Yesterday cellular data from Page Plus Cellular (PPC), a Verizon Wireless MVNO, stopped working on my iPhone 12 Pro running iOS 15.4.1. It was working before I installed a new “profile,” which I understand is technically referred to as an Access Point Name (APN).
I spent over three hours with at least six different customer service representatives from PPC trying to get back access to cellular data, including various combinations of:
Turning off/on AirPlane Mode, WiFi, and Cellular
Power cycling the iPhone
Reseating the SIM card
Resetting Network Settings on iPhone
Resetting network connection on PPC’s end
Deleting and reinstalling the APN from various sources, including ivzwentp.tracfone.com and texting “APN” to 611611
What else can I try to diagnose and fix my problem?
UPDATE: May 8, 2022 3:22 AM
Problem Solved by Removing the “profile”:
Settings → General → VPN & Device Management < tap profile and follow prompts to remove it >
I was told that on 5G-capable iPhones like mine, the profile must be removed (whereas it is required for LTE and lower devices). I was also told that a Software Update will automatically remove the profile if one is present.
Yesterday I mistakenly installed profile tracfone.vzwentp from http://ivzwentp.tracfone.com and apparently the mere presence of a profile, not the version of the profile, is what killed my cellular data access. I went through half a dozen customer service people last night and none tried removing the profile, they all tried to install a fresh one. All three tonight also tried to install a fresh one; finally the third one tried removing it: Voilà!
You have tried everything I can think of!
It sounds like a buggy APN update so maybe try to contact the service provider or find a user forum. The dilemma is that you likely need data in order to override the update.
I might consider contacting Verizon directly; perhaps they have some kind of MVNO support group. 800 922 0204 is what works best for me, if not using 611 from my VZW post-paid account.
I don’t think that it was a new, buggy APN that I downloaded and installed. I saw an old text in Messages from 2016 and didn’t realize that it was old until I’d already installed the APN that download.
I don’t know where to find an vintage APN repository with effective dates. I have no idea when the PPC APN has changed or how to tell which download is more current than another.
But I’m thinking that 611611 would have installed the current version.
I’m just so blind on all this. I don’t even know if PPC’s APN is the same as Verizon’s!
I use iMazing to do daily, incremental backups. I just now realize that perhaps I can restore just the old cellular settings.
I spent hours doing so yesterday and got nowhere. I’d like to try another resource.
I posted a question on the PPC forum at Howard Forums. Can you suggest another place to post, please?
I don’t understand what you mean. I use WiFi to download APNs from the internet. Why do I need cellular data to fix my cellular data problem?
