iphone 4s wifi greyed out.

Just got this Grayed out apple 'feature' after owning the iphone 4s for 15 months (so out of warranty). I used the HOTSPOT feature for the first time over the last 2 days, and then when I got back home it didn't automatically find my home wi-fi network. I re-searched for the home network, and WI-FI worked for about an hour. Then Wi-Fi dropped out, and the grayed out apple feature started.

I wonder how many other people have had this issue after using hotspot for a few hours. Maybe the hotspot feature overheats the WI-FI chip, and kills it - or creates 'dry' solder joints due to excessive heat around the chip.

I'm powering down the iPhone for 30 minutes to see if that makes a difference. Though not holding my breath.

I get my new Samsung note3 next week, so good-bye to apple, and their low quality wi-fi design.

SammieC001 -Can you tell me store in Australia you went too? I have 1 month left of my Optus 2 yr contract, Unfotrunately I couldnt use the Optus 2 yr warrently as I had previously replaced my Iphone (different issue) at at Apple store so differnet IMIE# ! Not impressed.

I think Apple should be offering all 4S users with this faulty wifi chip a new Iphone 5S for annoyance caused... As one of the richest companies in the world its pretty lame they are conceling this issue.

hey dempseyjohn, the Doncaster store in Melbourne

I have finally given my iphone 4S to the repairer in Mumbai and got it back. The wifi is perfectly restored and is working well since the past 2 days. it seems to be a fairly smaller repair as the charges were very nominal at $35 (INR 2250). This includes the price for the part which is nearly $25, service charges and taxes. I was hesitating since the past few months to give it for repairs. Took a last chance with iOS 7 upgrade to see whether it can fix the problem which was not to be. If you don't hear from me again, it would mean my wifi is hale and hearty and I am filled with gratitude to the repair guy!

@ biju_samuel The repair man may have just taken the cover off, and heated up the WI-FI chip to re-flow the solder joins under the chip. A perfectly good enough repair (if he heated it up correctly, and didn't melt any of the surrounding connectors, etc). To change the chip and re-flow I would expect costs a bit more than $10 labour, because the job takes 30-60 minutes instead of 5 minutes. On the other hand - I don't know what labour rates are like in India.

@Dempseyjohn - I'm surprised Optus won't recognise the new iPhone and it's new IMIE under warranty. Having worked there I know they keep extremely accurate details, and would know the exact date your IMIE changed. Marry that up with any paper work Apple gave you at change over time, and it would be very hard for Optus to deny you warranty - especially since you are still paying for the hardware on their 2 yr contract plan (with 2yr warranty).

Zikeokiller -Thanks for the reply. I too was surprised. I handed ithe phone into a store in Sydney all good to go, then got a call the next day saying they couldn't send it due to diifferent IMIE. I'd actually forgotton that I had replaced the phone at an Apple store as it was only a few weeks into getting it from Optus nearly 2 years ago. So i contacted Apple and they were very good in emailing me proof of when I visited the store and the new IMEI straight away. I tried to show Optus this proof but they insisted that the 2 yr warrenty was for the original phone they gave me, not the phone I got from Apple. I said to them if I had handed my phone into Optus 2yrs ago, rather than directly to Apple, would I still have warranty and they said yes.. Interestingly enough a diiferent store in Randwick (where I purchased the phone) have said they should be able to update the IMEI (via Boomerang?) and I can send it off - so waiting to hear back from them. I will let you know how I get on.

Thanks for your reading on the repair job. Their bill shows a spare change for $25. Btw, I am in Mumbai where many services are available for good value-for-money...only thing is one need to find a trustable service. Anyways, i am just keeping my fingers crossed. its now three days and everything is perfect. in case there is an early disappointment, i will share it here. One thing is that i got the phone after 5 days which looked like waiting for the spare...hopefully so!

Forget about rebooting with "do not disturb on and flight mode on" (LOL..) and forget about the freezer and resetting network settings. Toasting the phone with a hair dryer for 3 mins fixed the greyed-out Wifi - works now for nearly a month and upgrading to IOS7 was also not an issue.

Hi try to discharge the battery and then charge full again its work for me

Guys, I tried every single tip on this post. And guess what, all of them worked. Reseting network settings, rebooting with "do not disturb on and flight mode on", restoring to original settings. All of these tricks wich can make us think of a software problem. But each one of these made the wi-fi and bluetooth last for no more than 2 days. Then I started the hardcore stuff like overheating it. And it worked as well. But for no longer than 2 days again. I think that if overheating you phone "fixes" it, should be a hardware problem, right?

So what? If both "software tricks" and "hardware tricks" worked out, what's the real problem? They all worked once, for a short time. I find it funny how these things are happening everywhere around the globe and Apple has nothing to say about it.

When I took my phone to an Apple authorized, it had N/A on wi-fi. They guy said with all his brilliantism: "your wi-fi chip is broken". Ok, half an hour later I was home reading this post and restoring my iPhone to original settings AND seeing my wi-fi fully working after it. I went back to the store and asked gently for the guy to explain me how the f*ck restoring a phone can fix a broken part of it. He, of course, had nothing to say. He started to check my iPhone again and diagnosed that the headphone jack humidity sensor was red (bad sign), and that was the reason why my wi-fi was *malfunctioning* (not broken anymore).

2 days and wi-fi greyed out again. I tried the Do not disturb and Flight mode trick. Guess what? It worked. Yes people, miraculously, turning off my iPhone for a couple of minutes brought my drowned wi-fi chip back to life. But again, for no longer than a couple of days.

What I'm trying to say is: cut the crap about user's fault and give people smart answers. If this is really a hardware problem, it is NOT our fault, measures about it should be taken. I refuse to believe that phones with this technology can only last for less more than a year, there's something really wrong about it. If it is a hardware problem due to software problem, or just a regular software problem, fix it. Give people answers. Apple has its own geniuses. We, costumers, do NOT need to be one of them and find out tricks to make our phones work again.

Totally agree, it's not fair on us that apple keeps quiet about such an issue or just come up with some BS explanation that revolves around puting the blame on us. I think (my opinion only) that they feel too embarassed to admit that it is a hardware issue mostly affecting the iphone 4s that hasn't been fully worked out on the drawing board before going for mass production. However, not all 4s iphones were affected by this issue and in my opinion it is to do with how the phone is used and how much the wifi ship is solicited.

For the ones affected by this issue you may only have two options:

- if the phone is under warranty get a replacement as soon as possible (I believe it is a hardware issue and there is no point in waiting for a software fix)

- if it is past the warranty period you can either have it fixed at a trusted repair shop or pay apple $200 for a replacement (whichever option is more financially viable to you). I've read somewhere that some nice geniuses could get you a free replacement even when you're past the warranty period (I haven't come across one of these yet).

For the ones that have fully functioning wifi ships on their 4s iphones I would recommend to:

- avoid over the air upgrades especially in slow connection areas: do it on the computer/laptop through itunes and then synchronise the iphone to itunes (still no gurantee that this wont mess up your wifi functionality for whatever reason),

- avoid exposing the phone to the sun or to too much heat especially when it is running processor "hungry" applications such as Sat Nav applications,

- preferably turn off wifi functionality in weak signal areas to prevent overstressing the wifi module as it continuously tries to locate a signal that it can connect to, and this is good for battery longevity too.

Hope this helps

P.S. Some of these concerns might already have been tackled in some ios updates, which I am not aware of.

When are you people ever going to get your ***** in gear and sort this wifi issue out !?!? its been MONTHS !!!

Mercia001 wrote:

When are you people ever going to get your ***** in gear and sort this wifi issue out !?!? its been MONTHS !!!

Who do you think you're talking to?

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