My iPhone SE 2022 disconnects Wi-Fi randomly after iOS 18.3.2 update

First, update to 18.4.1.

When does it disconnect? All iPhones disconnect from Wi-Fi 30 seconds after the screen locks, and have done so since the first iPhone in 2007. If it disconnects at other times the first step is to restart your router. After that go to Settings/Cellular and turn off Wi-Fi assist.

Do you have a 3rd party VPN installed, even if you are not using it? If so, delete the VPN profile in Settings/General/VPN & Device Management/VPN. Don't just turn it off; delete the profile. If that fixes it, you can try reinstalling VPN. 

OK, a couple of questions:

Have you tested with other Wi-Fi networks, and does the problem happen with other networks also, or only your Home network? If it is only your Home network the problem is definitely with the router.

By design, iPhones disconnect from Wi-Fi 30 seconds after the screen locks to preserve battery energy, unless the phone is plugged in to power. Might this be what you are seeing? (If the screen is locked and you receive a notification Wi-Fi will turn on briefly to process the notification.)

Have you tried “forgetting” the network, then logging in again?

Have you tried Reset Network Settings?

Have you tried restarting your router (even if it works with other devices)?

My issue is resolved. Evidently upgrading my home Xfinity router to one that supports Wi-Fi 6E as opposed to Wi-Fi 6 made a difference.

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As a recap, in March 2025 I upgraded my iPhone SE third generation to iOS 18.3.1. Before this upgrade, I had no problems with my phone and it’s ability to use wi-Fi. 

At the time I had an xB7 Wi-Fi router from ISP Xfinity; it was an 802 11 AX router w wifi6.

When the phone upgraded to 18.3.1, on any occasion when it was connected to my home Wi-Fi, I would have Internet access for about 3 to 5 minutes, then the Internet will drop out. The signal was stay strong, I was still able to see other devices in my home on my network, just no Internet. After turning off the wi-Fi on my phone and turn it back on after a few minutes/an hour/later, the Internet would restore, but again just temporarily, for 4 to 5 minutes. Going through all of the recommended solutions, including forgetting the SS ID, resetting the net work on the iPhone, did not resolve the issue.

Past that, upgrading to 18.3.2, then upgraded to 18.4, up to the current 18.5, did not resolve the issue, although with 18.5 they seem like the connection lasted a little bit longer, but again it will eventually drop out. Strong signal, no Internet.

Normally I do not connect my iPhone to hotspot such as you would find a Starbucks and hotels; I only connected really at home, at work and when visiting a relative residence. In all of those circumstances, I suffered the same issue with the phone connecting fine, receiving a strong signal, but Internet would only last about four or 5 minutes.

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Finally, I happen to read that an upgrade was available for my Xfinity router, moving it up to the next model xB8, which was also 80211 AX, but used wifi 6e. In addition to what was more than likely upgraded hardware and software to deal with the newest protocols, they only other difference that I could immediately discern was at the XB8 router - other than Wifi6E as opposed to Wifi6- allows more clients per is 3 frequencies: 2.4, five and 6 GHz. The XP eight allows 100 clients per frequency, with the XB7 allow 75.

Once the new router was installed, my problems with my iPhone and his Internet connection went away. I guess it's due to the fact that the previous router I used was wifi 6 and then the current router has an upgraded Wifi 6E.

Of course I am shooting from the hip on this, because I really don’t know for sure, but it almost seems as if the iOS upgrade that caused me to have these issues was trying to use the new 6ghz band, and Wifi 6E just does it better.

I am not sure obviously. But the fact that for me, Internet via Wi-Fi would exist for a few minutes then it would drop always after 4 to 5 minutes, coupled with the new protocols of Wi-Fi 6E and 802 11 AX, coupled again with the fact that my other family members, who have newer iPhones, did not encourage any of my difficulties, leads me to believe that there may have been some issue with the switching property that the routers have now to work with devices so that the devices can choose between the 3 frequencies. It would explain why I sometimes have Internet and then it will go away, as opposed never having Internet at all.

I’m here to tell you 18.4.1 does not repair the issue, that has been going on w my iPhone se3rd ed. ever since I updated iOS to 18.3.

For me it is not disconnecting from my home Wi-Fi signal. The signal simply doesn’t carry any Internet after a few minutes.

I do not use any VPN or anything like that. The home Wi-Fi connection is steady and strong — it will simply not carry any Internet. Every other device I have in the house connects and uses WiFi just fine, including several iOS devices that are older, and cannot use iOS 18.

The symptoms of this: when I get home, my phone automatically connects to my home Wi-Fi, and it works fine for a few minutes (long enough for me to sync stuff that I need to sync) and then it stops working after about 5 to 10 minutes. Whether I’ve actually used it for anything or not.

at times I can turn Wi-Fi off on my phone for a moment, flip it back on (maybe waiting longer than a few minutes if I simply forget about it) and rejoin my home Wi-Fi automatically, and I will have Internet access for a time.

(Interestingly enough, when the Wi-Fi signal loses Internet capabilities, it seems like I still see the remote devices in the house (AirPlay and things like that) and I can connect to them, but no data is exchanged.)

I have seen various listed remedies and tried them just about all, including resetting the iPhones network capabilities, forgetting the home Wi-Fi profile and setting it up again, switching to airplane mode and turning off location services/resetting the iPhone and turn it back on, messing with the private network settings and a few others.

As I said, this first presented itself with iOS 18.3; from 18.0 to <18.3, everything was working fine. Every time a update has come out since 18.3, I have readily updated, anticipating a remedy to this ridiculous situation, but it has never come out.

The phone must now be constantly used with Wi-Fi turned off when I am at home, and then when I’m out & about, I turn back on Wi-Fi merely for location services so that it can accurately pinpoint my location when I use the map.

as I mentioned earlier, my work phone uses an iOS older than 18 because it is an iPhone 8. It has worked just fine at home using the Wi-Fi, never an issue. My wife and children use iPhones that are different than the iPhone SE third generation. They either have the latest iPhones or the last ones that used a lightning connector, and they have no problem using the home Wi-Fi. Security cameras, computers PC and Mac, and any and all other devices do not have a problem with Wi-Fi.

It is this iPhone SE 3rd and iOS 18.3-> 18.4.1. It is absolutely ridiculous and unacceptable that I have to manipulate my phone this way in order to get any use out of it, I have even contemplated going out and buying an old iPhone 8 and “downgrading“ to it, since I ridiculously cannot simply downgrade my iPhone SE third generation to something before iOS 18.3. While Apple gets its collective stuff together.

Mr. Finch:

I may have earned that first question, due to the fact that I described the problem as with "my home Wi-Fi." That is simply a matter of semantics – my home is the only place where I regularly use Wi-Fi on my phone. So I should've described that better:

(Ahem) -- Any Wi-Fi connection I make, be it at home, a hotel, a Starbucks, My neighbors home, when I'm visiting my family. When I'm at my office. It is the same result. When the remembered Wi-Fi / new connection Wifi signal first connects with the phone, the phone receives access to the Internet. Then it goes away after about five minutes. There is no change in signal strength, and the signal never drops. It is simply an empty signal. No internet.

However, In my original question, I mentioned forgetting the network. And resetting network settings:

“have seen various listed remedies and tried them just about all, including resetting the iPhones network capabilities, forgetting the home Wi-Fi profile and setting it up again, switching to airplane mode and turning off location services/resetting the iPhone and turn it back on, messing with the private network settings and a few others.”

Finally, the router has been reset several times -- specifically, by unplugging, power outage and thru the ISP’s app to do so.

Let me add that, other than leaving the thing off internet for awhile, reconnect it and it has internet for a few minutes, the other thing that randomly seems to temporarily restore internet is toggling between no private wifi address and having it fixed or rotating. Again though, only for a few precious minutes so I can sync the programs that need syncing w my other devices via wifi. No way to live.

(This was addressed by me and others previously when it started w 18.3.1 (for me) w/o any relief:

Wifi extremely unstable after 18.3.2 on i… - Apple Community