a 5s. - so maybe we're experiencing the same phenomenon.

My phone doesn't show in my Music sidebar either, but it does show in my Finder sidebar.

Beginning with Catalina, a connected iPhone will never show up in the Music sidebar. That functionality was removed from Music and added to Finder. A connected iPhone shows up as a Finder Location along with Macintosh HD, Network, and other attached drives. Simple click on the iPhone and a unique menu will appear that looks remarkably like this.

Yup! (I hook my iPhone up so infrequently that I didn't realize that the location of its appearance is macOS version related.)

You can still backup your iPhone to your Mac and assuming your Mac is running macOS 10.15 (Catalina) or later Music (nee. iTunes) will not be involved. Just follow these instructions. This will, of course, be a LOT faster than the iCloud backup option.

I found out I didn't have devices checked under locations. When I did that, my iPhone showed up in Finder. I clicked on it and checked sync my most important data. How does it know what is important to me? It's still backing up at this point. It also said the last backup was in March. Not sure how that happened. Is there a way to see what is has been backed up on my Mac?

I tried backing up my iPhone on my Mac. It took awhile and then it said my iPhone was locked. How do I unlock it. It doesn't seem locked to me. It wants me to put in my passcode to unlock it. I'm stuck for now not knowing what to do. I don't know why it thinks it's locked.

That happens to me when macOS wants permission to communicate with my iPhone. There's a grey screen on my phone to enter my passcode.

My phone isn't locked per se, only as respects macOS.

On iOS and iPadOS data is stored as part of the application, not a separate entity as on macOS. As a result the backup file on macOS or iCloud is a single entity and there is no mechanism available open or examine the contents of the backup other than restoring it to another iPhone or iPad. Suffice it to say it contains all of the information necessary to restore an iPhone to the state that existed at the time of backup. That does not include the OS or the executable application files. Those will be automatically copied from the App Store and will be the latest versions compatible with your iPhone — if they still exist on the App Store.


That is a security feature intended to prevent a miscreant from stealing your data, simply by backing it up to a Mac and restoring it to their iPhone thus easily defeating all of the iOS' data protections. To be honest, I don't recall if the iPhone's passcode is entered on the iPhone or the Mac, but there will be a popup one one device or the other with fields to enter the iPhone's passcode.

There's a grey screen on my phone to enter my passcode.

My phone isn't locked per se, only as respects macOS. [/quote]

The gray screen finally popped up after I started backing up and I unlocked it. I couldn't seem to do it otherwise. The funny thing is after I did my backup, it stated my last backup was that day (yesterday). So, I thought it all got backed up.
But when I looked at my iOS files it only stated that my last backup was in March! I wonder why it isn't recognizing that I had a backup like it said on the backup page? I'm still leary regarding putting my phone back to factory specs until my iOS files recognize I have actually backed up yesterday. I did decide to back up then whole thing and not what's "just important" to me because it gives me no choice as to what's important.

The unlock screen finally showed up when I tried to backup again, so I put in my passcode. As I told Artie, the backup was successful as stated on my backup page, but when I went to my iOS files on my Mac, it said my last backup was in March like before. So, I hesitate to restore my iPhone until my Mac recognizes that I did a full backup yesterday.

That is a security feature intended to prevent a miscreant from stealing your data, simply by backing it up to a Mac and restoring it to their iPhone thus easily defeating all of the iOS' data protections. To be honest, I don't recall if the iPhone's passcode is entered on the iPhone or the Mac, but there will be a popup one one device or the other with fields to enter the iPhone's passcode. [/quote]

If you are referring to the backup listed on your iPhone that only shows the date of the last backup to iCloud, not the last backup to your Mac. That said, I have no idea where the iOS backups are stored on the Mac and not even FindAnyFile yielded any possibilities. However If you plug your iPhone in again and click on it in finder and clilck here you will see the date of the backups [b]stored on your Mac[/url].

Followup: I called Apple about this situation again. Come to find out I had downloaded something awhile back called unlockit. I forget why I needed it. The Apple guy saw it on my phone and asked what it was. It had something to do with APN settings. I told him there was no longer a website for it. He had me delete it and now my cell data works. He's the only one after hours on Apple and my cell carrier that discovered the culprit. Yay!