iPhone Won’t Auto-Connect to WiFi – How to Fix

If you’ve had it with Wi-Fi problems on your iPhone, don’t be alarmed because you’re not the only one having connectivity issues. More and more iPhone users have reported that their device won’t connect to a Wi-Fi network, while some users can connect, but the bandwidth keeps dropping all the time.

An overheated Wi-Fi chip can cause the issue, but there’s an entire list of other suspects that could block your iPhone from connecting. Read on, and we’ll give you some tips and tricks that might help you fix your problem.

The Cause

A wide variety of factors causes Wi-Fi connection problems. Some are simple and easy to fix, like being too far from the router, having Airplane mode turned on, or having a weak signal. However, the issue can be caused by something else like a software bug or problems with the router or modem. Your iPhone’s antenna is often the reason too, so you’ll have to narrow down the list of possible culprits before you can fix the issue.

Fixing Your Wi-Fi Connection

Since there are a lot of possible reasons why your iPhone won’t auto-connect to a Wi-Fi network, we will go over a list of potential fixes that could help you get things running again. Try the methods as they are listed until you find one that fixes your problem.

Restart the Wi-Fi Connection on Your Phone

Naturally, the first thing you should try is restarting your Wi-Fi connection.

1. Turn your Wi-Fi off and on in the Settings app or the slide down menu. Make sure to wait for a few seconds before you turn it back on.

The connection issue could be caused by something as simple as a Wi-Fi IP conflict. Restarting the connection should fix it.

Turn Bluetooth Off

Sometimes, your Bluetooth can be the reason why you can’t connect to a Wi-Fi network. The two features might come into conflict with each other, which could prevent you from connecting to a Wi-Fi network. You should turn Bluetooth off and try connecting then.

1. Use the settings in the slide down menu or the Settings app and toggle it off.

Check if Airplane Mode is Turned On

Many people forget that they turned Airplane mode on when they can’t connect to a Wi-Fi network. When Airplane mode is turned on, your device is unable to connect to any network, including Wi-Fi. You could turn the mode on accidentally, too.

Toggling off Airplane mode should fix the problem immediately.

1. Just go to Settings and turn Airplane mode off, then try connecting to your Wi-Fi network.

Wi-Fi Assist

The Wi-Fi assist feature has been available since the iOS 9 update and is supposed to provide you with a stable internet connection automatically. However, if your Wi-Fi is too slow or if you have poor signal, the issue might be caused by the Wi-Fi Assist feature because it will switch to your cellular internet automatically in such cases. Try turning the feature off completely, and your problem could be fixed.

1. Go to Settings, and then Cellular.
2. Scroll down until you see the Wi-Fi Assist feature and turn it off.

Restart Your Device

If nothing above helped you to regain a stable Wi-Fi connection, try restarting your iPhone to see if that fixes the issue. Turn the phone off completely and then wait for about 30 seconds before you turn it back on. It’s a straightforward method but one that often gets the job done, even when you don’t expect it to.

Restart Your Modem

If you already tried restarting your iPhone and the Wi-Fi connection, the problem could be on the other end of the connection. Restart your router and modem to see if that fixes things. You can either unplug it entirely or just turn in off for about 30 seconds before you turn it back on.

Some users can’t connect to their home Wi-Fi but have no issues when trying to connect to any other network. If that’s the case, a simple restart of the internet connection should make things work again.

Turn Off Location Services

It seems that this method has helped quite a lot of iPhone users. Turning the location services for WiFi off seems to get things running in no time. Here’s what you have to do:

1. Go to Settings and tap the Privacy tab.
2. Select Location Services.
3. Tap System Services.
4. Turn Wi-Fi networking off.

Forget a Saved Wi-Fi Network

In some rare cases, if the methods listed above still don’t work, try forgetting the saved WiFi network from your phone’s settings, and reconnect again. Do it like this:

1. Open up Settings on your iPhone and then select Wi-Fi.
2. Tap the info button.
3. Select Forget this network.
4. Connect to the same network again.

Reset Network Settings

By now, you are running out of options, so there are only a few more things to try. If you still can’t get a stable connection, you should try resetting the network settings on your iPhone. That means that you’ll lose all of your Wi-Fi networks and passwords, including cellular settings, as well as APN and VPN settings. However, it should fix things for good. Here’s what you have to do:

1. To start, go to Settings on your iPhone.
2. Within the Settings menu, tap on General.
3. For iOS 14 and earlier, select Reset and then Reset Network Settings. For iOS 15 and later, select Transfer or Reset > Reset > Reset Network Settings.
4. Enter your safety password.
5. Tap Reset and confirm your choice.

Update Your Software

Software bugs can often cause all kinds of issues with many features, including Wi-Fi connections. Make sure that your iPhone is running the latest iOS and update all the software you have installed. If that doesn’t fix the issue, the only thing you can try is resetting your phone to factory settings. Use that method only as a last resort if nothing else helps. Before you do, remember to back up your data, as it will be permanently gone once the process is done.

Connect with the Rest of the World

There are a lot of different factors that can cause Wi-Fi connectivity issues on your iPhone, and we did our best to give you all the possible fixes. However, if the problem is prevalent and you can’t figure out what the cause is, you should take your phone to the nearest iPhone service shop and see if they can fix it for you.

Have you ever had a similar issue with your iPhone? If so, which of these methods worked for you? Did the issue reappear in the future? Tell us about your experiences with Wi-Fi connectivity problems on your iPhone in the comments section below.