Two of Apple’s iPhones held the number one and two spots for the most popular phones in the world in 2019.
When you add in the fact that 82% of American teenagers own an iPhone, it’s fair to say that the iPhone is here to stay.
We’ve come to rely on our smartphones so much that it can be really frustrating when they aren’t functioning properly.
One of the most common problems is when your iPhone won’t connect to WiFi. Here are five things to try if you ever find yourself in this situation.
1. Reboot Your iPhone
One of the first things you can try if your WiFi won’t connect to your phone is to perform a soft reset, or in other words, reboot your phone. It’s entirely possible that your iPhone is just experiencing a temporary issue that could be affecting its wireless functions.
Rebooting your phone can help because it dumps junk files that can include corrupt network data that are stored along with other network caches.
Once you’ve turned your phone off and then on again, go to the Settings and then WiFi and give connecting to your WiFi another shot. If you’re still having WiFi connection problems, you can move onto the next solution.
2. Turn the WiFi off and Then on Again
If you’re WiFi won’t work on the iPhone, and turning the phone off and then on again didn’t help, you can try toggling the WiFi off and then on again. This can refresh the wireless functions of your phone.
In order to do this, you’ll want to go to your phone’s Settings. Select WiFi and then turn the WiFi off.
Reboot your iPhone, and when it’s back on you’ll return to the Settings menu. Click on WiFi and toggle the switch to turn it back on.
Now that your WiFi is enabled again, see if you can connect your phone to the WiFi. You’ll likely have to reenter the network password if the network is secured, so make sure that you’re entering the correct password.
3. Check the Router
It’s possible that your iPhone not connecting to WiFi is not an issue with your phone at all, but with your specific network. If you’ve noticed that your phone will connect to some networks but not a certain network, you should take a look at the router.
If the router is yours to mess around with, you might want to unplug it and plug it back in and see if that fixes the problem. If that still doesn’t work, head into the router’s settings to reboot or resit it.
Routers differ by their manufacturers, so you’ll want to look up your specific manufacturer to learn how to reboot your router in the settings.
4. Delete Saved WiFi Networks
WiFi connection problems could result from corrupt WiFi networks being stored on your phone. To eliminate this as a possible cause, you’ll want to “forget” or delete all of the saved WiFi networks, including the network you’re trying to connect to.
You can do this by going to the WiFi section of the Settings screen again. You’ll want to make sure that the WiFi is turned on so that you can see all of the available networks.
Next to the name of the WiFi network you want to forget, tap the information (i) icon. Do this for all of the saved WiFi networks.
Now, reboot your iPhone. Once your phone is back on, go into the WiFi section of Settings once more to turn the WiFi back on. Click on the network that you want to connect to, and select Join or Connect.
You’re now reconnecting to the network as if you’ve never connected to it before. You’ll need the password if it’s a secured network.
5. Restore Your iPhone to Factory Settings
This is your last resort method, but if all other avenues have been exhausted you might have to restore your iPhone to its factory defaults.
Before doing this, you should also try a few more things:
- Toggle airplane mode on and off
- Update the carrier settings
- Reset network settings
- Make sure your operating system has the latest updates
- Update the router firmware
- Disable any VPN you’re using
- Disable WiFi networking services
- Set a Custom DNS
- Try using WiFi assist
If none of these or the previous four solutions work, you might have to start from scratch. Luckily, you’ll be able to back up your data so all is not lost.
Restoring your iPhone to the factory settings means that absolutely everything will be wiped off your phone including customized settings, contacts, downloads, photos, and personal information. This is why you’d definitely want to back up your files before restoring your phone. Since you aren’t able to connect to WiFi, you’ll want to use iTunes to backup your phone.
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iPhone Won’t Connect to WiFi: One of the Most Common iPhone Problems
We rely on our phones so much every day that having them malfunction can be disastrous. One of the most common problems is that an iPhone won’t connect to WiFi, which can be a real issue if you were depending on it for internet access. Luckily, this is often something that can be fixed easily if you know a handful of simple tricks.
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