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Repair information and guides for the iPhone 6 that was released on September 19, 2014. Model Numbers: A1549, A1586, and A1589

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Searching and no service

Hi

First, please don’t tell me to drop the phone. Impacts cause more problems eventually, and I want to repair the phone permanently.

My phone has had this problem for months now. The difference with mine compared to many which have fixes shown on here and YouTube is that dialling *#06# does show the IMEI and no IDs are missing in settings>about.

I can get it working by heating the logic board. It will then work for a few days each time until reverting back to ‘searching’.

The baseband IC has been reballed along with one of the amplifier ICs but again it works for a few days probably due to the heat used during repair, then goes back to searching.

I’ve replaced the dock connector and the antenna at the top of the phone which has four connectors on it. Few days later it’s back to searching.

Heat curing it implies a fractured solder ball or other bad connection, I suppose. Is it something anyone has come across before (with IMEI present, etc)?

I should mention that after the last time I got it working for a few days, it failed like this:

Directly after getting it working again, full signal and automatically connecting rapidly to known WiFi networks when I was within range, 4G was working well and fast.

Couple of days later, connecting to 4G but couldn’t get to websites or send iMessages or otherwise send or receive data, and I had to open settings>WiFi before it’d suddenly connect to a known network within range.

Couple of days after that, no 4G but showing normal signal connection.

Day after that not showing any signal at all, can only connect to WiFi by going to settings>WiFi. It doesn’t connect automatically most of the time. Phone is now an iPod.

None of the fixes shown on YouTube work. Is there an IC that needs reballing or might be internally damaged that I should look at?

Without a functional diagram of the logic board, I don’t know which ICs are involved in the cellular signal line so I don’t know where to start.

Help please! I need a working phone!

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If you want to continue to try and find a permanent fix, I would focus on the radio related IC's. First of all, today we know that reballing the BB is not sufficient, you have to jumper U1/V1 because those traces crack and will cause searching issues. The normal symptoms are lack of IMEI when dialing *#06# but I would still try this on your device.

Then I would reball the U_WTR_RF, U_WFR_RF and U_ASM_RF and see if that helps.

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I’ve finally gotten around to doing what you suggested above, except instead of reballing, I replaced the ICs you referred to.

3 days later, the phone returned to “searching”. Same as always after working on the logic board - a few days of a working phone,

The WiFi doesn’t automatically connect to a known network when the fault returns. Does that help narrow down the fault area? Is there a common IC which governs WiFi connections and cellular signal?

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Did you run the jumpers?

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At this point personally I would of given up on the phone and bought another one.

Just my two cents. You have exhausted all options. Hopefully IMEI isn't barred.

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IMEI isn’t barred or, as I’ve written above, heating the logic board wouldn’t resolve the problem for a few days. It is a logic board fault.

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Hi

I've the same issue. First I sonic cleaned in logic board in IPA and the phone worked normally for a few weeks, then the phone lost service again. I attempted a BB reflow which worked again for 3 weeks. Replaced the top antenna and charge port & reballed the BB with jumpers, now I have IMEI when dialling *#06# but no service. As Ben suggests it's probably run its course. Out of curiosity though James - and since fixing iPhones has been a bit of a hobby over the past few years - did you try to reball the radio IC's as Minho suggested?

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Hi,

I haven't yet but I do plan to and after the time has passed during which it would usually fail again, I'll post results on here.

Because I couldn't fix it originally, I bought a cheap second hand one from eBay end of last year which has also now developed a fault (screen backlight had stopped working) so that's currently on the bench while I await a replacement IC.

I'm back on my old iphone 4 which, despite working fine before all the newer models came out, is now impossibly slow to use despite setting up as a new phone with nothing on it. Apple does something to ensure old phones become painful to use. I'm writing this on I now, and it's painstaking.

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I’ve now replaced the ICs that Minho suggested. As usual, the phone worked for a few days before returning to constant “searching”.

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jamesqb2001 will be eternally grateful.
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