iOS 26.0.1 network issues: Internet stops working every few minutes

Is the issue with your cellular connection or your Wifi? Do you by chance have a VPN installed on your iPhone, whether it is used or not? VPNs on iPhone cause all sorts of connectivity issues. If you do have a VPN, don't just turn it off, remove it completely. They aren't needed at all. To remove a VPN, open Settings > General > VPN & Device Management and remove the VPN Profile. Then remove any associated app for the VPN. Then restart your iPhone. If you have a VPN and remove it, the chances are your network connectivity issues will go away.

Please contact your cellular service provider and see what they have to say. It could be a SIM issue or provisioning issue.

Amiijordan wrote:

I’m facing this issue on my cellular network (Jio) after updating to iOS 26.0.1.

The signal suddenly drops to minimum or one bar, and the internet completely stops working.

As soon as I turn Airplane Mode on and off, the signal becomes full again and data starts working normally.

I don’t have any VPN installed. The issue only happens on mobile data, not on Wi-Fi.

If there are no added VPN apps and no added security apps installed, contact your mobile operator first, then contact Apple Support.

You’ll need to push your cellular service provider harder. This does not sound like an iOS issue.

Amiijordan wrote:

When can we expect a new update to fix this? The phone has become really frustrating to use after this update.

You should not expect a new update to fix a problem with your phone. And it IS with your phone, not several hundred million other iPhones.

I've had a similar issue on my iPhone: the internet glitches regardless of whether I'm connected via home Wi-Fi or cellular (both use the same provider). However, when I connect my MacBook to the same Wi-Fi, I have no connection issues, so I don’t think the network provider is the problem.

James Saldana wrote:

Don't need a VPN at all? VPNs are often required for work.

There are two different sorts of things confusingly called a “VPN”.

There is the older and classic VPN stuff, used to connect i into the internal network of an affiliated organization, and this is what you refer to as “required for work”.

There is the newer and immensely-overhyped VPN stuff intended to (badly) solve a problem (coffee shop or ISP local connection monitoring, network connection interception / miscreant in the middle) that hasn’t existed for a decade or so (q.v. TLS, HTTPS everywhere, iCloud private relay, etc), but this type of VPN is perfect for personally-identified data and metadata collection.

When you read grumbling about VPN clients and VPN-related issues posted around here, it is usually about the latter sort; about the overhyped VPN add-on apps.

The older VPN stuff will probably end up being lumped into Software Defined Networking (SDN) or otherwise renamed, as that classic use of the term VPN has been superseded by the metadata-collection and advertising-oriented VPN term.

Both sorts of VPNs can and do alter IP network routing, but the accessing-an-affiliated-internal-network VPN/SDN stuff usually has an IT group and escalation path to assist with issues and questions that might arise with the VPN/SDN. The latter sort of “coffee shop” VPN is what is more commonly experienced and discussed around here. The latter is some of which has blocked both local Wi-Fi access as well as cellular data network access either due to bugs in the VPN app or due to bugs or changes in the Apple networking stack. It also increasingly tends to get blocked by secure network services and security-focused websites.

TL;DR: The overhyped “coffee shop” VPNs are problematic, at best. Some background info:

• https://gist.github.com/joepie91/5a9909939e6ce7d09e29#dont-use-vpn-services
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1opKW6X88og

marifromvalledupar wrote:

The same thing on my iPhone 16 pro. I have to enable / disable the airplane mode at every turn so that the internet works again. I’ve changed the network provider, it keeps happening this issue.

Have you read the top-ranking reply at the top of this page? It will probably solve your issue.

That’s an odd response from a cellular service provider. When I have a cellular issue my carrier works with me on the phone or directs to one of their locations so a service technician can work on it. What country are you in?

Have you restarted your router?

I am facing the same issue on my Iphone 17 pro max after upgrading to 26.0.1. Irony is that this version is supposedly fixing network issues for few users.

It did, but it can’t fix issues caused by cellular network providers and internet service providers. Are you having issues with internet or cellular service?

Don't need a VPN at all? VPNs are often required for work.

The same thing on my iPhone 16 pro. I have to enable / disable the airplane mode at every turn so that the internet works again. I’ve changed the network provider, it keeps happening this issue.