How to Fix it When Your iPhone Won't Connect to Wi-Fi

This article explains how to troubleshoot and get Wi-Fi working again on an iPhone.

Reasons Wi-Fi Isn't Working

When Wi-Fi isn't working, it could present itself as:

• There's an Airplane icon where the Wi-Fi icon used to be
• The Wi-Fi icon is just an outline
• The Wi-Fi keeps asking for a password
  

How to Fix iPhone Wi-Fi Problems

In most cases, you can fix an iPhone that won't connect to a Wi-Fi network after simple troubleshooting steps.

1. Check if Airplane Mode is on. If your iPhone is in Airplane Mode (maybe you accidentally left it that way after a recent trip), your Wi-Fi is disabled. Turn Airplane Mode to reenable Wi-Fi.

2. Make sure Wi-Fi is on. A good rule of tech support is to confirm whatever you're trying to fix is turned on. In this case, you may simply need to turn on Wi-Fi on your iPhone. Using Control Center to turn on Wi-Fi is easiest.

   A rare issue is when the iPhone's Wi-Fi option is grayed out. Luckily, there are several solutions you can try to fix grayed-out Wi-Fi.

3. The Wi-Fi network keeps asking for a password. This means the network you are connecting to is password protected and is asking you for credentials to log in. If you are home, ask someone if they've changed the password. If that isn't the case, make sure your iPhone is trying to connect to your password. Wi-Fi signals are getting stronger each year and maybe your iPhone is trying a different connection other than your own.

   You can also try disconnecting and reconnecting from the network. Scroll down to the section called How to Make the iPhone Forget Wi-Fi Networks in this article about Wi-Fi on the iPhone.

4. Restart your iPhone. Restarting your iPhone often solves its problems. If that doesn't work, you can force restart your iPhone as a last resort.

5. Reset iPhone network settings. If one of the Wi-Fi settings is corrupted, it could prevent you from connecting to Wi-Fi. Although this deletes some preferences, sometimes it's your only option.

6. Restart your Wi-Fi router. If everything else appears to be working, consider restarting your home Wi-Fi router.

7. Check for iOS updates. If there is an update, install it. That may solve your problem.

8. Restore your iPhone to factory settings. If you're still unable to connect to Wi-Fi, you may need to take a drastic measure: restoring your iPhone to its factory settings. This deletes everything from the iPhone and returns it to its original, out-of-the-box condition.

   Before you do this, be sure to back up all the data on your phone.

   When the reset is complete, you'll have a fresh iPhone. You can then either set it up as a new iPhone or restore from your backup. Restoring from backup is faster, but it could bring back the bug that prevented you from accessing Wi-Fi in the first place. 

9. Contact Apple for tech support. If none of the above fixes work, you might have a hardware problem, which is best diagnosed and repaired by Apple or an authorized Apple service provider. Search Apple's online support site if you still want to try to fix it yourself. Otherwise, take your iPhone to a local Apple Store; we recommend making an Apple Genius bar appointment.