iPhone loses WiFi when connected to Mac

Question

n_modin Author

Level 1

16 points

iPhone loses WiFi when connected to Mac

Hi,

I have a Wifi and my MacBook and iPhone both connects just fine.

When I connect my iPhone to my Mac using USB, the iPhone loses WiFi and reverts back to 4G.

After this it can't ever reach the internet over the 4G connection.

I removed the iPhone USB network service but that didn't help.

I also tried turning WiFi off and on again with no effect.

Removing the USB cable restores WiFi, and turning WiFi off also shows that 4G now works

as expected.

I've never seen this before.

Anyone experienced the same thing ?

iPhone 6, iOS 10.3.1

Posted on Apr 18, 2017 12:43 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

ummyeaaaa1

Level 1

9 points

Nov 3, 2017 3:06 PM in response to n_modin

Had the same problem, and I think I found the solution... for me at least. My wi-fi was cutting off as soon as I plugged it in, going to LTE, and then going back to wi-fi as soon as I unplugged it. My solution was found in the Mac's settings.

1. Open System Preferences

2. Open Sharing (I hid this months ago now that OS X allows that, so search for it if you don't show it)

3. Deselect Internet Sharing, and anything on the right labeled "To Computer Using"

When you plug it in, it seems the computer hyjacked the connection. Hope it works for you too!

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Answer 2

n_modin Author

Level 1

16 points

Nov 3, 2017 3:14 PM in response to ummyeaaaa1

I guess this might be intended actually. And it's absolutely reproducible. 🙂

I assume that I now use the MacBooks network instead of the phones WiFi. Which is nice I guess, but it doesn't make sense to just show 4G when I'm in fact using USB.

I think I only saw this on my phone as well and not for instance on my iPad Mini or the missus iPhone 6 Plus.

Good to have a solution for it at least !!

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Answer 3

blade111

Level 1

4 points

Oct 9, 2017 8:16 AM in response to n_modin

I have the exact same issue. When connected to my personal Mac my iPhone loses all connectivity. First it loses the WiFi then switches to LTE. At that point it can not connect to any page as well until disconnected from the Mac. After that all returns to normal. Happens only with this iPhone on this Mac.

I am waiting for an answer from an Apple representative. This is absurd.

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Answer 4

blade111

Level 1

4 points

Nov 3, 2017 2:09 PM in response to ummyeaaaa1

Thanks dude!!! Fixed the issue right away, never thought to check this out this is quite a noobish bug on apple’s side. Have a good one and thanks again :)

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Answer 5

n_modin Author

Level 1

16 points

Apr 18, 2017 11:46 PM in response to n_modin

In addition this just happens with a particular iPhone, on a particular Mac.

Other iDevices work fine when connected the Mac, and the iPhone works when connected to other Macs.

I've also tried resetting the network settings on the iPhone and rebooted the Mac.

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