9 Common iPhone 7 Problems & How to Fix Them

If you’re dealing with an iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus problem try one of the fixes below before you take your device to an Apple Store.

The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are now the face of Apple’s iPhone line. The two devices feature some notable changes from 2015’s models including improved designs, cameras, and performance. They also come with a new home button.

Apple’s new iPhone 7 models are solid replacements for the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus but they aren’t perfect. Far from it.

iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus owners are running into trouble and we expect new iPhone 7 problems to emerge in the months to come.

As we’ve noted, iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus users are reporting a number of different problems with the two devices. Some, like battery life woes, are common. Others, like a “No Service” bug, are a little more unusual.

If you encounter an iPhone 7 problem don’t panic. Before you take your device down to an Apple Store you’ll want to try and fix the problem yourself.

Our growing collection of fixes for common iPhone 7 problems might have the remedy you’ve been looking for.

Try these fixes before you make an appointment with an Apple Genius or take your phone down to a carrier store.

How to Fix iPhone 7 Activation Problems

Activation issues are among the most common problems facing new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus owners.

While the problems have died down a bit since the iPhone 7 release in September, we’re still seeing scattered reports of failed activations.

Fortunately, there are a few remedies to try before you take your phone into an Apple Store or carrier location.

First, try swapping your new SIM card for your old one. If you’re unable to or it fails, you’ll want to try activating your new iPhone 7 via iTunes. iTunes is more reliable than activating over a Wi-Fi network.

If you still can’t complete the process, you’ll want to make an appointment at an Apple Store or head into your local carrier store to see if they can sort it out for you.

How to Fix iPhone 7 iCloud Restore Problems

We’ve seen reports of iPhone 7 models getting stuck updating iCloud settings. If this happens to you you’ll want to hold down the Power button and Volume Down for a few seconds and wait for the device to reboot. Once it reboots, try the process again.

We’ve also seen complaints about iCloud Restore problems. To fix this, create a local backup on your computer and then restore it to your iPhone 7. This workaround worked for us and it might work for you.

If you’re unable to get your old iPhone and its data backed up, check out our iCloud backup problems and fixes.

How to Fix iPhone 7 Battery Life Problems

Abnormal battery drain is an extremely common iPhone problem so it hasn’t been surprising to see complaints from new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus owners.

Before you take your phone in or drastically alter your settings note that it sometimes can take a couple of days for iOS and a new iPhone to settle. If you’re still noticing weird battery drain after two days of use, you’ll want to take action.

We’ve put together a long list of tips and fixes for iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus battery life problems. Take a look at these if you don’t know how to fix your issues.

How to Fix iPhone 7 Performance Problems

We’ve noticed a bit of lag on our iPhone 7 models and it looks like some other iPhone 7 users are seeing the same.

Hey @AppleSupport I'm getting major keyboard lag on my iPhone 7 after updating to iOS 10.3. Typing and waiting 5 seconds before text appears

— Cllr. Edward Crouch (@EdwardCrouchUK) March 29, 2017

If performance doesn’t improve a couple of days after opening your new iPhone or if your iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus suddenly becomes sluggish, you’ll want to consult our list of tips to improve iOS performance.

Sometimes it can take a few days for a new iPhone to settle so don’t do anything drastic until you’ve given the device and its software a couple of days to get on the same page.

How to Fix iPhone 7 Wi-Fi Problems

Wi-Fi problems are one of the most common iPhone problems and iPhone 7 users are already running into trouble with their connections.

iPhone 7 Wi-Fi problems are plaguing iPhone users around the world and we expect complaints to pickup as more people get their hands on the regular model and the Plus model.

If Wi-Fi starts acting up on your iPhone 7 there are a few things you can try. The first step is to investigate the router you’re using. If you can.

If you’re able to unplug the router for a solid minute, try that. If that doesn’t work, you might want to look into a firmware update. You’ll need to look up your router model online because the update process isn’t the same for every router.

If you’re positive it’s not the router, there are a few things you’ll want to try on the iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus itself.

The first thing to do is forget the network giving you problems. Head to your Settings > Wi-Fi > Select your connection > Tap Forget this Network at the top of the screen. This will forget the network and force you to reenter the password so make sure you have it handy.

If this doesn’t help, try resetting your network settings. Head into Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings. The process will take a few seconds to complete and you’ll lose your known Wi-Fi passwords.

If that fails to dislodge your iPhone 7 Wi-Fi issue, head here for some other potential fixes for Wi-Fi issues. Apple’s also got its own guide to iPhone Wi-Fi problems available so that’s a resource to look at as well.

How to Fix iPhone 7 Bluetooth Problems

We’re also starting to hear about iPhone 7 Bluetooth problems. Bluetooth issues are extremely common iPhone issues and they can popup at any time.

Finding original Beats Pill speaker and Beats Studio noticeable lag on both iPhone 6s/7 plus with VO gesturing.

— David Woodbridge (@dwoodbridge) September 19, 2016

If you start experiencing Bluetooth problems, the first thing you’ll want to do is forget the device giving you an issue. To forget a Bluetooth connection on your iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus go to Settings > Bluetooth > Select your connection using the circular blue i tab > Tap Forget this Device. Try reconnecting.

If this doesn’t help your device reconnect to your speakers or headset, it’s time to go a step further. First, try resetting your iPhone 7’s network settings. Go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings. This will take a few seconds and you won’t lose any data.

If that doesn’t help, try resetting all of your settings. To do this go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset All Settings. This will restore your settings to their factory defaults so you’ll need Wi-Fi passwords handy. If you’ve customized a ton of settings on your iPhone, it could take awhile to restore them.

If this doesn’t help your iPhone 7, you’ll want to consult your manual for your speaker, headset, car, etc. Most products have manuals online so do a quick Google search for your product and see what you find.

If you’re dealing with a Bluetooth issue in the car and you can’t find a manual fix, you might want to make an appointment with your local dealer to see if they can diagnose the problem for you.

How to Fix iPhone 7 Sound Problems

Occasionally, the sound on our iPhone 7 has become distorted. If this happens, there are a few remedies to try.

First, try a simple restart. Hold down the power button and turn the phone off. Turn it back on and see if the normal sound returns. This has worked for us in the past. You can also try performing a hard reset. Hold down the Power Button and the Volume Down button at the same time.

If that doesn’t help, try turning Bluetooth off and on. Check the sound. If it’s still missing, try removing any dust that could be blocking or the Lightning Dock.

You should also check your Ring/Silent switch on the side to make sure it’s set in the right position. Maybe you accidentally nudged it.

How to Fix iPhone 7 Random Reboots

iPhone random reboots are another common issue and we’ve already experienced a couple on our version of the AT&T iPhone 7.

If you’re unfamiliar with this common issue, it’s when the device shuts down on its own, shows the Apple logo, goes to the lock screen, and then reboots again without warning. It’s a frustrating problem to say the least.

To try and get out of a boot loop you’ll want to hold down the Volume Down button and the Power button at the same time. The device will show the Apple logo and restart.

This typically gets rid of the problem, at least temporarily. If you’re seeing more than a few random reboots a week you might want to bring your iPhone 7 into an Apple Store.

How to Fix iPhone 7 3D Touch Problems

Like the iPhone 6s, the iPhone 7 comes with 3D Touch. 3D Touch allows you to make hard presses on the screen to open up shortcuts and features.

iPhone 7 users are saying that 3D Touch sometimes pops up too fast and some are simply having problems getting its various shortcuts to popup.

If you’re having issues with 3D Touch, try adjusting the feature’s sensitivity. To do that, head into Settings > General > Accessibility > scroll down to 3D Touch and tap.

The default is set to medium but you can switch it to firm or light. You can test the sensitivity at the bottom to see what suits you best.

If that doesn’t fix your problem try resettings your settings. Head to Settings > General > Reset > Reset All Settings. Your device will forget known Wi-Fi passwords but you won’t lose any data.

How to Fix iPhone 7 Problems If Nothing Else Works

If nothing listed here works for your iPhone 7 problem, head to Apple’s discussion forums and ask for help. There are tons of knowledgable users on there. You might also get in touch with Apple Support on Twitter.

If they can’t help and you don’t want to get up from your computer chair, you can try downgrading to a previous version of iOS when one is available.

Apple typically keeps the downgrade loophole open for a few weeks before closing it off so you’ll need to act quickly.

You can also opt to restore from a backup assuming you have one. Here’s how to do that. You’ll want to allot an hour or so of time to make sure you do this properly.

To restore from a backup:

1. Plug in and backup to the computer or to iCloud.
2. Turn off Find My iPhone – Settings -> iCloud -> Find my iPhone -> Off.
3. In iTunes Click Restore.
4. Follow the prompts and the iPhone will reinstall iOS 10 from scratch.
5. When it completes click Restore from Backup to put your information back on the iPhone or Choose to set up as a new iPhone.
6. Choosing to set up as a new iPhone will erase your files and data so please be careful.

If that doesn’t work, setup an appointment to take your iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus in to see an Apple Genius.

They’ll diagnose your problem and if its necessary, hand you a new iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus. Remember, you get a free one year warranty with your new device.

Install iOS 12.5.6 for Better Security

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If you're on the fence, here's one of the best reasons to install iOS 12.5.6 right away. iOS 12.5.6 has a vital security patch on board and it will protect your device(s) from harm. If you want the details, head over to Apple's website. If you missed the iOS 12.5.5 update, it brought three security patches to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. You can learn more about the trio on Apple's security site.  If you missed iOS 12.5.4, you'll get that update's important security upgrades with your iOS 12.5.6 update. If you're interested in the particulars, head on over to Apple's website for more. If you skipped iOS 12.5.3, you'll get its security patches with your upgrade. Both of its patches were related to WebKit. If you want to learn more about them, head on over to Apple's security site.  If you skipped iOS 12.5.2, you'll also get its security patch with your upgrade. You can read more about it over on Apple's website.  If you also skipped iOS 12.5, you'll also get its patch with your upgrade. Apple's outlined the update's patch in detail on its security site.  If you missed iOS 12.4.9, you'll also get its four security patches with your upgrade. You can read more about those right here.  If you skipped iOS 12.4.7, you also get the update's three security patches (two for the Mail app and one for Wi-Fi) with your upgrade to iOS 12.5.6. If you're running software that's older than Apple's iOS 12.4.4 update, you'll want to download iOS 12.5.6 in the near future because it brings iOS 12.4.4's security patch to your device. You can read about it right here. If you're running software older than iOS 12.4.2, you'll get an its patch with your upgrade. You can read about the security contents of iOS 12.4.2 right here.  If you're on software that's older than iOS 12.4.1, you'll get iOS 12.4.1's security patch with your iOS 12.5.6 update. You can read about that patch right here.  If you're on software that's older than iOS 12.4, you get iOS 12.4's patches with your iOS 12.5.6 update.  iOS 12.4 brought 19 security patches to the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. If you're interested in the specifics, you can read about them on Apple's security site.  If you're running software older than iOS 12.3, your iOS 12.5.6 update carries iOS 12.3's security patches on board. The iOS 12.3 update brought 23 patches and you can read about all of them right here on Apple's site.  If you're on software that's older than iOS 12.2, you'll get iOS 12.2's security patches with your version of iOS 12.5.6. iOS 12.2 brought a whopping 41 security patches to iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. You can read more about the iOS 12.2's patches over on the company's website.  It's important to note that Apple's iOS 12.2 update patched up an exploit that allowed websites to use motion sensors to "fingerprint" devices. The exploit, discovered by researchers in Europe, uses JavaScript to snag data from a device's accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer when the user visits an infected website. If the attack is successful, a device can be tracked around the internet.  Fortunately, Apple's patched up the issue. If you skipped it, you'll probably want to move to iOS 12.5.6 soon. If you're on software older than iOS 12.1.4, you get four important security patches including fixes for a widespread FaceTime eavesdropping bug that lets you call someone via FaceTime and hear the audio coming from their phone before they pick up the phone. If you're on software older than iOS 12.1.3, you get some additional patches with your version of iOS 12.5.6. Again, they're baked into your upgrade. Apple lists a grand total of 23 patches on board iOS 12.1.3 and you can read about all of them over on Apple's website.  If you're on software older than iOS 12.1.1, you should install the iOS 12.5.6 update on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch today.  The iOS 12.1.1 update brought 17 patches for potential security exploits. They'll will help protect your phone. You can read about them here. If you're running software older than iOS 12.1, you'll get 24 patches from that update with your version of iOS 12.5.5. If you're on software that's older than iOS 12.0.1, your iOS 12.5.6 update brings two additional patches. Both patches are for potential lock screen exploits. Long story long, if you store sensitive data on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, you have some really good reasons to upgrade to iOS 12.5.6 today.

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