Mobile carriers will regularly push updates to your iPhone so you may have seen a message on your device which asks you to ‘update carrier settings’, many people, myself included have wondered what this update does and whether you should update it.
This article is designed to help us understand the purpose of this update on our iPhones and devices and it will show you how to update the carrier settings on your iPhone. It is also designed to explain why we should update to the latest version of this software from your mobile carrier.
Why should I update the carrier settings?
The message is pushed to your iPhone usually by your mobile phone provider, companies like Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T in the USA, and Vodafone, O2, EE, and others in the UK. This update is designed to give you improved connectivity to your mobile carrier to improve calls, data, and more when you are using your device. Sometimes if you are experiencing connectivity issues on your device, installing this update can fix the issue.
It is always recommended that you install the latest carrier settings update on your device as it comes with the latest software to enable you to get the best connectivity to your mobile provider. Just like Apple pushing out regular updates, mobile carriers do as well to improve network connectivity for customers.
Can I manually install carrier settings on my iPhone?
At the moment there is no specific way to install this update on your iPhone, although there is a way to check if one is available and prompt it to be delivered to your device. To do this you need to go to Settings > General > About on your iPhone, wait about 10 to 20 seconds and if the update is available it will be pushed to your device.
You will then see the message ‘Carrier Settings Update’, New settings are available for your device, would you like to update them. You are given two choices, Not Now and Update. If you press Not Now then you will be promoted in the future to install the update. If you click ‘update’ the update will be installed on your device.
How can I check I have the latest carrier settings on my device?
One way to do this is by restarting your iPhone, updates are usually pushed to your device after a restart. This can be done by turning your iPhone off and then back on again.
You then need to wait about 25 seconds for your device to boot up etc, once this is done go to Settings > General > About, if there is an update available it will appear on your device. If no update appears then you are on the latest version of the carrier settings. That’s it, pretty simple and easy to check if you have the latest version of your network provider’s settings on your iPhone.
We hope this handy guide explains what a carrier settings update is and why you should iPhone your carrier settings on your device. If you have any questions about this guide, please leave a comment below. You can find out more details about updating the carrier settings on your iPhone over at Apple’s website.
Image Credit: James Yarema
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