WiFi and Bluetooth Drops Even After iOS 26.0.1

Perhaps a long shot:

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, then restart your device. Don't just turn it off; delete the profile. If that fixes it, you can try reinstalling VPN, but probably shouldn't.

I don’t use a VPN on my MacBook Air M2, which is updated to iOS 26.0.1. While watching videos with my AirPods connected, the audio suddenly cuts out. Initially, I assumed it was an issue with the video itself.

However, I’ve experienced the same problem on my iPhone, also updated to iOS 26.0.1. During phone calls, if the phone is just a short distance away — still within the room — the audio quality on the other end drops significantly.

This issue appears to be serious and needs urgent attention. It’s affecting the user experience and could damage the reputation of Apple’s iOS if not resolved quickly.

Additionally, I’m noticing unusual battery drain. For the first time, I have to charge my device three times a day, which is extremely inconvenient.

Honestly, this has been very disappointing, and it’s making me consider switching to Windows or another platform if the situation doesn’t improve soon.

After hours of support and escalation I was told first “this is the first report of this” which shocked me and I didn’t believe.

Then I was told the same VPN profile stuff which I tried and honestly did not make much sense.

Now my case is sitting in some limbo with no answers or timeline. Honestly I feel like they do not care. I use Bluetooth for noise canceling reasons for health and that has been taken away. I fail to see how this does not warrant replacement or a trigger of their warranty. Very disappointed by Apple.

I've never experienced any issues with WiFi or Bluetooth with iOS 26.

That isn't to gloat, but rather to say that it's not a universal issue, which is what makes it so difficult to diagnose.

It's a universal truism that it's nearly impossible to diagnose and fix an issue without the ability to reproduce it.

When I saw the "do you have VPN" made me think, i just added the AT&T App armor thing and it aligned with my similar poor bluetooth connection issues.

Removed that app and my airpods connected the first time without me having to restart the bluetooth... ****. Guess I'll just have to deal with that guy "Suspected Spam" continuing to ring my number.

Regarding the Bluetooth drops: I'm seeing the same problem using iOS 26.0.1 on a brand new iPhone 16e and two different (older) pairs of AirPods. After each disconnect, I end up putting the AirPods back in their case, closing it, waiting a moment, and re-opening the case. I then see the iPhone reconnect to the AirPods. But I generally have to repeat this every 5-15 minutes.

-Dan in Austin, Texas

I have a new-ish iphone 13 and bluetooth keeps dropping out on my hearing aids. I have disabled the VPN installed in Settings and in Avast, restarted phone but no luck. Not sure how I delete the profile of the VPN as suggested below as it is part of what came as standard in my Settings..... Online youtube suggested reset network settings but I'm worried I then have to reset wifi to all devices in the house. Any help most appreciated.

This is so annoying. Both my wife and myself updated iOS. And our WiFi and Bluetooth keep dropping. We have a BT (UK) hub which is perfect on laptops/macs. But our phone not so. Have reset the router. Reset network connections on our iPhones. And still the same. If anyone in the UK with BT hubs have the same. Let me know. Driving us mad!!!!

Just wanted to let you know that it’s not just the 17. I’ve got a 16 PM and a 12.9 M1 iPad Pro (I’ve had it since the day it came out, and Apple Care recently replaced it because it was under 80% healthy). I’ve been having the same issue since I updated to iOS 26, and the 0.1 update doesn’t fix it for me either. I have Express VPN on my iPad but not on my phone and the issue is present with both.

I use my iPad Pro nearly all day, every day, and I have the Apple Pencil 2nd gen and Magic Keyboard. For health reasons I use my Apple Pencil almost exclusively as opposed to finger touch. The Apple Pencil keeps disconnecting. Not hundreds of times a day but I’d guess at least 10-20 times a day for me. At first I thought it was safari issue as I’ll be scrolling along, and everything would freeze for about 10-15 seconds. The screen doesn’t show that the pencil is disconnected, but after the first hand full of times it happened I discovered I can still scroll with my fingers. Sometimes the pencil will start working again after that 10-15 seconds but sometimes I have to put the pencil back on the magnetic edge to get it to work again.

I also have the AirPods Pro 3, and they randomly disconnect and reconnect too. It doesn’t seem to be anything I’m doing. I use the AirPods Pro 3 with dual connection between my iPad and my iPhone 16 PMax, and it happens with both devices, even if I disable the dual connection. Sometimes it is just pauses whatever I’m watching or listening to and then pick back up. A few times it has kicked the audio off the AirPods Pro 3 and starts playing the audio through my iPad speakers.

I also use my phone to connect to CarPlay in my 2022 Ram 1500 Uconnect 12.1” (it has the latest firmware/software). In this setup, while listening to Apple Music, songs will skip or stop for like one second. It reminds me of when we used CD players and hit a bump in the road, and the music would stop for a second and then pick back up. It’s been super annoying when I’m cruising and singing along, and all of a sudden, I’m singing alone lol.

I’ve been an iPad user and fan since the original iPad Pro 9.7 (it was way more stable and reliable than any Android tablet back then), but the iPhone 16PM is my first iPhone (I used to be a Galaxy Geek). I really hope they can fix the issue soon because it’s getting old fast!

This is happening to me as well after upgrading to the latest iOS on my iPhone 16 ProMax.

I disconnected my AirPods and even removed it from my iPhone by clicking “Forget This Device”. The issue still persists. Apple needs to fix this issue immediately! Is Apple even paying attention to user posts/complaints on their forum?