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Fix Your iPhone's Bad Signal Strength with These 10 Tricks By Mike Peterson Most of the things you do on your iPhone probably rely on Wi-Fi. But a strong cellular reception is still essential for two of the bedrock features of a smartphone: phone calls and SMS text messages. Because of that, a poor cellular reception at home can wreak all kinds of havoc on your calls and texts. But there's no reason to settle for subpar service where you live. If you're experiencing dropped calls or unsent green texts, continue reading to learn ten things you can do to boost your cellular reception at home. 10. Perform a "Signal Refresh" Like with Wi-Fi, your iPhone is usually searching for a signal in the background. While this usually works fairly seamlessly, issues can arise that cause your device to get "stuck" searching for the nearest cellular tower. Like with most other problems, try a refresh. • The simplest way to do this is to enable Airplane Mode using the Control Center. • Once it's on for a few seconds, tap it again to disable it. Your iPhone should then connect to the nearest cell tower. • It may also be worth powering down your iPhone and then powering it back on. 9. Update Your Carrier Settings Apple's iOS updates aren't the only ones you should download on your iPhone. Your carrier will also periodically issue carrier settings updates for your iOS device — and you should install them to ensure the best performance. Updating your carrier settings works a bit differently than an iOS update. • First, make sure you have an internet connection, whether through Wi-Fi or cellular. • Then, go to Settings General About. If there's an update available, it should pop up here. If not, nothing will happen. • You can also check which version you have by going to Settings General About Carrier. 8. Try Wi-Fi Calling Once upon a time, Wi-Fi calling was fairly uncommon — even among the big four carriers in the U. S. These days, mos t iPhone users can access the feature, which uses your home Wi-Fi net work to make calls in a way similar to a VoIP option. It won't help for text messages, but at leas t your calls will be clearer. • We recommend contacting your carrier to see if you have Wi-Fi calling (or if it costs extra to add it to your plan). • If you do have it, you can find the option to enable it in Settings Cellular Wi-Fi Calling Make sure that you have a strong Wi-Fi signal at home or else it may not make much of a difference.