topic Re: Weird APN problem, old international settings keep coming back in Apple

Weird APN problem, old international settings keep coming back

Anonymous — Mon, 03 Feb 2014 12:46:03 GMT

This is on behalf of my Mum, who is slowly going mad with this. Sequence of events is as follows...

2011 Mum (who was living in Italy at the time) wins an iPhone 4S in a competion

2011 Mum goes to vodafone.it who give her a contract sim, this works fine.

2012 Mum returns to the UK, but can't get a contract for three months so doesnt use phone for a while.

2013 (Feb or thereabouts), Mum gets an O2 contract Sim to go in her iPhone 4S, all works ok (its possible she had problems during this time but didnt notice)

2013 (Dec) Mum gets a new iPhone 5s on contract with O2, restores backup from the 4S

Dec - Today: iPhone 5S, which was bought from O2 in the UK and has always had an O2 sim in it, keeps reverting it's APN settings to Vodafone.it ?!?

Presumably something, somewhere in the backup file still has some sort of registration to Vodafone Italy, but how do I get rid of it? The only answer I've seen proposed is to wipe the phone and start again without a backup, but that's loads of work to then re-load all her apps, media, settings, etc. Surely there must be some way to stop it doing this when it's an O2 locked phone with an O2 sim on an O2 contract?

Re: Weird APN problem, old international settings keep coming back

adamtemp64 — Mon, 03 Feb 2014 12:50:47 GMT

That is a very strange one I have not encoutered.

The apns are in the carrirer settings what is showing under settings > general> about?

These should change as soon as an o2 sim is inserted.

Re: Weird APN problem, old international settings keep coming back

Anonymous — Mon, 03 Feb 2014 12:51:05 GMT

Hi,

Are their any pending carrier updates to finish downloading.

Settings > general > about.

You can restore the iOS via iTunes and then restore the data via a backup from itunes or iCloud, dependant on wether you have iCloud activated etc.

Or go into settings > general > reset > erase all content and settings and then set it up as a new device.

Re: Weird APN problem, old international settings keep coming back

Anonymous — Mon, 03 Feb 2014 12:57:49 GMT

The correct O2 settings have been put in repeatedly, both by hand and by triggering an auto update from O2. After this it will work fine for a varying period of time, sometimes days, other times weeks.

But sooner or later my Mum notices that her roaming data has stopped working, and when she checks in the mobile data settings it's reverted back to the Vodafone.it settings.

I can certainly try a re-load, but since the problem has already been copied over from a previous phone (this handset has never had any sim in it other than O2), I suspect the issue is somewhere in the backup file. I can't imagine any other vector for the settings to have got to this handset?

The next step of just starting again from scratch is what I'm trying to avoid if at all possible.

Re: Weird APN problem, old international settings keep coming back

Anonymous — Mon, 03 Feb 2014 13:02:19 GMT

Help link : http://community.o2.co.uk/t5/Apple-iOS-Devices-iPhone-iPad/Connecting-iPhone-to-Data-Services/m-p/544210#U544210

Try texting ACTIVE to 2020, save the returned settings and re boot the iPhone.

Re: Weird APN problem, old international settings keep coming back

adamtemp64 — Mon, 03 Feb 2014 13:02:47 GMT

Roaming data is outside of the uk?

You could try once correct details are in the iphone and confirmed working that all previous backups are deleted from the pc, reboot the pc and let it do a fresh backup of correct settings.

Re: Weird APN problem, old international settings keep coming back

Anonymous — Mon, 03 Feb 2014 13:04:21 GMT

I'm pretty sure I've used the text method to download the APN settings before, but I'll give it another go.

When I said roaming data I meant mobile data, sorry my bad.

Re: Weird APN problem, old international settings keep coming back

Anonymous — Mon, 03 Feb 2014 13:09:25 GMT

I cannot see that carrier settings are stored in a back up !

http://support.apple.com/kb/PH12519?viewlocale=en_US

Edit it may be that an iTunes back up does.

See apple link : http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4946

Network settings (saved Wi-Fi hotspots, VPN settings, network preferences)

Re: Weird APN problem, old international settings keep coming back

Anonymous — Mon, 03 Feb 2014 13:11:09 GMT

I agree, and it doesnt really make sense for them to be there, but I can't see any other way the settings could get from one phone to the other! Unless they are somehow attached to the iTunes account, but that seems even less likely!

The Italian sim has never been in this phone, indeed we threw it away a year before the handset was even released by Apple!

Re: Weird APN problem, old international settings keep coming back

Anonymous — Mon, 03 Feb 2014 13:12:43 GMT

Hmm, these days she uses an iClound backup, but I'm pretty sure she was on an iTunes backup when she got the phone originally, so that's maybe how it got there.

Maybe wiping the phone and starting again with the iCloud backup might clear it then.

Re: Weird APN problem, old international settings keep coming back

adamtemp64 — Mon, 03 Feb 2014 13:13:00 GMT

see what you can find on pc using this http://beaugil.es/2012/10/ios-carrier-bundles-demystified/ article if one listed for voda it you can deleteit and see if that helps

Itunes on pc backs up a lot more info than icloud http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4946

Re: Weird APN problem, old international settings keep coming back

Anonymous — Mon, 03 Feb 2014 13:13:45 GMT

I'm wondering if it may be worth booking an appointment with your local apple store genius bar or give them a bell on the support line found on their website. They also have a live chat facility.

http://www.apple.com/uk/retail/geniusbar/

Re: Weird APN problem, old international settings keep coming back

Anonymous — Mon, 03 Feb 2014 13:20:40 GMT

I've been thinking of doing the Genius bar route, but trying to coordinate my time with my Mums time, and the problem being visible is prooving a challenge!

Given what's been said about PC backups, I think I'll try a wipe and restore from iCloud and see if that strips out whatever it is. If not, a genius bar is probably the best way forwards.

Thanks for the pointers, I'll be sure to update with further info.

Re: Weird APN problem, old international settings keep coming back

Anonymous — Mon, 03 Feb 2014 13:22:51 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
I've been thinking of doing the Genius bar route, but trying to coordinate my time with my Mums time, and the problem being visible is prooving a challenge!

Given what's been said about PC backups, I think I'll try a wipe and restore from iCloud and see if that strips out whatever it is. If not, a genius bar is probably the best way forwards.

Thanks for the pointers, I'll be sure to update with further info.

You're very welcome.

I look forward to your update.

Luck.

Re: Weird APN problem, old international settings keep coming back

Anonymous — Mon, 03 Feb 2014 19:10:48 GMT

Just by the by, texting ACTIVE to 2020 doesnt seem to do anything.

Re: Weird APN problem, old international settings keep coming back

Anonymous — Mon, 03 Feb 2014 19:20:47 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
Just by the by, texting ACTIVE to 2020 doesnt seem to do anything.

Ive just tried and get a return message with set up info.

Re: Weird APN problem, old international settings keep coming back

MMMxxx — Sat, 24 Dec 2022 18:57:35 GMT

I have found the solution!

Re: Weird APN problem, old international settings keep coming back

MMMxxx — Sat, 24 Dec 2022 19:06:39 GMT

I recently switched from Vodafone to O2 in the UK. My mobile data worked fine in the UK. But it wasn’t working at all when I went to a Europe Zone country (even though data roaming is included in my Pay As You Go plan).

I went into the Mobile Data Network menu in Settings and noticed that my Mobile Data APN, Username and Password were from Vodafone. I tried inputting O2’s APN details manually based on what I found online (tried O2’s idata, payandgo and mobile usernames) but it didn’t work. I then tried tapping Reset Settings on this menu but it resets to Vodafone’s details.

I then remembered that Vodafone sent me a network configuration profile when I was with them. So I went into Settings > General > VPN & Device Management and deleted the Vodafone profile. After this, tapping on Reset Settings in the Settings > Mobile Data > Mobile Data Network menu resets to O2’s details! Then I restarted my phone and data roaming worked!

Re: Weird APN problem, old international settings keep coming back

pgn — Sat, 24 Dec 2022 21:51:52 GMT

@MMMxxx wrote:
I recently switched from Vodafone to O2 in the UK. My mobile data worked fine in the UK. But it wasn’t working at all when I went to a Europe Zone country (even though data roaming is included in my Pay As You Go plan).

I went into the Mobile Data Network menu in Settings and noticed that my Mobile Data APN, Username and Password were from Vodafone. I tried inputting O2’s APN details manually based on what I found online (tried O2’s idata, payandgo and mobile usernames) but it didn’t work. I then tried tapping Reset Settings on this menu but it resets to Vodafone’s details.

I then remembered that Vodafone sent me a network configuration profile when I was with them. So I went into Settings > General > VPN & Device Management and deleted the Vodafone profile. After this, tapping on Reset Settings in the Settings > Mobile Data > Mobile Data Network menu resets to O2’s details! Then I restarted my phone and data roaming worked!

Superb info, @MMMxxx - worthy of being added into this troubleshooting guide, as so many are having issue with what should happen automatically once they touchdown in one of the O2 Europe Zone countries! Manually-deleting the previous provider's network settings profile on the phone, thus allowing O2's settings to be activated - brilliant!