Flint Million

Q: Manually removing stored Wifi networks from iPad?

I have a rather interesting question:

As we all know, iPad will remember wireless networks we connect to by way of the settings app. Whenever those networks are in range, iPad will automatically connect to them. (This also applies to iPhone/iPod touch)

Suppose that you at some point logged into a network, using the settings panel, but you later wish to remove it from the list of saved networks (e.g. you're giving the iPad to a friend to use, giving it away, etc.)

So far, the only way I know of to do this is to be in range of the network in question, then select it in the settings panel and choose Forget This Network.

This to me represents a potential security risk. Suppose that you pair your iPad to a corporate work network. Later, you decide to loan out your iPad. All the person you loaned it to has to do is go in range of the office network (Which is heavily guarded by WPA2, we'll assume) and poof, they're in, because your iPad saved the network. Someone who is not authorized just penetrated a LAN.

Normally, you could simply remove that network from the remembered networks store prior to loaning. Mac, Windows and everything else seems to have a way to remove remembered networks manually. However, on the iPad (and any other iOS device) I can't find a way to get the device to forget a known network, unless I happen to be in range of that network at the time. Is there a way to do this?

FM

MacBook Pro 15"/i7/4GB/500GB/DVDRW, Mac OS X (10.6.6)

Posted on Jan 30, 2011 10:18 PM

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Q: Manually removing stored Wifi networks from iPad?

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  • by IPatronius,

    IPatronius IPatronius Jul 18, 2013 7:54 AM in response to Phil0124
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 18, 2013 7:54 AM in response to Phil0124

    It's a network that has multiple users that differentiates by the password they enter (at a hospital).  Maybe that's why.

  • by Phil0124,

    Phil0124 Phil0124 Jul 18, 2013 9:13 AM in response to IPatronius
    Level 7 (27,879 points)
    iPhone
    Jul 18, 2013 9:13 AM in response to IPatronius

    Yes, if you need to log in through  a website type page, then the actual network doesn't have a password. In which case there's nothing for the iPad to forget.

     

    That's a different deal all together.

  • by JusTrips,

    JusTrips JusTrips Jul 18, 2013 4:40 PM in response to Phil0124
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 18, 2013 4:40 PM in response to Phil0124

    It could be another type of authentication. There are other forms besides the webgateway. The real test is to look at the network. Does it show as a secure network? The key is, if you have indeed forgotten the network it should not connect all willy nilly to a wireless network unless you have something set to just connect to any random open wireless network with has both positive and negative consequences. I would say dont do that as a rule of thumb. Those who want to locate their device is lost or stollen however (if you do this often) should maybe do this but I would still say no.

     

    To sum up wyhen then network is near, forget the network. Then refresh and see what happens.

  • by Phil0124,

    Phil0124 Phil0124 Jul 19, 2013 7:42 AM in response to JusTrips
    Level 7 (27,879 points)
    iPhone
    Jul 19, 2013 7:42 AM in response to JusTrips

    There are, but the point remains if you are needing to enter credentials an a by user basis, then the network is likely not secured in a form thats meaningful to forgetting it in the iPad wifi settings.

  • by BraytonAK,

    BraytonAK BraytonAK Aug 9, 2013 7:24 PM in response to Phil0124
    Level 1 (11 points)
    Aug 9, 2013 7:24 PM in response to Phil0124

    I beg to differ on this point. If you connect to an unsecured connection, even if it requires a login on a web form, it should still be deleted. Those AT&T hotspots, as convenient as they may be for some, would happily auto-connect. Then your iMessage, Mail, Facebook and whatever else is going to potentially leak data over a connection that you don't trust.

  • by Phil0124,

    Phil0124 Phil0124 Aug 12, 2013 7:34 AM in response to BraytonAK
    Level 7 (27,879 points)
    iPhone
    Aug 12, 2013 7:34 AM in response to BraytonAK

    That's my point. The Forget This network option does not forget credentials entered in a web form.  

     

    Shoud it??? How would it distinguish between a web form to log into a network and just another web form in a standard website?

     

    Once you enter the realm of Web based login, then its outside the scope of the "forget This network" feature, and it can't really forget the web form entries unless you delete all autocomplete, and browser history.

     

    Its a competely different thing.,

     

    One is at the networking level, the other is at the interface level.

  • by Gaz.,

    Gaz. Gaz. Oct 25, 2013 1:27 PM in response to Flint Million
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 25, 2013 1:27 PM in response to Flint Million

    Came accross this thread after googling this issue trying to work out how i could clear the networks i will never need again. I am shocked by the lack of control I have over remembered networks. I have never encountered an OS that will not allow me to control the networks that I have saved. To be honest I'm not an apple fan & I am new to their products but I have been in IT for 20 years. I have to support them now so i got an iPad and think the hardware is great! I will stop there.... 

     

    Anyway I have a kind of solution to anyone who is interested.... It involves registering for free cloud based MDM (Mobile Device Management) granted you may have only 1 to a few mobile devices to mange but its free & very easy :-)  You can add all your WiFi networks in there & then deploy them to each device you use. You can even track your wife/husband's & childrens's / freinds devices & geofence them / remote wipe them etc...

     

    It's Cisco software & totally free - check it out :-)

    http://meraki.cisco.com/products/systems-manager

  • by Gaz.,

    Gaz. Gaz. Oct 25, 2013 1:29 PM in response to Gaz.
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 25, 2013 1:29 PM in response to Gaz.

    What I havent pointed out is that you would use your deployed networks with a periodic "wipe" of all of them since you cant select individual ones to delete.

  • by Tom Hesley,

    Tom Hesley Tom Hesley Jan 27, 2014 6:41 PM in response to Flint Million
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 27, 2014 6:41 PM in response to Flint Million

    I too would appreciate the ability to edit the saved wifi networks list in IOS, as can be done in Windows et al.  It's inadequate to only permit such editing when the networks in question are in range. As of 7.0.4, I do not find this feature. 

  • by Chris CA,

    Chris CA Chris CA Jan 27, 2014 10:40 PM in response to Tom Hesley
    Level 9 (79,660 points)
    iTunes
    Jan 27, 2014 10:40 PM in response to Tom Hesley

    Tom Hesley wrote:

     

    I too would appreciate the ability to edit the saved wifi networks list in IOS, as can be done in Windows et al.  It's inadequate to only permit such editing when the networks in question are in range. As of 7.0.4, I do not find this feature. 

    Correct.

    Because this is not an option in iOS.

  • by mcetaruk,

    mcetaruk mcetaruk Feb 2, 2014 4:10 PM in response to Flint Million
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 2, 2014 4:10 PM in response to Flint Million

    To make matters more frustrating (for me anyway) any network you've ever connected to with an iphone or ipad will appear in your list of preferred networks (on your macbook) IF you use Keychain over iCloud . . . the difference being is here you can remove them manually but no way to push those changes back to your iphone that I know of.

     

    I've disabled keychain and a lot of icloud because of other concerns, so at least these networks won't continue to push onto my macbook.

     

    Many of y'all are far more technical than I but I found this lack of manually editing (or even seeing) history of wifi networks to be frustrating. I couldn't believe how many connections I'd made in the past few years.

     

    I'll admit I'm relatively new to mac and didn't realize how far reaching Keychain was. iCloud I just find kinda inscrutable.

  • by BraytonAK,

    BraytonAK BraytonAK Apr 19, 2014 9:05 PM in response to mcetaruk
    Level 1 (11 points)
    Apr 19, 2014 9:05 PM in response to mcetaruk

    I just realized today that I can see all the Wi-Fi networks that my phone has visited on my Mac.  I'll have to intentionally join one on my phone, delete it from my Mac and then see if I have to re-join that same network from my phone.  This would be a solid indication of whether or not deleting them from the Mac will also make them disappear from the phone.

  • by ToniEn,

    ToniEn ToniEn Jun 14, 2014 3:20 AM in response to BraytonAK
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 14, 2014 3:20 AM in response to BraytonAK

    BraytonAK - how can you see all the Wi-Fi Networks on your MAC where your phone has been?  Once you have a list of all those ssid's you can create a wi-fi access point with that ssid, let your iPhone/iPad 'find' it and then select 'forget the network'.. a bit of work when you have  many, but somthing for a rainy day?

  • by Chris CA,

    Chris CA Chris CA Jun 14, 2014 9:03 AM in response to ToniEn
    Level 9 (79,660 points)
    iTunes
    Jun 14, 2014 9:03 AM in response to ToniEn

    ToniEn wrote:

     

    BraytonAK - how can you see all the Wi-Fi Networks on your MAC

    Mac not MAC (especially when talking about networking as MAC is Media Access Control).

     

    Open the Keychain Access app.

    The passwords are sync'd if you have iCloud - Keychain access turned on in Settings > iCloud (iOS iDevice) and System prefs > iCloud on the Mac).

  • by Sparky2115,

    Sparky2115 Sparky2115 Jun 16, 2014 8:34 PM in response to Phil0124
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jun 16, 2014 8:34 PM in response to Phil0124

    It's great if you manage to actually get the "Forget Network" button, but it seems that only happens once you are actually connected - not just in range as people have suggested.  If mac filtering is used or hidden SSID then you will never be able to get this button unless you have admin right's to the access point to change the settings - get connected - then forget the network - then reset the orignal access point settings.  Otherwise it's impossible to get that "Forget" button.  Only other option is to reset ALL network connection settings from the IOS device.  Very bad Apple - how about fixing this.

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