iOS 6 disables wi-fi on sleep mode - disappointing

I'm still quite not sure as to whether this was intentional or not. As I've read on other discussion threads, some people like it, however, MOST people do not.



I personally dislike it. It takes away, for me, somewhat a nice feature of having push notifications: that you can get notifications anytime, 24/7(given you are connected to wi-fi or you have your mobile data on) even when the iPhone is on sleep mode. And since there is the Do Not Disturb feature, it won't be much a of a problem if it's about the notifications disturbing you.


If it's about battery saving, well, it does help. But I think, if it is(which we're still not sure) intentional that the iOS 6 disables wi-fi on sleep mode, Apple should at least add an option for us to choose as to whether we would like to keep the wi-fi on, or off when the iPhone/iPad/iPod is on sleep mode.


As with most people, I would like to keep my wi-fi on, anytime, anywhere, and it's up to me to deal with the battery consumption.





Thoughts please?

iPhone 4S, iOS 6

Posted on Sep 24, 2012 5:05 AM

Reply
251 replies

Feb 10, 2013 2:59 PM in response to Morac

I think the wifi connectivity code changed for the wifi only devices too.

Only after iOS 6 did I start losing connection to my work's Cisco based router, and only when my iPod was unplugged.


Works fine at home.


I notice that when I do bring the device out of sleep at work, the wifi icon has disappeared but then reappears a few seconds later. I see the Cisco login screen pop up, very briefly it shows that it is trying to connect to www.apple.com then moves straight onto a numerical IP address which looks like https://1.1.1.1.


The connection to apple I'm pretty sure is new for iOS 6.


At some point the iPod goes to sleep, iOS 6 decides it is on battery power and kills the wifi. On my home router something keeps a base level connectivity going, but the Cisco router at work, despite being set to a 12 hour time out, deauthorises after 10 minutes, all push notifications stop, and the only way round is to log back in with full credentials.


This rigmarole is avoided:

- at home, plugged in or not

- at work, plugged in

- with iOS 5.


Muji's tips did not work in my case. Over to Apple and iOS 6.2!

Feb 26, 2013 11:37 AM in response to yanipopo

Ok, I am a new Apple iPod owner and have encountered this same problem. I have a solution that DOES work, but may be difficult (though the solution is easy) for many of you to use. However, it will work.


The issue, of course, is that once the ipod (I assume iPhone also) goes to sleep it closes down wifi. Now, it closes down provided no application is using it, which is the key. If the wifi is being used in the background the wifi connection remains open for a period of time after the final wifi use. Applications you may have running such as Skype for example will not be considered as using the wifi because no date is being passed; unless you are getting a call the software is just running, etc.


What I did that has worked is to keep the wifi alive: In fact my phone (Skype) just rang while in sleep mode and locked as I was typing.


I am a web developer. I created a blank web page, very light (white screen and one word), with a 2m 15sec REFRESH. I then visited the page using the Safari browser. That's it. Every 2m 15sec the browser (on my iPod) refreshes that page which sends data via wifi. The iPod detects these couple of packets using wifi every 2m 15sec and keeps the connection open. I have the ipod set to sleep after 2 minutes, so it does have time to go to sleep before a refresh (this I get the power saving mode).


If you are using the browser that's fine, just remember to visit the refresh page when your done. Simple.


If you have questions you can reach me at Eddie Studios web design.

Mar 11, 2013 2:23 PM in response to yanipopo

I have this problem kinda on and off. But I found a way to cure it temporarily.


1. Connect your iPhone to your wifi.

2. Do a hard reset leaving the wifi connection on.


That's it. When your iPhone's done rebooting, let it connect to your wifi. This seems to work for me everytime it drops wifi after going to sleep. The problem kinda reoccurs though after a while and don't know what's causing it. I just repeat the steps I mentioned and doesn't disconnect again. I don't know if it will work for everyone else but hope it helps.

Mar 22, 2013 11:43 AM in response to yanipopo

I have never intended to pay high cellular bills so I bought iPod 4 generation and a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot for $10/month. I installed SIP (Internet) phone app and I was enjoying calling and receiving calls without air time charges using push notification for my Internet phone. My emails were picked up automatically as I walked through the city the iPod picked up free Wi-Fi in coffee shops, etc. using a POP email account on my home server. (Yes, I own and maintain a web and an email servers at home.) Additionally I use Text Plus app for free texting. With the first upgrade of the iOS I noticed that some emails would display a few lines of text in the preview mode but after opening them they would be blank. I kept upgrading my iOS hoping that the email bug would be resolved with each next update. Enough about the background and about how I use my device. Typical, maybe? Back to the issue on hand. iOS 6 achieved one thing. I no longer can use my iPod reliably. I realized that iOS6 puts Wi-Fi to sleep when the screen locks or shortly after. It is impossible for external push notifications to reach the iPod with Wi-Fi asleep. My mobile hotspot works on 802.11g WPA2-PSK and I have 3 access points at home which are running 802.11a/g/n WPA2-PSK. I am observing the same problem everywhere - at home, with mobile hotspot and on guest Wi-Fi networks except when the iPod is charging. My hope for a fix to my blank email problem died with Steve Jobs. Solution? I keep the iPod on charge in the car. I manually wake it up every so often and check for texts and emails when I walk. I check my voicemails instead of taking live incoming calls and I am upgrading to Samsung with Android next.

Mar 22, 2013 1:10 PM in response to jjca

I'm not sure how this is related to the topic, but you should see my fix on wi-fi being dropped on sleep mode and try it. It works for me and I can't even remember the last time I've done it again coz so far my iphone hasn't done it for a while. Here's what I did:


1. Connect your iPhone to your wifi.

2. Do a hard reset leaving the wifi connection on.


Hope it helps!

Mar 22, 2013 1:17 PM in response to jjca

An interesting thing happened. I have an iPod touch 5th generation. I was experiencing the same loss of internet problem in sleep mode as everyone else.


I discovered something that I didn't expect. Yes, when the ipod goes into sleep mode it shuts down the internet a short time later. However, when I manually put my ipod on standby (click the on/off button once to lock it) it is different from sleep mode. The internet stays on, my Skype line remains online, and if I get a call it rings. Doesn't matter how much time passes.


The bottom line is that if you simply go into settings/general, and set Autolock to never, and then just click it off when you're done using it (not turn it off, just lock it) the internet will stay on and life is good.


I also discovered that when it is off (locked) even if I change my location so that I loose connectivity and then go to another location where there is wifi the iPod will see it, log on, Skype signes in again, all while it is locked. Life is good.


And while locked the battery drain is barely noticeable.


Isn't this what we all want?

Mar 22, 2013 1:32 PM in response to ehar

In reference to my last post above, appearantly the shutting down of the internet that the iPod does when it uses the Autolock feature is different than if you manually click once to lock it. The shutting down of the internet seems to be "tied to the autolock setting", but "NOT tied to being locked manually."


So a solution IS FOUND. Simply go to settings/general and set AUTOLOCK to NEVER turn off. Then when you are done using it, or want to lock it manually that's fine. As long as the autolock is set to never it will not shut down the internet when you lock it manually.


The internet being shut down is not tied to whether the iPod is locked or not. It is tied to the AUTOLOCK setting.


So remember, even if you lock it manually; if Autolock is not set to never it is still on and will shut everything including your internet off even if you lock it manually. So shutting it off manually alone will not do it. You MUST turn autolock to NEVER, and then when you lock it manually everything will stay on and life is good.


Problem solved.

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iOS 6 disables wi-fi on sleep mode - disappointing

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