Apple's iPhone XR failing on UK's O2 network - but a fix is coming

Apple's iPhone XR

Users of the O2 cell carrier in the UK have been reporting issues with connectivity specifically on the iPhone XR. Apple and O2 have now both confirmed the problem and say that a fix is coming.

"We are aware of an issue causing intermittent network connectivity effecting some O2 customers," an Apple spokesperson told BBC News, "and we will have a fix in an upcoming software release."

It's not known how many users were affected, but customers told the BBC that problems began some weeks ago. Certain users are saying they noticed a problem in late November, and iPhone XR owner Jim Buckley told BBC News that it began on December 16.

"I've had virtually no signal at all since," he said. "It may come with a weak signal for a few minutes once or twice a day, then go again."

Buckley, who says he subsequently bought a secondhand iPhone 7, claims that O2 support personnel told him Apple introduced the fault with an iOS update. Neither O2 nor Apple have confirmed this.

"We're working closely with our partners to resolve an intermittent issue affecting some of our customers using iPhone XR," said an O2 spokeswoman. "We thank any customers affected for their patience."

When the iPhone was launched in the UK in 2007, it was exclusively on O2. The carrier remains one of the few that supports all the iPhone features, such as visual voicemail.