Wepairs expert tip
iPhone won’t connect to home Wi-Fi
Asked at the counter: “My iPhone won’t connect to my home Wi-Fi any more. Every other device is fine. Is the Wi-Fi chip broken?”
Wi-Fi hardware faults are rare. Try this first.
1 reply
A Wi-Fi fault that affects one network but not others is almost always a settings problem, not the phone.
Free, one-minute checks
- Is Wi-Fi actually on? Open Control Centre and check the Wi-Fi symbol is highlighted, and that Aeroplane Mode is off.
- Move next to the router. Apple’s first check is simply that the router is on and you are in range.
- Does the phone see any networks at all? If it sees none anywhere, that is a different problem from failing on one network.
Simple things to try at home
- Restart the router and, if you have one, the cable or fibre modem, by unplugging them and plugging them back in. Wait a couple of minutes.
- Restart the iPhone.
- Forget the network (Settings, Wi-Fi, tap the i next to the network, Forget This Network) and join again with the password typed carefully.
- Try the phone on another Wi-Fi network, or a friend’s hotspot. If it connects there, your router or its settings are the cause.
Settings reset (read this first)
Apple’s next step is Settings, General, Transfer or Reset iPhone, Reset, Reset Network Settings. WARNING: this removes every saved Wi-Fi network and password, your mobile data settings, and any VPN and APN settings. It does not touch photos, messages, apps or accounts, but you will need to re-enter Wi-Fi passwords afterwards. Do it only after the steps above.
When it probably needs a repair business
- The Wi-Fi switch is greyed out and cannot be turned on, or the phone sees no networks anywhere, including next to a router that other phones see.
- Wi-Fi drops only when the phone is warm, or after the phone has been wet or dropped.
Those can be a hardware or antenna fault, and a business can test that quickly.
Sources checked: Apple Support (UK): If you can’t connect to Wi-Fi on your iPhone or iPad.