Unable to turn on Wifi on iPhone 4S iOS 7.0.3

Yay!!! The freezer trick worked!! Hard to believe, but it did! I tried it for 5 mins the first time and it didn't work. After going thru a few other things on here and none of them working I decided to try the freezer again. Put the phone in the baggie and put it in the freezer for 12 mins and then did the reboot. Wifi came on right away! Thanks!!

Update to the March 18th post... the freezer trick worked, but only temporarily. The wi-fi was dead again the next morning. So we sent it in to Apple for repair/replacement as it was still under warranty.

I'm a mac user and fan dating back to the 80's as well as a share holder and honestly Apple should be ashamed of themselves for how they're handling the iPhone 4s wifi and bluetooth greyed out / non functioning problem. As many have concluded the update to iOS 7 has rendered thousands of 4s's virtually useless due to how the update is making the wifi chip (which manages the bluetooth functions) overheat telling the system to shut them down.

They keep claiming it's a hardware issue--which isn't the exactly true. The software is making the hardware run hotter than it should. And the software is shutting down the functions. Resetting the network configurations doesn't work. The freezer remedy only solves the problem for a short time. Until Apple provides some kind of fix voluntarily (as they should to loyal customers) or is forced by a class action lawsuit and recall (hello, where are the scum sucking attorneys when you need them. ;) the best fix I could find after 4 months scouring the internet are these videos made by an iPhone 4s customer who had the exact same problem. He even went as far as to secretly video tape his interaction at an Apple store as well as report to the local NBC news affiliate:

http://youtu.be/4mVkiU2jNSE

http://youtu.be/mK5Piz5XZVg

Apple store meeting (identical to the experience I had with Apple): http://youtu.be/0DwY452C_sw

This fellow provides a briefer explanation with a disclaimer that it may not be permanent:

http://youtu.be/brliKIdTECg

Hope this helps

This has just worked for me, thank you, thank you, thank you! Hopefully it is a long term fix!

For what it's worth, I have done the overheating hack back in Dec 2013 and my wifi has been working since.

Thank you for that post. I spent a very frustrating evening with Apple tech with this problem & did the whole restore as their techs (2 sessions) did NOT use their own resolution steps. The restore was lengthy, frustrating, & did NOT work!

It looks like their techs would know how to reference their own resolutions first. They did have me turn on then turn off airplane mode but did NOT work either. They never mentioned the solution to reset the network at all.

I did also try the hairdryer trick and that did fix my problem so far. If that fails later will try the other solutions. I am sure they will work, but must follow directions explicitly for them to do so. At least, I do not have to mail my 4s off for a replacement.

By the way, I bought the Apple insurance when I purchased my 4s, so replacement is free after the initial warranty period expires. Its just very inconvenient to deal with not having a phone until you receive the replacement.

This forum has been worth its weight in gold.... if one solution doesnt work, keep trying until you find one that may work for you!

Resolution

My wife's iPhone 4S's WIFI suddenly goes off last night. She ordered me to fix it. I tried the Apple suggested steps, but it does not work. Because I do not have 4G data plan, I cannot initiate the diagnostics by clicking the link in the message sent by Apple. I need to get a sim card having 4G data to do it tomorrow.

Follow these steps to resolve the issue:

1. Restart your iOS device.
2. Make sure that airplane mode is off by tapping Settings > Airplane Mode.
3. Reset the network settings by tapping Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings.
   This will reset all network settings, including Bluetooth pairing records, Wi-Fi passwords, VPN, and APN settings.
4. Make sure that your device is using the latest software. To do so, connect your device to your computer and check for updates in iTunes.

Thank you for the post. So frustrated by this issue. My iPhone 4S started having wifi issues back in October. First, it would not connect to wifi, but resetting the network 5-10 times a day would allow it to connect periodically. Then my phone around January stopped connecting to wifi all together. It will not even give me the option to turn my wifi on. I have tried every solution and nothing has fixed this issue. I until recently just gave up on it and decided to wait until my upgrade that is in NOVEMBER 2014!! I am so disappointed in apple and will not be upgrading to an apple product. I just wish I could find a fix to get this issue resolved until then!

Apple said it is a hardware issue. And I can pay $199 service fee to have it fixed by Apple.😠

My 4S lost WiFi last night with iOS7.1.1. Have tried the Aero turn off and Network Reset suggestions but no success. Have phone in freezer at moment to see if cooling it helps as suggested. Has anybody got other suggested possible solutions?

Have now tried heating up my phone using a hair drier as appleaday8 has previously suggested. See YouTube at http://youtu.be/mK5Piz5XZVg. Heated phone up until warning sign appeared, switched it off and allowed to cool in freezer. After about 15 mins switched it on and it connected to WiFi. Brilliant. Why don't Apple sort this one as they are being made to look very unfriendly. It is not hardware as suggested. There does appear to be a fault, an Apple fault, with iOS 7, any version. Thanks to community members for the suggestion of how to solve this problem.

You have actually proven that is is hardware. Heating an iPhone and freezing it won't affect the software.

I too have this same issue. I'm unable to use wifi after update 7.0.2 and battery is dead in 3 hrs if not plugged in. Thanks Apple for breaking our phones and failing to acknowledge the issue. Epic fail & another lost follower

Copied from an earlier post I made in this thread:

"I think you would be far better off asking for a free iPhone 4s as a replacement. If it were me I would call Applecare, ask to be transferred to Customer Service and work my way up. And get the names of each person you talk with."

Hi ! I am new to the community, I experience the same problem with a 4s, and tried what is recommended by apple (http://support.apple.com/kb/ts1559)

I also contacted apple through the live chat. They proposed I should service the device to a third party service (guarantee expired + no authorized apple service in my area).

It is a hardware problem on the motherboard. The cost is about 100 euros (I called 3 different shops).

I think it is too much, because it seems it is not a problem caused by phone bad usage, bad rather it is an apple miscalculation, either in ios 7 or in hardware, I dont know. I assume this because it is a very common problem.

Thank you for reading