You will find below a number of methods to troubleshoot and fix the most common WiFi connectivity problems on iPhone. You can either try these methods one by one or jump to a particular method that you believe is going to help in your case.
iPhone Not Connecting to WiFi
Not being able to connect to WiFi network and other WiFi connectivity problems like slow connection, dropping of connections, repeated password prompts and others are being reported by iPhone users using both old and new models of iPhone.
Before trying out any of the methods as listed below, make sure that your Modem/Router is working fine and there is no problem with internet connection in your area.
Make Sure WiFi is Set to ON
It is quite possible that you may have accidentally disabled WiFi on your iPhone or someone with access to your iPhone may have done so.
1. From the Home screen of your iPhone, tap on Settings
2. On the Settings screen, tap on WiFi.
3. On the WiFi screen, make sure that WiFi is set to ON position and your WiFi Network is selected (See image below).
Restart Your iPhone
The process of simply restarting your iPhone might surprise you by fixing WiFi connectivity issues on your iPhone.
1. Press and hold the Power Button on your iPhone until you see the Slide to Power off button appearing on the screen of your iPhone (See image below).
2. Drag the Slider to the right to turn OFF your device.
Wait for the device to turn off completely, wait for a minute and then Restart your iPhone.
Turn OFF WiFi Assist
The WiFi Assist feature on your iPhone make it to switch automatically to Cellular Network, whenever there is a weak WiFi connection. However, turning OFF WiFi Assist has helped some users to fix the problem of iPhone Not Connecting to WiFi Network.
1. Tap on Settings
2. On the Settings Screen, tap on Cellular (See image below)
3. On the Cellular screen, scroll down to WiFi Assist and Turn it OFF by moving the Toggle to OFF Position (See image above)
Disable Bluetooth
Sometimes the Bluetooth option on your iPhone can interfere with WiFi connectivity. Follow the steps below to Turn OFF Bluetooth on your iPhone and see if this helps in your case.
1. Tap on Settings > Bluetooth and disable the option for Bluetooth (See image below)
Forget WiFi Network and Rejoin
Follow the steps below to make your iPhone forget the WiFi Network and then connect back to your WiFi Network again.
1. Tap on Settings > WiFi
2. On the WiFi screen, tap on the WiFi network that you are currently connected to.
3. On the next screen, tap on Forget This Network.
4. On the pop-up, tap on Forget. to confirm that you do want to forget the WiFi Network.
After forgetting WiFi Network, rejoin the WiFi Network by following these steps.
1. Tap on Settings > WiFi
2. On the WiFi Screen, tap on the WiFi Network that you want to connect your iPhone to (See image below).
3. On the next screen, enter the Password for your WiFi Network.
Disable Location Services For WiFi Network
Some users have resolved WiFi connectivity problems on their iPhone by disabling Location Services for WiFi network.
1. Tap on Settings > Privacy
2. On the Privacy screen, tap on Location Services
3. On the next screen, scroll down and tap on System Services and Disable WiFi Networking services from there.
4. On the system services screen, disable the option for WiFi Networking (See image below)
Note: These steps disable location services for WiFi networking, your WiFi functionality will not be affected.
Reset Network Settings
Many times WiFi connectivity problems can be resolved by Resetting Network Settings. This step clears the memory caches, DHCP settings and resets the Network Settings on your iPhone to its Factory Default Settings.
Before following these steps make sure that you note down your WiFi Network Name and Password as these will also get erased.
1. Tap on Settings > General.
2. On the next screen, scroll down to the bottom of the screen and tap on Reset.
3. On the Reset Screen, tap on Reset Network Settings.
4. Next, tap on Reset Network Settings again in the popup to confirm that you do want to Reset Network Settings on your iPhone.
After this, connect your iPhone to WiFi Network again and see if the problem of iPhone not connecting to WiFi is gone.
Switch to Google DNS
Network connectivity problems on iPhone can also be caused due to the DNS server of your Internet Service Provider being too busy or going through problems.
Follow the steps below to switch to Google DNS servers and see if you can notice better WiFi connectivity on your iPhone.
1. Tap on Settings > WiFi
2. On the WiFi screen, tap on your WiFi Network (See image below)
3. On the next screen, tap on the Numbers located next to DNS under DHCP tab (See image below)
4. Next, replace the existing DNS with 8.8.8.8, 8.8.4.4 using the onscreen keyboard of your iPhone (See image below).
5. Once you are done, Tap on WiFi to go back to main screen (See image above)
Note: Type 208.67.222.222, 208.67.222.220 in case you want to switch to OPEN DNS
If the WiFi Option is Grayed out on iPhone
Follow the steps below in case you notice that the WiFi option itself Grayed out on your iPhone. According to the guidelines on Apple’s website, the first step is to make sure that you have the latest version of iOS on your device. Once this is done follow the steps below.
1. Tap on Settings > General > Reset
2. On the Reset screen, tap on Reset Network Settings.
Note: Above steps will reset all Network settings on your iPhone, including Bluetooth pairing records, WiFi passwords, VPN, and APN settings.
See if this resolves the problem on your device. In case you are still seeing Grayed out WiFi Settings, your last option would be to reset the device to Factory Default Settings
Reset to Factory Default Settings
In case nothing works, you have no option but to Reset your iPhone to its factory default settings which should help you fix the problem of iPhone Not Connecting to WiFi Network : See How to Factory Reset iPhone.