WiFi switches off and won’t turn on

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Level 1

66 points

WiFi switches off and won’t turn on

Had this issue with iPhone 7 and persisted to iPhone X. WiFi switches off and the switch cannot be moved on again. Tried resetting network settings. If I hold my finger against the WiFi toggle to try and force it on, then settings crash and then often will work once this settings restarts. Happened across more than one phone so it’s a software glitch.

iPhone X, iOS 11.2.5

Posted on Feb 15, 2018 10:44 PM

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Answer 1

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Pablomojo Author

Level 1

66 points

Feb 28, 2018 1:40 AM in response to sterling r

Thanks for this. I did a forced update on both phones - the iphone x and 7. The problem still persists. I'm attaching a pic where you can see that wifi is showing on and connected, yet no wifi bar shown in the top right. And another showing the opposite, where the phone connects to wifi, yet the wifi switch shows off with no wifi networks.

This happens on both phones so not a hardware issue. Something in the software is overriding the wifi switch.

Pic below notice no top right hand corner wifi bars yet shows connected to wifi further down. In this situation, no connection to wifi.

Notice here wifi bars in top right hand corner - phone is connected to wifi and working normally. Yet, wifi switch shows off with no wifi address options.

Lastly, this pic shows no wifi connection and wifi switched off. in this situation, I cannot switch wifi on and the switch stays in the off position no matter how I try to slide the switch to on. If I was a conspiracy theorist, its almost like the mobile provider is forcing you to switch to mobile data.

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Answer 2

sterling r

Community Specialist

Feb 25, 2018 5:08 AM in response to Pablomojo

Hi Pablomojo,

Thank you for contacting Apple Support Communities. Based on what you stated, it seems like you two iPhones and they both turn off Wi-Fi on their own. It looks like you have already done some troubleshooting. Are they both connecting to the same Wi-Fi network when this happens? Since this is happening to two different devices it may be the network causing this. Since the Settings will crash it may be an iOS issue. Another thing you could do is backup the device to keep your data safe. Then, reinstall iOS using these steps and try again. There are a couple things you can try that may be able to help. I would recommend you read these articles and use them to help troubleshoot the issue.

Recommended settings for Wi-Fi routers and access points
How to back up your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch

Make sure that you're using the latest version of iTunes.

If iTunes is already open, close it. Connect your device to your computer and open iTunes. If you don't have a computer, borrow one from a friend or go to an Apple Retail Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider for help.

While your device is connected, force restart it with these steps, but don't release the buttons when you see the Apple logo, wait until the connect to iTunes screen appears:

On an iPhone X, iPhone 8, or iPhone 8 Plus: Press and quickly release the Volume Up button. Press and quickly release the Volume Down button. Then, press and hold the Side button until you see the connect to iTunes screen.

On an iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus: Press and hold the Side and Volume Down buttons at the same time. Keep holding them until you see connect to iTunes screen.

On an iPhone 6s and earlier, iPad, or iPod touch: Press and hold both the Home and the Top (or Side) buttons at the same time. Keep holding them until you see the connect to iTunes screen.

When you see the option to Restore or Update, choose Update. iTunes will try to reinstall iOS without erasing your data.