I bought an iPhone 17 Pro Max with Verizon service in January, and almost immediately started having call problems at home. Outgoing calls often show "Call Failure" and require two or three attempts before connecting. I've also discovered that some incoming calls never appear in my missed-call history, even though the caller says they reached voicemail. This is becoming a serious problem because I work in sales and can't reliably miss calls without knowing it.
Verizon has already had me reset my network settings, change to the Unlimited Ultimate plan, and replace the phone under warranty, but none of that helped. At home, the phone usually shows two bars of 5G UW. Verizon's map says the area has 5G coverage, although it's rural and close to areas served by 4G LTE. The field test menu shows an RSRP around -112 dBm. My husband has the same phone and carrier, and his calls generally work, though most are from nearby callers.
Could the weak signal or the type and distance of the caller be causing this? Would Wi-Fi Calling, a better home Wi-Fi setup, or a cellular signal booster such as a WeBoost be worth trying?
4 Answers
Try enabling Wi-Fi Calling and test it for a few days with cellular service turned off temporarily. If calls work reliably over Wi-Fi, that strongly suggests the indoor cellular signal is the problem. Improving Wi-Fi coverage around the house can help, but Wi-Fi extenders won’t improve the Verizon signal itself; they only make Wi-Fi Calling usable in more rooms.
If calls are consistently reliable over Wi-Fi Calling but fail on cellular, Verizon needs to address the network coverage rather than keep replacing phones or changing your plan. Ask specifically about a carrier-supported signal booster or network review for your location. A third-party booster can help in some homes, but it needs a usable outdoor signal and should be properly approved and installed.
The caller being farther away normally shouldn’t determine whether your phone rings. The important part is the connection between your phone and the nearby cell site, plus how Verizon routes the call. Also make sure voicemail is fully activated and that features such as call forwarding, Do Not Disturb, spam filtering, and unknown-caller silencing aren’t interfering with incoming calls. Keep a dated record of failed and missing calls so Verizon can escalate the issue with specific examples.
An RSRP around -112 dBm is a fairly weak cellular signal, regardless of how many bars the phone displays. Rural terrain, walls, trees, and building materials can make the indoor signal worse. Since you’ve already replaced the phone and reset the network settings, this points more toward coverage or Verizon’s local network than a defective handset. Ask Verizon to investigate the coverage and call failures at your address and whether they can provide or recommend an approved indoor signal solution.
That makes sense. I’ll test Wi-Fi Calling separately and start documenting the exact times of the missed calls before contacting Verizon again.