wendywheyjean

Q: unable to search for wifi to connect to

I have an iPhone 6 and at different locations I am constantly unable to search for any possible WiFis to connect to. Other devices are able to search for WiFis in the same region as I am at but it's only my iPhone that doesn't show the results. I have reseted my network settings, constantly turning off my iPhone, restarting my iPhone  (pressing the home and lock button at the same time) and it works for a couple of minutes but then fails again. I don't know if this is the case, but it all started when I updated the new software.

iPhone 6, iOS 9.3.2

Posted on Jun 29, 2016 12:06 AM

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Q: unable to search for wifi to connect to

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  • by irina_w,

    irina_w irina_w Jun 29, 2016 1:33 PM in response to wendywheyjean
    Community Specialists
    Jun 29, 2016 1:33 PM in response to wendywheyjean

    Hi there wendywheyjean,

     

    I'm happy to help you with your iPhone being unable to connect to Wi-Fi networks at the Apple Support Community.  I know being able to connect to Wi-Fi wherever you go can save a lot of cellular data, so I'll do everything I can to help you resolve this.  

     

    First let's check to see that we're following the recommended instructions for connecting to a Wi-Fi network:

    Connect to Wi-Fi

    Connect to Wi-Fi

    If the Wi-Fi icon appears at the top of the screen, you’re connected to a Wi-Fi network. iPhone reconnects anytime you return to the same location.

    Configure Wi-Fi. Go to Settings > Wi-Fi, then turn Wi-Fi on or off. (You can also turn Wi-Fi the Wi-Fi icon on or off in Control Center.)

    • Choose a network: Tap one of the listed networks, then enter the password, if asked.

    • Ask to join networks: Turn on Ask to Join Networks to be notified when a Wi-Fi network is available. Otherwise, you must manually join a network when a previously used network isn’t available.

     

    If you've followed these steps and still are unable to connect to a Wi-Fi network, we can begin to troubleshoot.  I always recommend doing a backup of your iPhone prior to troubleshooting.  Since your iPhone is having difficulties connecting to Wi-Fi, we'll follow the instructions for backing up to iTunes.  

     

    How to back up your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch

     

    Here are the specific iTunes instructions:

     

    iTunes

     

    1. Open iTunes and connect your device to your computer. 
    2. If a message asks for your device passcode or to Trust This Computer, follow the onscreen steps. If you forgot your passcode, get help.
    3. Select your iPhone, iPad, or iPod when it appears in iTunes. If your device doesn't appear in iTunes, learn what to do.
    4. If you want to save Health and Activity data from your iOS device or Apple Watch, you need to encrypt your backup: Select the box called Encrypt [device] backup and create a memorable password.
      Write down your password and store it somewhere safe, because there's no way to recover your iTunes backups without this password.
      If you don't need to save your Health and Activity data, you can make a backup that isn't encrypted. Just click Back Up Now.
      Click Back Up Now or you can Encrypt your backup

    5. After the process ends, you can see if your backup finished successfully in iTunes Preferences > Devices. You should see the name of your device with the date and time that iTunes created the backup. If you encrypted your backup, you should also see   beside the name of your device.
      In iTunes, click Preferences, then choose Devices.

     

    I highlighted that you should write that password down for safekeeping.  

     

    Once you've backed up your iPhone, I'd like you to Erase and Restore your iPhone to factory settings.  

     

    Erase all content and settings on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Apple Watch

     

    To erase your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, tap Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings.

     

    Once your iPhone is erased, go ahead and set it up as new.  Do not restore from iCloud or from iTunes because we want to see if it's able to connect to Wi-Fi normally.  If it is, great!  Then we can connect your iPhone to your computer and use iTunes to restore from the backup.

     

    If it can't connect to Wi-Fi then we know the issue is related to hardware and you'll want to have your iPhone serviced.  

     

    Contact Apple Support

    Find Locations

    Get Help Now

     

    Restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch from a backup

     

    Restore your device from an iTunes backup

    1. Open iTunes on the Mac or PC that you used to back up your device.
    2. Connect your device to your computer with a USB cable. If a message asks for your device passcode or to Trust This Computer, follow the onscreen steps. If you forgot your passcode, get help.
    3. Select your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch when it appears in iTunes. If your device doesn't appear in iTunes, learn what to do.
      Select your iOS device in iTunes.
    4. Select Restore Backup in iTunes. If a message says that your iOS device's software is too old, learn what to do
    5. Look at the date and size of each backup and pick the most relevant.
    6. Click Restore and wait for the restore time to finish. If asked, enter the password for your encrypted backup.
      Choose a backup to restore from
    7. Keep your device connected after it restarts and wait for it to sync with your computer. You can disconnect after the sync finishes.

     

    After you restore your iPhone from the iTunes backup, test connecting to another Wi-Fi network.  If it has issues connecting to Wi-Fi then we'll want to go back, erase the iPhone, and not restore from the iTunes backup because there's something in the backup that's corrupt.

     

    Have a great day and hope this resolves your Wi-Fi.