iPhone Wi-Fi Woes? Get Back Online With These Simple Fixes

Get reconnected with these easy-to-follow tips for fixing your iPhone's Wi-Fi.

Sareena Dayaram Senior Editor

Sareena is a senior editor for CNET covering the mobile beat including device reviews. She is a seasoned multimedia journalist with more than a decade's worth of experience producing stories for television and digital publications across Asia's financial capitals including Singapore, Hong Kong, and Mumbai. Prior to CNET, Sareena worked at CNN as a news writer and Reuters as a producer.

Expertise Huawei, Oppo, smartphones, smartwatches Credentials

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Sareena Dayaram

Nov. 30, 2023 5:00 a.m. PT

2 min read

If you have ever had trouble connecting your iPhone to Wi-Fi or having it stay connected, then you know what a frustrating experience that can be. Even though the iPhone is packed with cutting edge technology, sometimes basic functions like connecting to Wi-Fi can be buggy.

There are a wide range of possible reasons your iPhone might not connect to Wi-Fi. You might simply be physically too far from the router. Or the router might not have assigned an address to your iPhone. Or there could be bigger issues such as a problem with the network itself.

Read more: Best iPhone of 2023

Many iPhone owners face this issue, and it can be a real nuisance at times. But don't worry, we've got you covered with some simple steps to get your iPhone back online. Here's a quick checklist to troubleshoot the issue. If one method doesn't solve your Wi-Fi woes, simply move on to the next point on this list.

Check your proximity. Make sure that your router is on and that you're within range.
Make sure that Wi-Fi is on. Check that there are no connectivity issues and that you can see your network by testing the network with another device.
Forget Wi-Fi network and reconnect. Go to Settings > Wi-Fi then tap the Wi-Fi network in question. Lastly, tap Forget Network. This will erase the Wi-Fi network's saved passwords. So make sure you note any passwords ahead of time.
Restart your iPhone. Sometimes it's easy to overlook restarting your iPhone which may solve the issue. To restart an iPhone X or newer, hold the side and volume buttons down until the power off slider appears. Slide it to turn off. Wait a minute and then power on your iPhone. If you're on an iPhone SE hold the power and home buttons down to get the same on screen slider for turning it off.
Check your cables and connections. Sometimes it's worth examining the hardware to make sure it is working correctly. Check to see that all cables are plugged in and that the router and modem are operating properly.

If none of the above steps manage to get you back online, it might be time to try a more drastic solution.

Reset your iPhone's network settings. This method is an old faithful fix. It's important to remember that resetting your network settings will erase any saved Wi-Fi passwords. Make sure to have them handy before proceeding with this method. Go to Settings > General >Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Network Settings.