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iOS10 WiFi Keeps forgetting hidden network

I am on iPhone 5S iOS version 10.0.1 on T-Mobile network. At my work place we have hidden wifi network. It was working fine. But after my upgrade to iOS 10, the phone keeps forgetting the hidden network every time it goes another wifi network (say at home). My other colleagues who has iPhone 6 or 6s does not have any issues. Any help is appreciated.

iPhone 5s, iOS 10

Posted on Sep 20, 2016 3:34 PM

Reply
156 replies

Jul 15, 2017 8:53 AM in response to Gypsyman1040

Gypsyman1040 wrote:


Done this. Did not work. I do not use the cloud. I done not want to use the cloud. Apple need to fix this.

Unhappy user.

Then tell Apple, not the other users in this user-to-user forum: https://apple.com/feedback.


BTW, if you don't use iCloud you have presumably decided not to enable Find my iPhone on your phone, as it requires iCloud. Did I guess correctly?

Jan 1, 2017 10:24 PM in response to tKunsch

FYI I have multiple 5s phones and multiple hidden hotspots in my home. ALL phones suffer this annoying problem. I am entering wi fi info every **** day.

I have not done 10.2 yet as I don't know what else will be broken when I "update".


Sadly this thread is 12 pages long and no serious acknowledgment of this real problem that did not exist prior to 10.1 not to mention killing pptp vpn support.


Seems Apple is getting good at killing a good thing.

Jan 3, 2017 8:56 PM in response to prasenjit.oracle

Same issue here. iOS 10.2 (same problem on 10 and 10.1). I have a hidden network and my iPhone won't connect after being "away from home". Curiously, only entering the network name (but leaving the PW blank) and hitting enter will cause a failure, but then connect when I cancel out.


Issues like this, and the perisisrent problem I'm having in iOS with accepting Bluehist SSL certs is driving me batty.


I am so very close to jumping ship to Android, but having had one of those before I know how horrible they are as well. My Apple products are acting more and more like Android/PC products.


Steve Jobs dies, and Apple's QC goes down the toilet as prices go up. So frustrating.

Jan 26, 2017 5:14 PM in response to brenden dv

I have been having the same problem for months. Resetting my network settings did nothing. After months of constantly having to input my Network ID and password, I found this thread and tried Knightlie's solution and it did connect me to my wifi but this is only slightly better than before. It is treating the symptom, not the problem. There needs to be a fix for this. We shouldn't have to use other methods just to connect to wifi that our devices should be connecting to automatically. This is NOT solved, Brenden.

Jan 26, 2017 6:36 PM in response to prasenjit.oracle

Same here. i do not broadcast the name of my home Wi-Fi SSID. I am connected to my SSID for a while and all of a sudden I notice I am now on LTE. I look at my other devices (PC, Android tablet) and they are still connected. My iPhone 6 just loses my SSID name and passcode. This is extremely annoying and hope Apple can fix it ASAP. This company reminds me of Microsoft. About to trade my iPhone for an Android...

Jan 31, 2017 11:29 AM in response to iHese

HI, I was having the same problem, I had to manually enter the hidden network details in order to connect, which was very annonying.


I tried resetting the network settings and then restoring the device (happened on an IPad and IPhone), which only lead to more frustration since it didn't solved the issue.


Anyway, since that happened on my personal wifi (yes, I might be a Little paranoid by hiding the network) I decided to take a closer look into the configuration settings and enable wifi broadcast if necessary, however I noticed something regarding wifi security settings: on my router they were setup as WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK AES, however when I connected to it using my iPhone/IPad I selected WEP since I didn't know any better at the time, since it connected I was assuming that was the right setting. After looking into the wifi security options, I then reconnected to the hidden network but using WPA2 option, it got connected and so far it has reconnected automatically (I am testing putting the devices in airplane mode, when usin WEP options it didn't connect to hidden wifi, however now it connects every time so far). I didn't have to enable wifi broadcast after all.


I can see a couple of things wrong with IOS code:


1) Why does using WEP Works for public wifi but doesn't on hidden wifi networks? It should behave the same for both otherwise it is confusing.

2) Why does it allows to connect using the wrong security setting? This also adds to confusión on users that are not experts on networking issues.


Anyway, if that is in fact a bug ion IOS 10.x I hope Apple coders can debug it and fix it.


Hope this helps to anyone still having the same issue as mine, good luck!

Jan 31, 2017 12:32 PM in response to javisam376

My iPhone sometimes connects automatically and sometimes it doesn't. It seems to be getting worse. When the problem first started way back when the update came out, it was once a week or so. Now it is several times a week, sometimes it happens every time I leave the house. My network security settings are correct. Hopefully it stays fixed for you, but keep an eye on it just in case and let us know if it starts happening again. Good luck!

Feb 25, 2017 6:11 AM in response to prasenjit.oracle

Folks, here's a workaround that worked for both my iPhone 6 and my iPad:


1. Connect to the non-broadcasting network manually (manually type in the SSID and password, other users have described this temporary workaround in this thread).


2. Forget the network. In Settings => Wi-Fi, next to the network name, tap the info button, then tap "Forget This Network".


3. Force a Restart. Hold down the home button and the on/off button at the same time for at least 10 seconds. The device will restart.


4. Settings => General => Reset => Reset Network Settings. The system will reset all of your network settings to the factory default, and will restart.


5. After the restart, in Settings => Wi-Fi, reconnect to the network as though it was a new network, typing in the network name and password. The device should remember the network from now on.


Step 3 might not be necessary since step 4 does a restart anyway, but this procedure worked on both of my devices so even if it's a placebo it helps build confidence. Please reply to let me know if this worked for you.

Apr 7, 2017 1:11 AM in response to prasenjit.oracle

Exactly same issue here on iPad Air and iPhone 5s, both with latest iOS update. Nothing of the tipps from this thread helped.


The issue is VERY annoying. Apple finally should get his a*s up and support their longterm customers and fix stuff like this, instead marking this problem as solved while it clearly is not. Calling Apple was same frustrating as reading this thread.


Since around the time Steve Jobs died (regardless if this is the reason or not) the direction of the company is not the direction i expect from Apple. After 12 years of being a happy customer, i slowly start thinking it is time to leave the Apple road and look for some alternatives, while every hour typing in my hidden WLAN again...

Apr 23, 2017 12:08 PM in response to M26615

I have been hit by this problem ever since I upgraded to iOS 10. I have two iPhone 5's and a 5c.


My latest 5S was brand new out the box very recently, and it has the same problem. I have been bouncing back and forth with Apple support since reporting the problems. I have already taken my phone to an Apple shop and it passed all diagnostic test. My latest email from an apple super engineer has suggested that I have a hardware fault, should I take all 3 phones in????


I feel Apple are well aware of the problem, and are just giving us loyal customers the run around.

May 10, 2017 4:27 PM in response to Knightlie

I'm experiencing the exact same behavior on my 5s running iOS 10.3. iPhone remembers the credentials once typing in the hidden SIDD name and hitting Cancel. Older iOS versions reconnected fine to known hidden networks. This regression is frustrating since I inadvertently start to use my cell provider's bandwidth when at home before remembering that I now have to "always" remind my phone of my wifi network's SIDD name. Please Apple, fix this regression. Thanks.

iOS10 WiFi Keeps forgetting hidden network

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