I cant turn on my wifi. Its greyed out

Read here:

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1559

same problem here

wjosten - that apple support doc is useless for this problem. We took the 4s to the apple store and the Genius "installed the new update" (presumably .2) but only after I complained about their first solution: buy a replacement for $199 (that would have been our third phone on a 2 year contract, which is ridiculous.) Actually their first solution was to buy a new 5 for $700. No thanks.

Thems the facts and this whole wifi thing stinks to high heaven.

I am having the same problem with my 4S. I done everything Apple is suggesting, and nothing works. I got off the phone with tech support, to find out my warranty expired two weeks ago. Does anyone have any answers on this?

Scott - Your only chance is to go the the Apple Store and plead your case -ask for/demand that they install the secret update that fixes the Wifi problem. we had no luck on the phone, and it was the third visit to the Apple Store where they brought out the .2 update solution. It is a software problme, not a hardware problem IMHO and they are trying to get people to buy 5s or replacement 4s, simple as that.

I am having the same problem. I have iPhone 4s and my WiFi stopped working on Dec. 25. Settings - Wi-Fi is Off and dimmed so I cannot turn it On. Also Settings - Bluetooth is Off and displays the rotating circle. I tried rebooting, reset network and all settings with no luck so far. For what I read looks like a common problem that started recently. Any suggestions?

Every supposed genious at Apple is suggesting it's a hardware failure, and wants us all to buy new phones. I find it very hard to believe all of our phones magically have hardware issues all of the sudden. Apple won't admit it but I believe that there is a problem with the 6.0.1 software we have on our phones. In addition to the wifi being greyed out, and unusable, my battery is draining like crazy all of the sudden and certain apps won't work! I've read that there is a 6.0.2 software for Iphone 5's that solves a "possible wifi issue"!!! Is that because the I5's are all under warranty???? Ned Zepplin in a post to me above suggested that if you beg the Apple Genious to install the 6.0.2 on your phone it solves our wifi problem. I tried that at one of the largest Apple stores in the Chicagoland area yesterday, and they claim they don't have the update yet. They claim it should be out as soon as next week. We will have to wait and see I guess! I'm getting ready to try and jailbreak my phone to see what happens. I will keep you all posted. I wonder if all the people who went out and bought new phones because Apple won't be truthful with them, will recieve credits when this is solved????

Scott that is what everyone needs to do. Show up and demand to speak to a manager, print this out and tell them that at the store in King of Prussia PA (one of the biggest in the country) they are installing 6.0.2 IN THE STORE and it is fixing the problems with the 4s. It is NOT a hardware problem.

Apple stock is down and the word has gone out to the Genius squad to increase revenues.

My phone is under waranty, I bought it 6 months ago. Will they ask me to buy a new phone too?

Just to add my 2p worth.

I turned the light on the phone on and kept doing video recording to drain the battery, I let it die completely, recharged it and the wireless came back on. Powering on and off through the software and power on buttons didn't work. None of the other suggestions I'd read were any help, and to be honest some were stupid. Your method of draining the battery is up to you, the light and video is a good way to drain it quickly.

The best thing I can think of is that there is some hardware on the wifi that gets put in an inconsistent state and that powering on and off does not fix it as there could be some sort of trickle going through the hardware to keep it alive. Draining the battery allows the hardware to be really turned off and it puts it back into the right state.

Of course your milage may vary, but its a simple option to try and costs nothing.

no i believe they'll change yours out as they won't have a leg to stand on - however, be extremely mindful that the new handset warranty will run from the original purchase date of your first handset, so when it does the same thing you might not be so lucky - this is why just switching them out really isn't an acceptable solution - its addressing the itch not the cause of the itch (fleas!!!)

good luck

@ rwillett

I too have let the battery drain, reset networks etc, sometimes it brings back the wifi button greyed out and sometimes black - however, even when the wifi button comes back black, it can't connect to any wifi - message says 'can't scan for networks'.

i think that scottchiero is exactly right - Apple are helping iphone 5 owners because they are all still under warranty and so an update effectively costs Apple zero - and us iphone 4s users - very few left in warranty, so they can afford to take that hit and know that the rest will drop 200 for a replacement or 500 for an upgrade. those lucky enough to be grandfathered into unlimited data (like me) can hang on till there's an update (if they ever release one) the rest meanwhile know that $200 is cheaper than the data overage charges on their phone bill...

Finally i found the solutione and it worked for me perfectly 🙂iam not lying just turn off ur Iphone and put it in the freezer for half an hour and it will work perfectly trust me 🙂

Hi,

After draining the battery and it working, its now gone again. Symptoms are no networks appearing in wifi section BUT wifi can be turned and and off. Power cycling the phone this time did not cure the problem and the grey wifi button problem appeared.

Plan B is a factory reset, plan C is a Samsung Galaxy 3. Apple has lost my trust, three iphones and two have failed. Pretty poor form.

Just came back from the Telus store, which is my provider in Canada. They told me that WiFi issue is a known 4s issue and Apple will release a fix in about 1-2 weeks. They will not replace my phone even though it is still in warranty and told me to wait for the fix. I would advice all people having this issue to wait and not use any suggested workarounds like draining the battery or putting the phone in the freezer.

I wonder why Apple is not publicly admitting the issue. For me this is much bigger issue than the maps bugs since there are other map apps available but WiFi is something completelly different. A lot of people with small data plans will have to pay extra for not having WiFi working. Some of them may not even notice that they have a WiFi problem before it is too late. I think that providers and Apple should compensate people that are overbilled because of this issue.