Apple Quietly Updates Carrier Settings on Verizon LTE iPad, May Requires iTunes to Update

Apple has quietly issued a carrier settings update for Verizon Wireless variants of the latest iPad. Apple has not made any announcement related to the update, and there is no information as to what the carrier settings update was intended to fix.

The Verizon LTE iPad has not been free from problems, users have reported to PhoneNews.com, and we can confirm, 3G service dropouts that are sporadic in nature. The only resolution PhoneNews.com has been able to reliably use is to Reset Network Settings in Settings > General > Reset, and wait 30 to 60 minutes after. There does not appear to be any series of events that will cause the data loss to occur, and even the return of data services is sporadic in nature. One consistent in the data loss issue appears to be that it is limited to 3G, and not 4G LTE service.

Another issue Verizon iPad users have encountered, is with the Personal Hotspot service. The service refuses to activate if there is a known/recent hotspot in range. Users must tell the iPad to forget all known networks within range, before the Personal Hotspot network will appear. This is an issue especially with travelers who connect to public SSIDs, such as “attwifi” that repeat at many locations, but may not always be reliable for Internet use.

While some users have reported getting a prompt on their iPad to download the update, the only reliable method of detecting the update thus far has been to connect the iPad to iTunes on a Mac or Windows PC. The update will appear even if the iPad is not set to sync with the particular computer. A reboot may be required for the settings to take effect.

Both Apple and Verizon Wireless were contacted for an official statement regarding this development. An update will be posted if we receive a response.

PhoneNews.com can confirm that the update does not affect customers ability to use Smartphone Unlimited Data LTE SIM cards on iPad, including with the Personal Hotspot feature. Verizon Wireless exclusively confirmed to PhoneNews.com that the use of unlimited, grandfathered smartphone data plans on iPad was officially permitted, as well as on other LTE tablets, laptops, and portable hotspots.

Update: Verizon Wireless responded to our request, declining to comment on our report.