If you've spent a few hundred dollars on a new iPhone 12, you'd hope you could at least keep the signal. However, some folks report that it just doesn't work.

At least 500 people have reported problems with the iPhone 12 unexpectedly dropping 5G and LTE signals. And as you can imagine, they are not happy about it.

It is unclear how widespread the problem is, but according to 9to5Mac, the issue dates back more than a month; Apple forum user joxesCA posted about the problem at the end of October, and the issue appears to stem from a switch in cell towers.

joxesCA was forced to switch Airplane mode on and off to restore connectivity and found that the problem continued to occur after switching from 5G auto to LTE. The problem occurred even after resetting the network settings, restoring the phone to factory settings, and reinstalling everything from scratch.

Reddit threads discussing the issue also confirm that this is not a carrier-specific issue, as Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T users have experienced this complaint firsthand. The fact that this problem generally seems to occur while traveling or driving suggests that the cell tower switching theory is correct.

"So this is probably not a Verizon issue, but something a little deeper. I first noticed this problem today, probably because of the tower handoff. I've also been trying to solve on my own why my Google location timeline wasn't working in Google Maps," explained Reddit user ender89.

"I noticed two things here: first, switching Airplane mode on and off reconnects me to the network. Second, location history works when switching Airplane mode on and off. Third, location history may stop functioning again, perhaps after one or two tower handoffs. Finally, cellular reception may continue while location history is not functioning (and the new Google Home feature for using the cellular phone as a "presence sensor" will not work). Upon switching to Airplane mode, the location history was immediately corrected.

Apple has said nothing official about the issue, but OP Professional_Title on Reddit posted that Apple's customer service would look into the issue. Shortly thereafter, their phones stopped randomly disconnecting, but the lack of a software update is "frustrating" because the issue - and its seemingly random nature - has yet to be explained.

The iPhone 12 cellular signal issue is hopefully a software problem that could be resolved with an update, but it is not clear when that will be. Ultimately, it is up to Apple to investigate and confirm the cause of the problem.

In the meantime, if you are having trouble with your iPhone 12 randomly disconnecting, try contacting both Apple and carrier support. The more people complain, the more pressure from the carriers, which may speed up the fix.

Until then, if you are having trouble with random disconnects, switching Airplane mode on and off should be a short-term solution. While not ideal, it is better than no service at all.