Unable to join network

Greetings, AymanSalem.

It appears that you're receiving a message when trying to connect your iPhone to a Wi-Fi network. It references a MAC address, and that you may need to turn off Private Wi-Fi address or modify your network settings. We understand how important it is for your iPhone to connect with the internet, and we're glad to help with this.

Recommended settings for Wi-Fi routers and access points - Apple Support -- These are the recommended setting for your router. If you don't manage your home Wi-Fi network, as the one who does or contact your ISP for help to use these recommended settings.

Use private Wi-Fi addresses in iOS 14, iPadOS 14, and watchOS 7 - Apple Support -- Sometimes it's not possible to immediate change your router settings. You can turn off private address for now. Once your router settings have been reset, we recommend using a private Wi-Fi address. At the top of this article, you'll find this information:

"To communicate with a Wi-Fi network, a device must identify itself to the network using a unique network address called a media access control (MAC) address. If the device always uses the same Wi-Fi MAC address across all networks, network operators and other network observers can more easily relate that address to the device's network activity and location over time. This allows a kind of user tracking or profiling, and it applies to all devices on all Wi-Fi networks."

Feel free to get back to us with any questions or problems you may have.

Take care.

Hello,

I also receive this error message when attempting to connect to certain networks, but it's only an issue with the iPhone XS Max. I tested the same networks on several other devices, and an iPhone 6 and iPhone 8 Plus both returned the same (or a very similar) error message at first, but both cases were immediately resolved by installing pending system updates. An iPhone X that was already up-to-date was able to connect without issue.

Installing all available updates, switching off "private wifi address," and restarting the iPhone XS Max had no effect, and no further network settings are available to modify (aside from notifications and ask-to-join settings, which were tested but also had no effect); the networks are local and not connected to the internet, are there system/network settings that I'm just not seeing which could help address this issue?

Thanks and Regards,

MH