Q: wifi greyed out iphone 4s

here's my frustration

4s greyed out for months. occasional connectivity for a minute or 2

well, I want to upgrade to a 5 BUT then this phone will be useless to my kids because it cannot connect to wifi and I am not paying for cell connection. I want them to use it for games, email and pandora- but without wifi they won't really be able to!

and it is a 64g one, paid a lot.

GRRRRRRRRRR

I have the same problem after OSI update.  I tried everything posted online and nothing worked so I went to Genius Bar.  First thing out of their mouth was I was 137 days past warranty.  Next they connected my phone to their computer to a magical program to see if it was a hardware problem or Related to the OS update!  The genius told me when this first started happening they would just swap out phones no problem but then they discovered when they were refurbishing phones half were hardware issues and the others were OS!  Now they don't honor a hardware issue,,, I did not have an issue with phone until after update! Too bad so sorry was the response from genius I could buy a new phone for $200. 

So I said I update to newest OS and end up with a hardware issue unrelated to the update?  Yes Iam sorry was response from the genius. 

Come on Apple admit you have a problem and do right. My phone was fine until I updated my OS.  Admit your mistakes and service your products this is what your customers have always praised you for!

Hi folks,

Here's the thing. There might be some software related issues in the case of a couple of phones but it appears that hardware issues affects a large (if not most) of them. The hardware issue is basically related to the fact that the soldering of the chip is bad and doesn't connect it properly to the board anymore. Maybe your phone used to work ok-ish before the iOS update but the new version has brought more strigent checks that basically disable the wifi altogether if something is abnormal, hence why it looks like iOS 6 killed it.

How can you fix your phone? The "easiest" fix is the hairdryer one, which has been discussed several times in this forum. However, this is likely not going to last because the chances that you actually melt the soldering and that the wifi chip falls back exactly where it's supposed to be are rather slim. It might work if the chip was only a little bit loose but overall it's a bit like doing the rain dance. The actual fix is to open up the phone and properly resolder the chip where it belongs. In this case, the odds of success are much higher. Apparently there are a few versions/quality grades (A, B, C, D, E) of the hardware and some are more likely to brake than others as well as being fixable.

As most of you, I don't have the time/tools/experience/knowledge to actually perform the repair. I found a guy (here in the UK) that could do it and he's really good. Mine works well now. There are odds that it won't last forever because of the quality grade, but if it goes beyond two weeks, I should be ok.

So my advice is look for a good and trusted repair guy!

please guyz spread this article from time , hopefully apple can recognize its problem and issue a fix asap

http://techland.time.com/2013/06/06/apples-ios-6-1-3-update-can-knock-out-wi-fi- bluetooth-and-cost-you-200-to-fix/

do u try 6.1.4

this is joke?

iOS 6.1.4 . System Requirements: iPhone 5

http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1652

Had exactly the same experience as the author @daamoth with regards to the phone problems and the tech support "solutions" I was offered. This is definitely not an isolated incident. I tweeted him to see if Apple had responded to the article. Haven't heard back yet. Figure he's media so he may possess the ability to get some traction unlike us poor suckers who just waste hundreds of dollars on apparently second rate products.

I think the only way Apple will respond is if this problem hits critical mass. Anyone know of any online petitions we could all sign?

And finally:

I made diagnostic at apple centre. Need to replace both wi-fi modules, modul of charging control and one more module that I didn't remeber.

They can't tell me a resons, just common blah-blah-blah - hit (yeah, I dropped it couple times but without visible damages), overheat (fock, I played when charge it and charge with plastic bumper), wet environment (yeah, half year at Asia).

Total cost - $190, one year warranty after.

Sad story, broz

P.S. I don't think that it software problem. Guess they changed temperature range for working that's why overheat of modules start to disable wifi much more often.

I Also had same problem tried resetting networks also restore with iTunes  then tried the hair dryer and yes success only thing that worked A Big Thankyou

Firstly the wifi failed, then 3g failed although it still appeared in the top bar. I tried all the resets etc and then finally gave it the hairdryer treatment.

The application of heat from a hot hairdryer worked!! I confess that I had not expected this to make any difference at all but it did.

Do try all the sofware checks first such as network settings reset, etc.

I was about to call the insurance company and stump up the £50 excess for a new phone but I'm glad i held back and tried this first. I gave it full heat at about 1 inch for a full 5 minutes then left it to cool for 30 minutes. I directed the heat at the the earphone jack area as suggested elsewhere. This presumably allows heat inside the device more easily giving a more even and faster distribution of the heat.

Good luck.

I just had this issue today. Pehaps this issue has been there for over 2 wks but I never noticed it. Based on what I have read, seems like there is some type of an overheating issue due to which the solder comes off... I originally thought this was due to a software issue. I am past the warranty, but an apple guy helped on the phone. We went thru the backup and restoration of the iOS. I did this twice, but to no avail. The apple guy on a different call told me that this is most likely a hardware issue. This is my second phone, the first one had a bad on/off button on top. I was within the warranty period so was real happy that I got a new phone. I went to a MacExperience store in Indy. I called them today telling about the situation. They said 1 in 5000 phones have this issue ... I am one of the chosen ones! They said its 199 to fix it or get a new 4s for 199 with VZ contract. I am so mad! I doubt that the phone I was given was a new one!! Who knows the same phone had the same exact issue and was returned during warranty! No one will admit it!! I have not tried the hairdryer phenomena yet! I have an unlimited data plan, so may go on with this. VZ said they can give me the iphone 5 upgrade now, but I want to wait and hear whether a similar or a more troublesome bug exists for it. I got my dad an unlocked iphone 5 for $700! So now considering returning it... thought I'd share my experience. One +ve is that I am not alone with this issue! I have seen so many ppl talk about this issue, but no one from Apply stepping in and giving their 2 cents.... which is what this phone is worth now!!

Go on - try the hairdryer - nothing to lose. Then you can save your upgrade for the 5s or 6 in the Autumn.

I've been through the same issue with my wife's 4S. The wifi and Bluetooth quit working shortly after the most recent update in April. Went to the apple store, phone out of warranty, etc. We opted to wait and see instead of paying $200 for the new phone.

Here's the crazy part. Today, the wifi and Bluetooth suddenly started working properly. No freezer, no heat gun, it just started working after she restarted the phone.

Is it possible that apple sent out some sort of patch fix without requiring an update?

For those of you having problems, try restarting and turning on he wifi and report if its fixed.

My iPhone 4S also has the same problem after upgrading to 6.1.13. My guarantee had just expired so Apple said I would have to pay for a new phone. I asked if they could guarantee that a new one would not also break the same way - no was the answer - hence I did not replace the phone. Why should I buy another phone if they don't even know what the problem is? Apple need to fix this problem.