Asked at the counter: “My iPhone won’t connect to my home Wi-Fi any more.

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.