WiFi Speeds (iPhone 12 Pro Max)

Anyone can submit a report. Try this URL https://getsupport.apple.com and report the issue. You can also use the @applesupport on Twitter but Dansobolanu is correct, the more people who report this the quicker a fix can be pushed out.

I upgraded to 12 pro max from iPhone X in nov. I get about 150mbs where I used to get upwards of 450mbs over my Orbi mesh 5ghz network. And in fact running Speedtest from router is currrently 482mbs. But from phone consistently slow. Even rebooted router. The only reason I ran test was phone was started to pause on Flickr and act laggy over internet. So I restarted phone, same result with Speedtest app that used to be fast consistently on iPhone X. I retest later in week

I performed some parallel tests with other iphones in our household (the iphone 10XS for instance another user has) which "seems" to behave better than my new phone. Previously on my IphoneX the 400+MB/s i was seeing i realize now was before i "adjusted" my mesh network satellite positioning in the house (swapping locations of router/satellite). theoretically swapping the units in those rooms shouldnt have affected netgear ORBI R50 for just some devices. But it was interesting, I repeated AppleTV Ookla speedtest over same mesh wifi (in another room) getting repeatable better 400+Mbs speeds), so device/position does matter about the inconsistencies. However my 12 Pro Max I started to see sometimes 400+ Mbs so now i really thinks its hypersensitive to enviornment and I need to try adjusting my mesh network exactly back to locations as had it before to really do a true comparison. Btw, I was impressed by Apple Supports commitment to solving my issues, which is why I want to gather as much info as possible, I suspect/(dont know) if it only shows up in a very specific environment (e.g.. hyperfast cable/internet, with radio wifi) not cell. I don't have very good cell service here (so mobile speeds sub-10gb/s). At apples request I'm trying repeating test outside (e.g. McDonalds which clearly had DSL type sub 20Mbs speed) but it is challenging finding public fast wifi to repeat the issue under current circumstances.

WiFi Band Steering is the foundational technology for selecting the best WiFi band and channel. Client sends probes and Access Point answers with a channel assignment. If both bands are supported using a common SSID, Access Point steers Client to the 5 GHz band by not answering on the 2.4 GHz band. Client must continue to send probes after channel assignment in order to possibly be reassigned to a better channel as client moves around the WiFi coverage area. This is very important in Mesh WiFi networks where the coverage area may span multiple Access Points. My theory: some iPhone 12 Pro power save profiles eliminate or reduce continuous probes leaving the client stuck on a substandard channel.

I experienced this issue on a new iPhone 12 Pro Max. I returned the phone to Apple after working with support on multiple occasions with no resolution.

Just got this message from an Apple Support troubleshooting session...

"Thank you so much for waiting while I researched. I can confirm that our engineers are aware of this issue and it is currently under investigation. While I don't have an ETA on a fix just yet, rest assured they are aware and working to correct the matter right now. When the fix has been designed, it will be pushed to your device, most likely in a bug fix included in an iOS update. In the mean time, I will escalate your report to increase the matter's urgency. I apologize for the inconvenience and I appreciate your patience as we work to correct it." So, they're aware of the issue. Now we all just need to wait for an IOS fix.

No one posting in this thread works for Apple, and almost no one posting in the forum works for Apple except Community Specialists whose job is to answer posts that haven’t had a response in a day or two. I didn’t know you have 14.3, but when 14.x comes out if you don’t update your phone you won’t fix bugs in 14.3 (and there are some, like slow Wi-Fi) and it won’t fix newly discovered vulnerabilities. But that’s your choice.

But, as this thread has become a whine-fest with no additional useful contributions I’m leaving it.

I’ve not seen any relationship to slow speed and Bluetooth off. It’s still slower than iPhone 11 at same locations however difference is greater at higher internet connection rates. I upgraded to gigabit cable and saw the tech get 700Bps on his test equip direct connected. With iPhone 11 500 MB’s or more but 12 pro max usually half. 250-400 rarely at top end

You are correct. There is some inconsistencies. I personally think this is iOS 14 problem. In general ios 14 has a lot of problems.

What I have noticed in my situation, iPhone 12 Pro Max has a problem to connect to stronger signal(closest mesh router(wired)).

The WiFi issue is broadly spread to all new software for Apple TV and iPad OS as well.

iPhone 12 can switch back to 4G LTE from 5G.

Go to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options > Voice & Data > Select LTE

I have the iPhone 12 Pro Max and I tried it and works like any other iPhone, I downloaded an app and downloaded in seconds. iPhone was not even ready for 5G network. It was very successful for me.

Please note that this not just an issue with the iPhone 12 Max but possibly all iPhone 12’s. I upgraded to my iPhone 12 from my iPhone 7 back in late October 2020. I’m currently running iOS 14.3. I also have an iPad Air 2 (vintage 2016) running on iOS 14.3. My WIFI router is a Netgear N300, WNR 2000 v3. I had no speed issues with my old iPhone nor my current iPad. However, my new iPhone WIFI speed is 100 to 200 times slower on “Download Speeds” than my iPad and older iPhone. And no, the 100 / 200 values are not a typo. My “Upload Speeds” are OK and are the same as my old iPhone and current iPad. I did reset my network connection and no difference was seen. Also note that my cellular speeds are not an issue, this is strictly a WIFI issue. I suspect that this is an Apple issue and hope that they address and solve it soon.

Well at least it’s not just me. We pay for 1Gb service and consistently get >700 mbps speeds across our WiFi on all devices. I got the 12 Pro Max for Christmas and the speeds have been horrible - never more than 40 mbps. My husband has the 12 Pro and he is getting 400+ consistently. The X and XS Max get the higher speeds as well with no changes to any device settings. Every time I go outside I also have to restart my 12 Max because internet hangs - it seems to have major issues switching from 4G to 5G. So disappointed in the speed and dropped connections on this 12 Max. It’s definitely the device because everything else we have works just fine.

No I am not on a VPN and I am connected to the 5 GHz band. Two other devices: an XS Max and a 12 Pro are sitting 2 feet away, have the same configuration (that I verified are identical), they are connected to the same router, and test at triple the speed of the 12 Max.

Appreciate the questions. I’m going to open a ticket with support and that probably won’t solve much but there is definitely something going on with the phone - not the network.

My 12 Pro Max is consistently slower on WiFi than my 2020 IPhone SE.

I tested 4 other 12 Pro Maxes in Best Buy stores, and they were all consistently slower than my iPhone SE.

Hopefully Apple can fix this with an update.

I’m experiencing the exact same issue. A speed test this morning indicated speeds so bad, it took me back to the dial-up days of 56K.

I’ve tried every single troubleshooting step that you can imagine:

-toggled airplane mode

-turned the phone off and on

-turned low data off and on

-reset network settings

-set phone up as new

-got a new router with wifi 6 capabilities (this made my fiber 1GB connection get 40mbps instead of dial up speeds as pictured.)

-tested all other devices including the 2020 iPhone SE which netted 700mbps (8 times faster than my speed.

-compared my 2020 iPad Pro 2020 and MacBook Air, along with the iPad Pro 2017 (they all received 500mbps or higher)

Everything is up to date on iOS 11.4 and on OS as well. It seems out of the many devices that I have on the network, only the iPhone 12 Pro Max has an issue.

It doesn't matter how many other devices you have, if private Wi-Fi addressing affects speed of traffic at all your network is, in fact, broken.

Private Wi-Fi addressing isn't some magical technique that Apple can "break" - all it does is specify a randomized network MAC address that is not identifiable as an Apple iPhone.

So for example, if you look at Settings -> General -> About and scroll down to "Wi-Fi Address" you will see an address that specifies your phone as your phone to networks. Once someone can associate that address with you, you can be tracked across networks.

Private Wi-Fi addressing simply randomizes that address for each new Wi-Fi network you connect to, so if someone knew you by one address from say the Wi-Fi at your local Starbucks, when you connected to the Wi-Fi at home no one could correlate the fact that your device had been used at Starbucks earlier in the day.

No network should have an issue with this unless your network specifically needs to know your phone is you (like many corporate networks and some home networks that have both regular and guest Wi-Fi networks based upon your registering your device with your router) or if it is making assumptions based upon the device vendor.

If shutting off Private Wi-Fi addresses speeds up things for you, something is changing how it acts because it knows your phone is an Apple iPhone.