iphone 4s wifi greyed out.

It works for me as well but only fter i off my phone after a long time like 2-3 hrs . But i can only find my house wifi and when i'm out, i can't use the wifi cuz there's no suggestion . thankyou for the suggestion anyway !

Obviously TJBUSMC1973 doesn't have the problem.

Most of us seem to have the same issue; wifi grayed out and a spinning symbol where we expect Bluetooth. We all had working phones one day; and the next they weren't. There is very clearly a problem here; a problem that in automotive terms could result in a recall regardless of age or warranty. Kit has to be 'worthy' of sale, and this might well relate to the software upgrade. Either way it's a rubbish deal that this thread has over 30,000 viewings... ( I only read threads here that affect me ) I'm not splashing out $200 for a refurb device with 90 day warranty. I could be spening $600 in a year and find some schmuk telling me it's a good deal. Get real.... our expensive gadgets are now JUNK. I've Apple TV but can't airplay cos this thing is now JUNK. Luckily my android tablet connects too.

I'm now sitting waiting on IOS7 in a vain hope it recovers this ornament. (iphone 4s)

You have reported a defect in your device after the one year warranty has expired.

Tell me, what electronics company in the world would replace a defective device out of warranty for free?

Nope, I don't have the problem. And if I did, I'd still be covered because I have coverage for my device.

Your device currently has ZERO warranty. So, how is getting an additional 90 days of warranty a bad deal?

You're getting a 66% discount on the cost of the device.

Perhaps there is an argument for a 120 day warranty instead of a 90 day warranty.

Would 120 day warranty be acceptable for you?

There is no question of warranty. I think everyone agrees to that. Don't grill people just because they have a defective machine and opted not to get the extended warranty.

Facts are, this is limited to iPhone 4S with 6.1.3 iOS. I don't suppose anyone with iPhone 5 has this issue as well. Another fact is this issue is not brought by user's mishandling, out-of-scope programming, etc. This error came up randomly.

If you claim that all electronics device are subjected to error in the manufacturing stage and as consumers, we should just accept it as it is, then thats your take on that. Don't bash people here just because they think otherwise.

We come here to seek help, get some clarity on how to fix this problem. Because we expect more from Apple. Because unlike any other brands, Apple does something better than everyone else. Apparently, not all the time.

Going back to your claim about warranty, there are replacement programs in place. http://www.apple.com/support/exchange_repair/ . Apple can recall or replace this defective iPhone 4s if they so opt to. Isn't it better to have it replaced if only a small number of users have it as compared to thousands?

Again, exactly how many was your number to conclude that there is an 'insignificant' amount of cases like this?

By the way, you responded to the wrong person.

Grill people? I didn't grill anyone. I pointed out that by choosing to opt out of the extended warranty, you accepted the default warranty as acceptable coverage. You agreed, at time of purchase, that a year of proper operation would be an acceptable minimum time frame. There was no promise made about any performance AFTER that time frame. Now, if you changed your mind too late (and you had an entire YEAR to change your mind and get the extended warranty), then that's unfortuante.

The fix to the problem is straightforward, and been answered hundreds of times.

If within warranty, get a free replacement.

If outside of warranty, pay the discounted price for a repalcement (approximately 66% off normal retail price).

Why doesn't Apple replace these devices, that have an alleged defect reported after the warranty expired? Because that sets a very dangerous precedent, and nullifies the entire point of a limited warranty. If Apple is just going to repalce a defective item at any point after the warranty expires... then why even have a warranty period? How long after the warranty expires do you feel that Apple should replace a defective item?

Ad as far as the rate of incidence? It's less than 0.5%, according to reports. And that's in reference to ANY wi-fi issue with ANY iPhone, even ones that get corrected by the basic troubleshooting steps & by http://support.apple.com/kb/ts1559

Have you tried the steps in that article first? Just out of curiousity.

Lets be clear regardless of how much you love Apple or warranties... This phone, like many others, worked until a few weeks ago; It is now defunct. I would think it hghly unlikely that a generic software update JUNKS a phone because of a hardware problem. There may be a hardware issue of some sort but it wasn't presented till now, till after a software update I personally think my phone would still be a smartphone if I hadn't updated it... that's history as it is undoutedly JUNK now.

Yes I have followed the instructions to turn on airplane mode, and turn it on and leave a few hours,,, Kaput ! Yes I have stuck it in the freezer for an hour (twice)... for info after the freezer it does work for an hour then goes dud again, I've left it several hours again and guess what, it's JUNK. Yes I could assume it might be a harddware issue but why do I just see it fail after a software upgrade? I appear to have little option other than hope IOS7 recovers it OR accept it is JUNK. It is JUNK at the moment.

Without appearing to be cheeky or disingenuous... I expect equipment to work until it fails, not until a software update breaks it. I'll go wait on IOS7 and see what happens... meantime I'll work wit my other hardware. I'm not saying Apple are different than any other company.. I'm saying they appear no different than others and I have a $500 piece of JUNK. Thats a lot of cash to me.

That's a lot of cash to you? Then perhaps you should not own such an expensive phone?

Your device worked, as advertised, during the agreed upon warranty period.

Promise by Apple = fulfilled.

I tell you what; I'll buy your 'piece of junk' for $100. Actually, now that you've put it in the freezer, I won't. If you hadn't, your out of warranty replacement would be an option, and I'd get another iPhone 4S for $300, then sell it for around $450. Now you don't have the option anymore, because of the 'freezer trick'.

It IS a hardware issue. I've explained this multiple times, but I'm not going to waste the effort anymore, simply because you don't understand it. Well, maybe one more time.

The problem is caused by HEAT. Too much heat damages the defective wi-fi chip that was not constructed to the required standards (i.e., it was defect at time of manufacture). During an update, a lot of heat is generated. For a non-defective chip, this is no problem. For a defective chip, this is a problem.

This failure was caused by heat, not by the software update specifically. Any source of excessive heat could have caused the failure. The hardware defect was just waiting to fail. The software update is basically the 'straw' that broke the camels' back. Others have reported this failure even without a software update involved.

iOS 7 won't recover it. The damage is done. Unless there's some way for the circuit pathway to be bypassed via software (which I doubt), a software update won't fix it.

There is physical, internal damage that needs to be repaired. The only way iOS 7 would 'fix' it, is if the heat generated during the update happened to 'push' things back in place, sort of like the 'hairdryer' trick claims to do.

So, there you go. Hopefully, that was explained in a simple enough manner for you to understand.

Forget it... i was looking for assistance and I'm happy, I'm really glad that others sem to have managed to recover their phone. At least they have had success and good news.

For the record I support technology and whilst heat may have been a factor, anyone can guess what is wrong with mine but nobody can be sure unless I returned it. I'll just keep it for spare parts to be quite honest, and get the value that way. Bust back, bent case, spare battery... It'll come in useful as I see these issues over the course of a year anyway.

If your assumption of excessive heat was true then dont you think that would be design issue? It's certainly not part of the planned update process. Unfortunately for me, and unlike any firmware updates I normally do, we dont have the option to restore the previous firmware of the phone. That would have helped isolate one factor for sure. Maybe I have been part of a small minority of unlucky folk this time.

You should chill though. My cash is spent on gadgets that I like and some lasts better than others, Most of my wastage is on kit that my ideas change over time rather than kit that goes dud (my archos, my DAB, my HTPC, my android phone; all work but I dont use). I still have my Apple TV, my iPad mini, Blackberry, other tablets. I dont have a problem spending money but I need to consider whether I'm simply throwing it down the toilet. I'll wait on IOS7 and see what happens to this 4s... it can't go downhill from here.

Thanks for trying to help, I'm outta this thread now as there's clearly no resolution for my problem. Thanks to all for the various attempts to resolve this problem. It was worth a try.

Hi Ralph

as the wifi is greyed out, the wifi address is still being displayed. I did try your fix, but did not work with my problem.

Have you heard before that wifi is greyed and wifi address under Settings > General > About >

is being displayed ??

pj-mckay, a well outlined argument, and I agree with you 100%. I've had my generic laptop for 4 years now (well and truly out of warranty) with several upgrades to software and RAM, and yet it is still going strong. One software upgrade on my iPhone 4S, and one of the main functions no longer works? Yes, the phone is out of warranty. Do I expect my expensive gadget to keep on working regardless? You bet! No, I don't expect Apple to replace my phone free of charge. But will I buy another one? Forget it, this is one peeved consumer.

Roger, thanks for tip on trying to get the wi-fi working. Didn't work here 😟

TJBUSMC1973 I found all your contribuitons combatitive and unhelpful.

Have you solved this? I'm not sure if anyone else had made this suggestion but I had tried EVERYTHING and seriously:

put your phone in a ziplock bag, get as much air out as possible, switch your phone onto do not disturb and airplane mode then power off and keep it in the freezer for 15 minutes.

So strange, but it worked like a charm for me!

Well I bought my Iphone today from the apple shop and after 3 hours of having it I can't use my wifi as it is greyed out... and i have tried everything suggested above ! What should I do ?

Hey Laura!

Perfect example. You haven't owned the phone long enough to need an update and you unfortunately have a defect in material. That's what the 1 year warranty is for.

Call AppleCare or set up a Genius Bar Reservation at any Apple Retail Store and they will replace the phone for you. Did you buy it at Apple Retail Store? Bring your box, etc, and the salesperson will swap it out with your receipt for another one. Do that only if you bought it at the Apple Store though.

Switch off your iporn.Wrap the bottom three quaters of your phone with a cold towel and also cover the camera area.Blow the top quarter with a hair dryer for three minutes. switch it on....and your wifi is back...l did it and it worked. good luck.