Q: wifi greyed out iphone 4s

It would be nice if Apple actually took the time to read some of their customer feedback and make changes to better serve us.

FackyouApple wrote:

 

It would be nice if Apple actually took the time to read some of their customer feedback and make changes to better serve us.

And it would be nice if you use the correct channel for feedback.  Apple does not read the threads on this discussion forum, as stated in the terms of use.

Either contact Apple directly, or go to www.apple.com/feedback.  That's the appropriate method of communicating with Apple.  Not this forum.  This forum is for user-to-user technical assistance.

Update:

I guess it was just a coincidence that the wifi came back after jailbreaking and using phone data...

My iPhone's wifi doesn't work again... It is still temp related...

Anyway, I noticed a BTServer Crash Report in settings/general/about/diagnostics&usage with the same time the bluetooth and wifi went down...

i get WiFiManager failed to initialize, Check Com.apple.wifid is running

Yes, definitelly it is not connected to jailbreak. It is heat as you said. For me the problem usually occurs during charging my phone with wifi ON. It fails lot of time and then when I disconnect charger and keep the phone cool down it works again... Need to mention that the wifi is not greyed out just phone lost the signal constantly. If the wifi is grey, then I need to heat the phone until the warning message appear and cool it down, restart network settings and then it works again for some time. But I don't like to use this method over the EMI shileld and glass because not only the wifi chip is targeted and the battery and other components could suffer. So I've ordered a repair kit and will try to concentrate the heat to wifi chip only and see what happen... This is just ridiculous issue....

This is what I did and it worked...Download the Witness Driving app and overheat your 4s using the app with all settings enabled and make sure it is charging as well... it may take 1/2 hour or so (maybe longer)...after that let it cool down (I held mine out the car window while driving) and then just do a reset of all settings. It worked on mine and it also fixed the battery issue as well. It went almost a day before it dropped to 99%, just sitting (not being used). It heats up right by the wifi chip and when you are running video, nav and charging all at once it gets toasty...enough to do the trick. It's been fine for a week so far..... http://youtu.be/FBi7wkatyPQ

Was having exact same problems with my wife's iPhone 4S - worthless Apple store rejects wiped out all her data , reset phone , yada yada yada , didn't work- then told her because it was out if warranty she would have to buy a new one for $200!! She did not do that fortunately and brought "the broken one" home and so I searched the web for answers. Sure enough - we weren't the only ones having this problem and that people had figured out a way to fix it at home. I even completely disassembled the phone and reconnected the logic board and all antennae connections to be sure - still no wifi and Bluetooth- I had just dropped my iphone the week before and it broke and requires me to purchase a brand new one because I was still under Verizon contract so I was not about to buy a second iphone for her and was desperate. So I figured what do I have to loose - nothing else worked - I will try the blow dryer trick. I heated the top area of her phone (near the earbud jack) while the phone was on until the screen said that phone was over operating temp and would not work until it cooled down- the I allowed it to cool in the fridge for only 5 mins or so. Sure enough the wifi and Bluetooth started working perfectly again and have been for days now - no problems at all!! I'm so upset that Apple wanted her to buy a replacement!!! This is an issue that has arisen after a software update. How many thousands of phones have they now sold to people with this same problem? I suggest you try this technique - you are stuck at this point. My 2 cents and I'm hoping you have the same success we had and save yourself some money and headache. Good luck. 

Was having exact same problems with my wife's iPhone 4S - worthless Apple store rejects wiped out all her data , reset phone , yada yada yada , didn't work- then told her because it was out if warranty she would have to buy a new one for $200!! She did not do that fortunately and brought "the broken one" home and so I searched the web for answers. Sure enough - we weren't the only ones having this problem and that people had figured out a way to fix it at home. I even completely disassembled the phone and reconnected the logic board and all antennae connections to be sure - still no wifi and Bluetooth- I had just dropped my iphone the week before and it broke and requires me to purchase a brand new one because I was still under Verizon contract so I was not about to buy a second iphone for her and was desperate. So I figured what do I have to loose - nothing else worked - I will try the blow dryer trick. I heated the top area of her phone (near the earbud jack) while the phone was on until the screen said that phone was over operating temp and would not work until it cooled down- the I allowed it to cool in the fridge for only 5 mins or so. I "reset network connection through the general settings  and restarted phone after completely powering it down (home and power button till you were the evil white Apple) .  Sure enough the wifi and Bluetooth started working perfectly again and have been for days now - no problems at all!! I'm so upset that Apple wanted her to buy a replacement!!! This is an issue that has arisen after a software update. How many thousands of phones have they now sold to people with this same problem? I suggest you try this technique - you are stuck at this point. My 2 cents and I'm hoping you have the same success we had and save yourself some money and headache. Good luck. 

Yes, this trick really works. The problem is it is not a long term solution and it will last only for few weeks if you are lucky. For me it worked appx. 2 weeks and then it started again so I've needed to repeat the hair dryier trick. It works again so I'm curious for how long...

$200 for a replacement iPhone 4S?  Sounds about right.  And for a device that is outside of warranty, that's at least $250 less than a full out of pocket replacement.

Just be advised that now that you have opened up the device and performed unauthorized service to it, the $200 out-of-warranty option is now off the table.  I hope your issue is resolved and never reoccurs, because if it does, Apple will not offer any options other than a full-price replacement.  Which, at least, will be eligible for AppleCare Plus.

So, that device also had never been backed up to iCloud or iTunes?  That's unfortunate.  You should regularly back up your data, because there are a lot of ways that the iPhone can lose that data.  Like any computer, it could crash and fail, or you could physically lose the device.  Backing up your data is your responsibility.  Granted, the Apple Store should have asked if you had backed up the data prior to troubleshooting, but the other side of this coin is that you should have had a backup, especially for a device over a year old.

Please stop this ******** about paying for replacement. Apple released software which screwed up the hardware of our perfectly working phones. Period. If the 4s can't handle it, they should never release it for this device and everything would be OK. I will lend you a car in good faith and you smash it. Should I buy a new and thank you for it? Don't be ridiculous. This has nothing to do with warranty! They should take responsibility for this and replace all affected phones for free either in warranty or not. And maybe they wouldn't lost thousands of customers... I can't get why you still defending Apple for this fail. I wish this would happen to you and maybe then you would change your speech.

While a software glitch can cause a wi-fi problem, this is fixed by restoring the device to factory settings.  If that does not resolve the issue, then it's NOT the iOS.  It's the hardware.

If it was the iOS, then ALL iPhones would have the exact same problem.  Literally millions of users would have this wi-fi greyed out problem.

Think of it like this.  You and 19 other people are at a party.  All of you drink from the same punch bowl.  The next day, two of you are very sick.  The other 18 are fine.  Is it logical to blame the punch?  Of course not.  If it was the punch, then everyone (or almost everyone) would be sick.  It must be something else that caused the illness.

When there is a common factor in both the 'healthy' and 'sick' individuals, it is virtually impossible for that common factor to be the cause.  Intelligent and rational troubleshooting looks for a UNIQUE factor that is different between the healthy ad sick individuals.

The iOS is a common factor across both the 'healthy' and 'sick' iPhones.  Therefore, it cannot be the cause (except in certain situations as I described above, where a restore resolves the issue).

What is the unique factor between the devices?  Since a particular iOS cannot be different in different devices (except for a bad install, which is easily fixed), the only remaining unique factors are hardware and user data.

Restoring as new removes all user data from the device, and also reinstalls the iOS.  Therefore, all that is left is the HARDWARE.

If you restore as new, and the wi-fi is still not working, it's hardware.  Not the iOS.

Go back to my January 18th post.

TJBUSMC1973 wrote:

 

I never said Apple was right.  I never said I agree with their warranty.  I've said I think the warranty should be longer than one year, but I made the purchasing decision to get my warranty extended via AppleCare.  My options at time of purchase were:

A) Not purchase the device.

B) Purchase the device and be content with a one-year warranty.

C) Purchase the device and have some form of additional coverage.

 

I went with option C.

 

There's a difference between what I would like and what is the reality.  I would like the Apple warranty to be longer than one year.  But it's not.  So, I made my decision based on reality, not what I 'wish' would happen.

 

I've even stated the best way to get Apple to resolve this issue.

In warranty, it should be free.

Not in warranty, it will cost between $149 and $269, depending on the model.

If that is not a viable option, request an exception by calling Apple Support and talking to a supervisor.

I've even given a script to use to have the best chance of getting an exception.  Read my last post.

 

What more, exactly, do you want?  You want me to agree that you get to automatically ignore the warranty, without making any kind of effort or request?  No.

 

If you want the warranty changed, give feedback to Apple.

If you want the consumer laws changed, give feedback to your representatives.

If you want your device serviced, either pay the fee, or request the exception like I've explained.

Why do I tell people to focus on the hardware side?  For one, it's the correct answer in 99%+ of these situations.  Second, if it was the iOS, the terms and conditions of the iOS update make it clear that ANYTHING that goes wrong as a DIRECT result of the iOS update is the SOLE RESPONSIBILITY of the user, not Apple.

But the hardware?  That's different.  You've actually got a chance that way.  And here's why:

TJBUSMC1973 wrote:

 

 

 

Here's a hint; instead of trying to blame the software, which is not the culprit, blame the defective wi-fi chip.  If you're out of warranty, try to request an exception based on that.

 

i.e.: "If the wi-fi chip was defective from the very beginning, and only the process of an iOS update would create enough stress to reveal this defect, then there was no way for me to report this defect during the normal warranty period.  No other operations on the iPhone created enough stress to reveal this defect, which was present all along.  Therefore, because the device was defective from day of purchase, but there was no way for me to test for that defect, it was impossible for me to report it prior to it being revealed.  The fact that it only revealed after the warranty expired should not infringe upon the validity of my claim."

 

If you stick to the idea that the iOS 'broke' the wi-fi, then you'll lose, because the terms of the iOS update make it clear that you are responsible for anything and everythig related to the iOS update.  But if you approach it from the idea that the wifi chip was defective, and ANY excessive heat could have revealed the defect, you've got a shot.

 

That's why I've been saying all along to address the hardware, not the software.  It can't be the software, because not every iPhone 4S or other iOS device running the EXACT SAME SOFTWARE has this problem.

 

If you blame the iOS, you'll get nowhere.

If you blame the wi-fi chip and the heat, you might get somewhere.

This is me trying to help, and give you a SCRIPT to read from to try to get an out-of-warranty exception.

My response to Nola was primarily to address the fact that his non-authorized service of the device forfeits any Apple-related options.

hey TJB, are you an Apple shill or just a moron?  Your response to my post is laughable.  Your punch bowl analogy makes me think you have the logic of a third grader. Do you really think that somehow a few people getting sick after drinking out of a single punch bowl,is somehow analogous to a stereotyped problem experienced by thousands of iPhone 4S customers after and OS update is valid?  Do you really believe that millions (33.8 million iPhones produced in September quarter 2013)  of iPhones were all produced with the same "batch" of wifi chips or components in the same factory by the same vendors using the exact same machinery and that there is no way that thousands of them couldn't have a real defect that only became apparent after a specific software update triggered a malfunction? Of course you don't because you are too busy trolling forums like this making worthless comments masquerading them as "advice".  I almost fell out of my chair after reading your warning about me forfeiting my " apple related services options" by a "non-authorized service attempt.". Oh man was that funny.  I am so worried that Apple won't fix my phone now if they somehow finally own up and take responsibility for this issue (I'm wont be holding my breath trust me) or that I would, for some insane urge to throw away money, pay them $200 more for a refurbished piece of crap 5 weeks before our cellular contract expires and a brand new iPhone 5 (or alternate phone) will be available for about the same price. Now the sad part is that while this is true for us this is sadly not true for many others who have already shelled outthe $200 or simple are stuck burning through their data plans on 3G because they can't get wifi. Apple should be ashamed, they posted QUARTERLY revenue of $37.5 BILLION - you read that right $37.5 BILLION!  If  this issue doesnt trigger a class action lawsuit I would be surprised.  Read this commentary below:

http://iphone4s-wifi-victims.blogspot.com/

We share the problems, and we're here to share and discuss for probable solutions.

My wifi started to malfunction after an ios6 update, it was still under warranty by that time but going back to the country of origin of the phone to claim the warranty will cost me more. I tried to go to apple authorized dealers here, but they won't help if you didn't bought the iphone from them... I've try everything suggested by apple but nothing works, then I found this forum and the method of heating up, it works but just temporary... Now i've talk to my co-worker who has the same wifi problem after updating to ios7, i just known that her iphones wifi has been working for months now, her boyfriend took it to a repair shop, she doesn't know exactly what they did, but they didn't replace anything Or any parts...

I started to wonder what they did to her phone, but one thing is for sure, that repair shop have encountered a lot of this same problem and was able to find a way to fixed it...

I disassembled my iphone and heated the wifi chip directly hoping this is what they did...

It worked, but I still have to observe it if it will last...

jamted, if they did not replace the chip I would say they just reflow the solder between the chip and the board. This could be logic as according my opinion our wifi chips are OK. It's just bad conenction with a board because of heat the iOS produce.  Of course because of ****** manufacturing process. This solution could last much longer as with this process you could probably reflow the cavities in the solder and make the contact much better. Hairdryer methods are not so powerfull that's why it last only for few weeks. But I believe that direct heat on the chip could help for months. In my country there are no appstores as well and resellers are not of any help. So I've already ordered repair kit for phones and if this happen again I plan to dissasemble the phone and make a direct hit at the chip - but I need to buy heat gun first.... In any case, iPhone which is not completelly working is a piece of crap for me so I have nothing to lose. Either fix it or smash it over a wall...