Sprint subscribers: What do your updated iPhone and Tonga have in common? Both are cut off from the world

Sprint subscribers using recent model iPhones have been reporting cellular connectivity problems following the installation of Apple's iOS 12.1.3 security update, which was released on Tuesday. Sprint support acknowledged the incoming complaints via Twitter. "Some Sprint customers with iPhone X, iPhone XS and iPhone XR are …

[Marty McFly]

Just newer iPhones??

Hmmm.... This may explain why wife's older Sprint iPhone 5S had problems connecting yesterday. I wonder if the problem is more widespread then this initial tweet suggests.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Just newer iPhones??

If she gets a carrier update from Sprint and the problems go away, then maybe it is more widespread. If you check the rev number of the carrier 'blob' before/after an iOS update you can see if the carrier had an update that tagged along. They're responsible for testing iOS updates on their network and issuing updates to the carrier settings if required, looks like Sprint screwed up.

[Anonymous Coward]

I have the fix for this.

Don't use an iPhone or Sprint.

Yes, I'm being facetious.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: I have the fix for this.

So run an Android on Verizon and the poo smells completely different from an iPhone on Sprint!

[W.S.Gosset]

Break?

How does one "break" an undersea cable?

"Kids! Get away from the...! Oferchrissake"

[Kernel]

Re: Break?

There are many possibilities - the obvious ones are ship's anchors in shallower waters, earthquakes, currents dragging the cable around, curious whales or sharks nibbling on them (yes, it does happen) and some deep sea shrimp that apparently take a fancy to the outer covering (some type of plastic) of the deep sea sections, thus letting in water which trips the power feeding to the amplifiers.

[W.S.Gosset]

Re: Break?

Yeah I know, I just liked the chosen wording's mental image of a country physically breaking a major trunk cable by accident. ["Yeah awrigh' Trev, just lift that bit up so we can get the new server in and.... Oh for f*ck's sake, Trev."]

[vtcodger]

Re: Break?

For a lengthy and entertaining primer on undersea cables, try Neal Stephenson's lengthy WIRED article http://archive.wired.com/wired/archive/4.12/ffglass_pr.html Is it accurate? Probably not. It is, after all, 25 years old. But it is a very good read.

[Korev]

Re: Break?

Thanks vtcodger, that was fascinating.

[seacook]

Re: Break?

Thank you vtcoger. That was an excellent read. In 1994 GN (Great Nordic) published "From dots and dashes to tele and datacommunications" to celebrate their 125th anniversary. It compliments the link you provided.

[Doctor Syntax]

Re: Break?

How does one "break" an undersea cable?

Police are looking for a ship with a large back hoe attachment.

Or a trawler.

[Ozumo]

Re: Break?

Anchor will do it. Happened to Isles of Scilly electrical supply in 2017.

[Kevin McMurtrie]

Sprint?

Maybe the update improved connectivity and enabled some complaints to get through.

[Dave559]

Avoid network-nobbled phones

And this is why it's a good idea to avoid network-nobbled phones, and buy them unlocked.

Not that phone OS developers don't occasionally børk updates themselves, but adding carrier crapware into the mix as well just adds to the opportunities for problems.

[Colin Wilson 2]

"Asked whether the issue was a consequence of Apple's patch or a Sprint misconfiguration, Sprint's spokesperson replied, "It was a Sprint update."

How refreshing to have a company admit their mistake - Kudos to the spokesperson