iPhone keeps forgetting my wifi network

I have figured out a solution that worked for me:

1. Go to settings and choose forget network for the network(s) that repetitively request for password - you need to do so for all devices that use the same ID
2. Reconnect to the network but make sure to login to only one of the available frequency - 2.4 or 5gh. don't keep both saved
3. That's it

Same problem for about 1 month having never been a problem before similar to the other users, so it IS something that Apple has done. Both iPhone and iMac (but not iPad) "forget" the Wifi password most days. Tedious but not the end of the world.

One day there will be tech that works, and stays working........but not in my lifetime, and probably not before the sun expands and consumes the Earth.

Theres another thread on this in here with 6 pages of "me too" comments.

The problem seems to be an issue with iCloud keychain. It is supposed to keep saved wifi networks and passwords synced across all of your devices. But it's totally ******** the bed for some reason. I am constantly reconnecting all of my devices to wifi and typing long secure passwords. It's a huge pain in the ***. At least when it happens to my old phones or computers, I know right away. But when it happen to my primary iPhone, I don't realize for days because it just switched to cellular and i'm sucking down billable data instead of already paid for wifi.

Lawrence, yeah I know it's a user to user forum and I have contacted apple support but they want long conversations / sessions w/ low level technicians to 'confirm' the issue. I'm not doing that. Its a pain reentering wifi passwords but not as much as engaging apple support. Also, I suspect they have some ai looking at forums for hot topics / chronic issues so I'm hoping that if more people report this the more likely apple development is to take it seriously as a systemic problem w/ their software as opposed to user error.

It appears to be a very rare problem, so there’s a good chance it is localized to your devices or your router. I’ve only seen a few posts about it, compared with thousands about battery issues. In one case with had 13,000 posts and 2.5 million views about a battery issue 7 years ago.

Clearly it's an IOS issue, now across V15 and 16 - though my one (of 4) wifi network passwords is no longer lost IMMEDIATELY after entering it, sometimes I do see the ********** password indicator in the dialog for INFO, but eventually it will disappear (like right now). All my other networks (including a recent Hotel location) clearly show the ******** every time. A corrupted Keychain is my hunch. Not sure I want to go thru the factory reset process to try to fix this right now.

Clearly, if it was an iOS issue it would affect MILLIONS of users. It doesn’t. It affects a very small number of users, which means it is most likely a local problem, with the router, device settings, or the way the devices are used. My devices (all 6 of them) remember Wi-Fi settings from day to day, year to year, and some for over 10 years.

That is indeed the expected behavior, but I now have this problem as well. Across multiple routers in multiple locations that have had credentials that remained the same for weeks (some are routinely changed) to years (a few have not been changed in 5+ years). All of them asking for the password to known networks, still listed in "My Networks", but somehow that password is no longer stored, or the retrieval is being skipped. This on my iPhone 12 Pro since updating to iOS 16 (16.6 now) and also on my 2013 Mac Air which has not had is OS updated in several years. I can put the passwords in and connect just fine from there for a day, sometimes a much longer. Then, without any change to the device or my AppleID, a wifi password will suddenly no longer be remembered. Just now my work wifi network, which I use daily, is asking. It has been fine for a month, but now needs to the password again. Two days ago my home wifi network was the culprit, still in "My Networks" but asking for the password. Same routers being used with other apple phones, laptops, and appleTVs do not exhibit the behavior, only devices tied to my own Apple ID. However, nothing with my Apple ID has changed, nor have I received any notifications to my Apple ID email about any changes. Being that the problem seems (in my case) tied to devices with my Apple ID, l008com's assertion seems to be correct that it is a Keychain issue.

I’m so glad I found this thread. This exact thing has been happening to me for over a month now. It’s been really annoying, but not too overly annoying to actually look it up until now. I know I don’t have a solution but at least I have validation that it is happening to other people. I also never update my MacBook Pro, but do I update my iPhone 12. So I don’t think it’s an update issue. But honestly, I have no idea, my tech issues run deep. 😂

Me too.

South Africa

iphone 11. iOS 16.5.1

Mbp 2014 on Catalina

home wifi network and work wifi network and social wifi networks all at times forget passwords.

same ID same keychain.

Same issue. In both my residences, iPhone 13, latest iOS, continues to ask for wifi password. This happens on average about twice a week, with no discernible pattern or logic. Other devices of mine - Macs, iPADs, using same Apple ID never ask for the passwords, which have been the same and unchanged for over 10 years in both locations. As well, other family members with iPhones and their own Apple IDs never experience this, so it is most definitely not a router issue. This has been going on for about 3 months now. Super annoying, but it only takes a few seconds to re-enter password and for the iPhone to accept, so on the list of grievances about tech not living up to its promises, fairly manageable....

Are you using VPN?

No, not using VPN

Another 'me too' here. All apple devices have started to frequently (at least once a week, or more often) forget the WiFi passwords recently (Mac mini, MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, iPhone 13). This never happened in the past (same network, same router - everything has been stable for about 1.5 years).

Our various Android and Windows devices continue to work flawlessly on the same network - never any issues. Seems to clearly suggest something is wrong with Apple's recent updates and it has nothing to do with the router. Hope this gets fixed because it is freak*n annoying.

Ah, the age-old tale of an iPhone with commitment issues—just can't stick to one WiFi network, can it? It's like your iPhone is out there, thinking, "Why settle for stable, at-home WiFi when I can latch onto the ever-fluctuating, wallet-draining 5G network?" Ah, the thrill of the unknown!

Jokes aside, I get that this is frustrating. There are a few things you could try:

1. **The Turn It Off and Turn It Back On Technique**: Let's start with the basics. Have you tried turning WiFi off and back on? While you're at it, go the extra mile and reboot your phone and router too. Yeah, it's the 'unplug it and plug it back in' of the digital age, but you'd be surprised how often it actually works.

2. **Forget This Network**: Go to your WiFi settings and tell your phone to "Forget This Network." After that, reconnect by entering your password. Yes, it's the equivalent of relationship therapy for your phone and WiFi, but sometimes a fresh start is what a relationship between your phone and router need needs.

3. **Network Reset**: This one's a bit more drastic, but it might just do the trick. Go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings. Be warned: this will forget all WiFi networks and Bluetooth devices, so you'll have to get reacquainted.

4. **Update Drama**: Is your iPhone running the latest and greatest iOS? If not, this could be the tech universe's way of nudging you to hit that update button. Sometimes stability issues get sorted in those updates—along with a thousand new emojis you didn't ask for.

5. **Router Revisit**: If all else fails, maybe it's not your iPhone; maybe it's your router being the difficult one in the relationship. Check if its firmware is updated. Or maybe move your router move it to a central location for better coverage.

So go ahead, give one (or all) of these a whirl and see if your iPhone decides to finally make an honest WiFi connection out of your home network.