Wifi not working after upgrade to iOS 7

Lawrence Finch wrote:

Your statement is incorrect. Explain why it ALSO happened after upgrading to iOS 6. And to iOS 5. And not associated with any upgrade.

This is simply a case of emotionalism trumping logic and rational thought.

eyalzek wrote:

To be fair, there are 2 major issues on this thread; the one is the greyed out wifi and the second is the phone not discovering any wifi networks. I suffer from the latter.

But to my knowledge and all the research I made this past week I can definitely say this does not only occur after upgrading to IOS 7. However it seems like the ios 7 update spurred the most problems...

It's very frustrating, I'm not the kind of guy who is used to just replace a piece of tech that stops working right away - and it doesn't look like there's a lot I can do in this situation.... If I can pay someone to fix my phone then I know I can do it myself. If my only option is to pay Apple to replace my phone then I'm f****d, and will absolutely not do that.

Have you followed all the steps listed in iOS: Troubleshooting Wi-Fi networks and connections?

If so, and you still have issues, try calling Apple Support. They may have additional options.

However, be advised that Apple does not sell user-service parts, so anywhere you acquire them from is not a legitimate source. Not only does that have its own potential pitfalls, it also means that if anyone that is not authorized by Apple performs service on an iOS device, then Apple cuts off all service and support. Meaning that the out-of-warranty options are permanently removed.

In other words, once you start down that path, you are totally on your own. Even if Apple later said, "Hey, guys, we've decided to provide free service and upgrades to newer units for anyone with a wi-fi greyed out issue on an iPhone 4S", you won't have that option.

Just be advised of the ramifications of your decision.

Followed this instructions too many time, thanks though.

Unfortunately I leave in a country where Apple doesn't have retail stores - just approved sellers, and I'm sure handling with them will go a lot less smooth than as it would with apple. Especially with my phone not being covered by insurance anymore....

Appreciate your advice regarding the parts, but I highly doubt that I ever get to a point where I'll be entitled to free service from Apple.... Anyhow, I am not sure what needs to be replaced exactly, but if I'll end up doing it I can always reverse the procedure if it gets in the way of a free legit fix=)

My only point was that people without the authority to accurately say that it is an absolute hardware failure are doing just that.

It could be hardware, it could be software, it could be faulty soldering... it could be many things.

Until the only authority that matters says it is one or the other (APPLE) it is open for discussion and interpretation. Which is exactly what you have done. You have an opinion and that is all.

Almost all the people on this forum are out of warranty but still under the 2 year contract. Telling them to just give up because you say it is a hardware failure is wrong. It will cost them hundreds of dollars in upgrades.

You are misleading people, you are representing yourself as an expert on something you know little about.

Cheers.

Btw. Thanks for your service. Semper Fi '84-90

Do I have the authority? No.

Do I have enough relevant experience and done enough research to have a high level of confidence about my conclusion? Absolutely.

My military service is not my only technical experience, especially regarding Apple products and iOS devices in particular. I simply refered to a situation that occured during my service. Seems you jump to conclusions with limited or no information.

Let's look at it this way; you surmised, without any research, that it had to be iOS 7. You even demanded proof that it wasn't specific to iOS 7. I was able to provide that proof, quickly & easily. Which of us has a more educated 'opinion' about this issue?

I might not be an 'expert' on this matter. However, I understand, far more than the average user, the hardware and software of an iOS device. To say I know 'little' about the subject is very incorrect.

And I never said to 'give up'. I actually provided a script to use with Apple Support to persuade them to grant an exception to the out-of-warranty situation.

For each specific individual, they need to get Apple involved. Apple will decide if that particular issue is hardware or software. And the way that they will do so is to restore the device as new. If the issue remains, it's hardware. If the issue disappears, it was software or data related. It's that simple.

That's how Apple determines if a particular unit is suffering a hardware or a software fault. And the vast majority of people with this issue that have restored as a new device confirm that it does not resolve the issue. And those that have done so and then gotten the device replaced almost always confirm that hardware replacement solved the issue. So, restoring the software rarely has any affect, and repalcing the device almost always has an effect.

Therefore, the most common cause of this problem (but not every single occurrence) is hardware related, not software.

Let me ask you this; if it's not hardware related, then why would you want Apple to replace the device at all? Replacing the device only affects the hardware, not the software or your data backup.

"It's not the hardware, but I want my device replaced." Totally contradictary and illogical.

Further to my last post, my 4S that I swapped with my son for his Sony Xperia S is still working fine with all latest updates (7.0.6) no problem with his wifi, weird as this one was a refurbished 4S, my wife's was a new one bought 1 month prior, so quite possibly a hardware fault ????

Davy220666 wrote:

Further to my last post, my 4S that I swapped with my son for his Sony Xperia S is still working fine with all latest updates (7.0.6) no problem with his wifi, weird as this one was a refurbished 4S, my wife's was a new one bought 1 month prior, so quite possibly a hardware fault ????

Very possibly. A remanufactured iPhone actually goes through a more detailed inspection and quality assurance process than a new one. New iPhones are assembled via an assembly line and partially automated process, and only a small percentage are tested before leaving the factory. A remanufactured iPhone is individually assembled, and a single person is held accountable for signing off on the device's quality after the testing process. Also, a remanufactured iPhone has all new parts, except for the camera and processor, and each component, including the reclaimed camera and processor, are tested before assembly individually.

Well my greyed out wifi button is back on my Verizon 4S. Was running 7.0.6 prior to updating to 7.1 today. I have had both the greyed out wifi button and the no networks found issue with the button working. 3 times with the greyed out button and 1 time with wifi on but no networks found. 2 times the cook (pellet stove) and cool method worked for me (once for the wifi greyed out and once for the no networks). Prior to the cook and cool method none of the apple recommended solutions worked. The third time this issue (greyed out button) occured the network reset issue worked, surprisingly. The fourth time is today after update to 7.1 the button is greyed out. This did not happen immediately after the update but about 2 hours after the update. Not sure there is any correlation to the 7.1 update. Tried the network reset. No go. Not sure what to do next. Continually cooking the device in front of the pellet stove cannot be good for it.

For anyone in Europe with this problem we have a statutory 6 year warranty. With this is mind I have had 2 new iPhones sent to me because of greyed out wifi. It happened the first time after I had my phone for 2 1/2 years. Apple acknowledged and replaced it. 2 weeks later, same thing with a brand new phone.

Apple replaced and had it back to me in 48 hours...awesome!!!

Warranty in Europe is 2 years, this is my knowledge.

As Apple usualy gives only a 12 months warranty, in Italy they give direct support only if you buy iPhone directly at Apple Store, if bought vie carrier they force you to go trough them starting from beginning 2nd year.

That's what I did. They promised to repair/give a solution the phone in 3 (three!) weeks.

Meanwhile I'm chosing my very first Android.

My undertanding, after visiting tens of blogs is that a big part of iPhone 4S suffer of a hardware failure related to WiFi. Unfortuneately this emerges only after upgrade to iOS7, as it seems to stress more that part.

Apple doesn't make any statement, but I think that everybody with the issue, even if out of warranty, should ask for a repair/replacement, as it is a problem from the origin.

Did anyone have any change after updating to 7.1?

Some forums threads suggest another solution to fix the “gray out” iPhone 4S Wifi issue: placing the iPhone 4S in a refrigerator or freezer for several minutes, for they considered the 4S WiFi issue after iOS 7 update is caused by the heating issues. AND I TRIED IT AND IT WORKED !!! 🙂 MUST TRY !

For what it's worth: I upgraded to iOS 7.1 on my 5s 32 G last night and after the upgrade...no WiFi. I attempted many of the fixes on this and other threads but what finally seems to have solved the problem was for me to:

1. Back up and sync my phone to my Win 7 computer.

2. Select "Restore iPhone" to factory defaults, using the computer iTunes interface (as opposed to selecting "Full Reset" in Settings on phone).

3. Restore the back-up from the computer.

I Now have normal WiFi functionality.

BTW...it also eliminated 8 or so Gigs of "Other" data previously noted on my Summary page for the phone in iTunes.

I have done the heating up and cool down trick twice and it has worked. However it is not a permanent fix. Wifi greyed out comes back. I have also tried all the apple recommended actions and sometimes they work (network reset particularly) but mostly not. The problem always comes back. This has been going on for about 2 months now. I am sending my phone in to a repair guy on ebay who says he can fix wifi issue for less than $50. Stay tuned. Iphone 4s 32gb verizon.

Dave

Hope you're not paying someone to superheat your iPhone 😀

I tried the heating with a blow dryer until error message and putting in the freezer for 10min method, and my wifi is working perfectly for 5 days now. Not expecting this to last forever, but it's still better than nothing.

I'll probably use this trick a few more times until I'll give up and buy an Android...

Thank you Apple for demonstrating how bad is your service before I bought another one of your products!