What to do about broken WiFi on iPhone 4S after iOS 7 update?

I posted a new thread about my phone (4S) and iOS 7.1 but haven't had much help.

Since updating my phone to 7.1 a few weeks ago my phone has had the same WiFi problems as everyone else on here. It did work to start with, then it would drop out and just search for wifi with no joy. Doing a soft reset each time would fix it for the day but then it stopped working completely. No amount of resetting would help and my WiFi button has been greyed out for about 5 days now. Even a full restore didn't help.

Like many others my phone is well out of warranty as I've had it 2 years now. I'm suspecting the WiFi hardware is fried meaning I either take it to Apple and get it diagnosed, then get charged £200 to fix it....(unbelievable!), I could maybe claim on my phone insurance possibly to get it repaired, or I could get it fixed by a 3rd party and get the battery changed while I'm at it, then sell it because I'm escaping from Apple for Android now.

My wife's iPhone 4S would not connect to the internet. At some time in the past I had installed software called "Onavo" which was supposed to save cellular data. Removing this program has fixed all the problems. Also found that it was on my iPhone 5 and was preventing using cellular data on the Orange network in France, even thought the phone worked fine in the US on AT&T. I'd say get rid of that software if you have it on your phone. There is some wierd interaction with iOS7 in some cases.

For mine it appears to be hardware and heat . As the phone heats up I can see the Wifi signal strength weaken as it heats up. If I stand right at the router it will be full 5 bars if I put my body between the phone and router it will drop to 1 bar . If I take 5 steps away from router the phone can not find it. If I restart the phone at this point the wifi toggle switch is grayed out and is unable to be put in the "on" mode. If I turn the phone off and put it in the freezer for 15 min, the wifi mode will work when I turn it on and will continue to work fine so long as the phone stays cool, which is a problem since now with every update since 7.0.3 the thing runs very hot with most apps.

If the wifi stopped working, instead of doing a restart, I put the phone aside, after cooling off , wifi works again.

I believe mine is a problem of the 7.0.3 update caused my phone to rune hot thus damaging the wifi chip. When cool and the best conductivity it works fine, but once warm it stops working properly.

My phone is no loger covered under apple care so is there someone or somewhere that will replace the wifi chip for a reasonable price?

I was so happy about getting an Iphone around 7 months ago, after the update my Wi-Fi greys out i'm so disappointed then going online to see all these people having the exact same issue and Apple seems to ignore it, this is the last time i buy a product from this lousy company.

I solved my problem by going to an apple store and it turns out my phone was still covered by the 2yr warranty you get when buying from Apple so they just gave me a new Phone :)

If any of you have the problem since the ios7 update and have had the phone less than 2 years go see apple and they should replace it without arguments. Hardware failure is covered and that is what the problem is. The update has caused the wifi chip to malfunction and fail.

If you are unsure if you are still under Applecare:

https://selfsolve.apple.com/agreementWarrantyDynamic.do

So i recieved an IOS7 7.1 Update today, looks like it fixed my Wi-fi so im a happy customer again. 🙂

This whole thing was very odd.

Based on my experience, I think you're right, DT_moon. My iPhone 4S wi-fi and bluetooth both died with the iOS7 upgrade. I tried everything suggested by Apple, and a couple things from the blogs, all without success. Here's what finally worked: It's been hot in California lately, and I left my phone out in the sun for about 30 minutes, to the point where it shut down from too much heat. When it cooled off, I was able to use bluetooth, but still no wi-fi. The next morning I discovered that my battery was completely dead. After charging the battery, both bluetooth and wi-fi are working. It's been 3 days and everything is working fine so far.

I have read hundreds of posts looking for a solution and yours seems to have at least the best possible explanation for what is creating the problem. Even if it is Apple's fault I would not mind paying not more than $50. But Apple is not admitting fault or offering a feasible solution other than telling us to buy another iPhone.

I have read hundreds of posts looking for a solution and yours seems to have at least the best possible explanation for what is creating the problem. Even if it is Apple's fault I would not mind paying not more than $50. But Apple is not admitting fault or offering a feasible solution other than telling us to buy another iPhone.

I had the same problem everyone else did. My wifi was greyed out and my bluetooth no longer worked. I called Apple and of course they say it is a hardware problem and I can fix it for $199 or go back to Verizon and replace it. Yeah right, I really want to line Apple's pockets with more of my money after only getting to use this iPhone for 2 years?? I don't think so. I will seriously think about Samsung or HTC next time and I never thought I would sway from Apple. Shame on Apple!

Now for the fix, I used the hair dryer/freezer method and it worked! Now I have my wifi and bluetooth back. Still not going to be a future Apple customer unless they admit to their flaw and take care of customer business fairly instead of "stone walling" us.

You've already proved it's a hardware problem. The heating/cooling stuff will do nothing to the software. Your only question for Apple is whether your phone is under warranty or not. Hope the hardware glitch you fixed stays fixed.

Anytime I put the phone in the freezer for about 10 minutes I get the wifi working for a few minutes. It is now time to try the blow dryer solution which quite a few people have said it works, even if it does work for a few days or months. Apple..."come out, come out, wherever you are..."

Watch this video and you will see the light. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mVkiU2jNSE

I got my IPhone 4s fixed at repair shop they replaced the defective part. The question is has anyone had this done and did it last??