IOS 11.4.1 and wifi problem

Since I first posted to this thread I have gone on holiday to Majorca. The WiFi here causes no problems so maybe my virgin media superhub 2 is the key?

Anyway when I get home in two weeks I’ll test some of solutions but I have to say none of them worked before I left the UK

😩

Thanks for clarifying, crashcris.

@Mohammedarshad and anyone else: For clarity, this is not a Virgin Media issue. The reason I say that is because I have a rather old non-Virgin Media router that has not had a firmware upgrade or configuration change in years, and suddenly a new version of the iOS is having issues on that router, while my prior iOS versions work fine, so this was definitely something Apple introduced. Hopefully, your new router will resolve the problem for you, but that cannot be the acceptable fix for everyone affected to go out and try to find some other router that hopefully works with this version of iOS. Apple needs to take ownership, identify the issue, and resolve the issue.

So, Gail from Maine, seems your post, my response, and the initial question asking about the 12.4 beta were all removed suddenly....does that mean you work for Apple? If so, it would be much appreciated if we could get some response regarding what Apple is doing to fix this issue, especially since people can no longer roll back to version 11.4. We spend a lot of money on these devices and expect core functionality, such as wireless access, to remain stable between patches, especially minor patches. Perhaps not removing the digital signature on prior releases so quickly should be considered. From now on, I will delay updating as long as possible before I infect my devices with insufficiently tested updates.

Ryzon wrote:

...Perhaps not removing the digital signature on prior releases so quickly should be considered. From now on, I will delay updating as long as possible before I infect my devices with insufficiently tested updates.

I also believe Apple should be considering that option (posted same in another discussion), appreciate it may be a balance with regards to moving people forward especially if the previous iOS has security issues, but as you say, when core functionality goes down they must be prepared to offer up alternative "solutions".

Agree whole heartedly with your post.

Sorry to say, I was wrong. Although it seemed the fix was working, like the rest of you I'm now noticing that the wifi is still dropping out. I regret posting that it was working perfectly for me. I'll call apple again, but believe only an update will fix it. I'm also on VM hub 2.

crashcris, that’s actually useful to know that the reset of network settings and reboot did not work. It shows that the issue is likely something more deep rooted in the OS, rather than some parameter being overwritten then being corrected with a reset. I really think the only way this will be resolved is through analysis by the Apple developers and thorough testing. Thanks for passing along the update to us. :-)

@SiHancox, thank you very much.

Hi. I'm sheepishly writing here again for the fear of being the boy who cried wolf. I found another "fix" from a comment on a news site and (so far) it actually seems to be working, it goes as follows-

.

1 Go to airplane mode and turn it on,

2 reboot the phone,

3 once rebooted make sure Airplane mode is off.

4 Reconnect to wifi.

5 Settings/ Privacy/ location services/ System services/ wifi networking & turn it off.

6 Now reboot the phone.

7 When the phone is rebooted, repeat step 5 but this time turn on “wifi networking”.

Give it a try and let me know the results.

The best proof I have so far is that I wasn't receiving and whatsapp calls and now I am. Who knows if this is a permanent fix but for now I'm happy. The article can be found here- http://piunikaweb.com/2018/07/31/exclusive-apple-to-fix-ios-11-4-1-wifi-issue-in -incremental-update/

Awesome information at that link about the problem, Apple‘s admission that they have an issue with their patch, an indication that a fix may be available with another .x release before 12 rolls out. Thanks also for the steps people can try that you distilled from a reply message.....very useful! I’m going to try the suggested workaround when I get home this evening.

I wish I could remove that last post. The fix has stopped working. At least the article give some insight that Apple are aware of the problem and are looking into it. I shall stop looking for work arounds. Sorry for perhaps raising hopes.

I tried it too, but sadly it did not work for long. All “fixes” are worth trying if they are within reason Chris. As you say it is encouraging to read that Apple are aware of this issue and are working on a cure.

The one I have hung back from is taking my iPhone in for repair, as the problem appears to be with the iOS rather than iPhones or iPads themselves.

Agreed, Wendy, all reasonable potential workarounds are worth exploring, but people need to be aware that anything that appears to “fix” the problem is likely just a temporary workaround that doesn’t address the root. Regarding repair, there is no repair that could possibly be done other than to install a copy of the OS were the problem has been fixed either a fixed verion 11.4.1 (which does not seem to exist yet) or reversion back to a previously working version, such as 11.4. This is definitely not a hardware issue.

Hi all,

The problem is a conflict with dual band wifi hubs. I have a simple fix for Virgin Media users. On the bottom of your hub is an IP address, type that into your browser. It'll then ask for the password which is also on the bottom of your hub.

You can then click on WiFi Wireless Settings and simple disable one of the wireless bands. Your hub is now a single band - this fixed the problem for me!!

Actually it isn’t a problem with “dual band Virgin Media hubs” per se, it is a problem with the older SuperHub 2, something to do with a conflict in a chipset with iOS11.4.1 and some other older routers as well apparently.

Virgin recently sent me a SuperHub 3, which is also dual band, and since installing that I have had no problems with WiFi dropping out.

I have also spoken with Apple Support and they say that the WiFi issue with the older routers will be fixed in IOS12 and that is being beta tested at the moment and so far so good 🙂

Being a system engineer, who uses a completely different router and is not a Virgin customer, I am experiencing the same issues, and can say with nearly complete and absolute certainty that this is not a router or chip issue. It is a software issue that Apple introduced, and is likely either a TCP/IP protocol handling issue (on Apple’s side) or a situation where the Apple devices are taking incorrect or erroneous action, possibly in response to various events. Regardless the cause, this is solely an Apple issue. You may get lucky in finding a router where the symptoms are somewhat masked, but the root issue will not have been addressed, as only Apple can address the root cause in their code. And yes, I am terribly frustrated regarding Apple’s lack of response in both acknowledging and addressing this issue. We should not have to wait for version 12 to be released. There should be an 11.4.2 or 11.4.1.1 patch to address this, as WiFi connectivity is core functionally of these devices. Likewise, Apple needs to start acknowledging mistakes and taking ownership. People should not be put in a position where they are replacing network hardware in the hope of addressing a separate device’s software introduced issues. Apple also needs to do more thorough testing of core functionality before patches and major releases are rolled out the door. And they also need to allow people more time to roll back to a prior uncorrupted version of the OS. If my company operated in this fashion, we would be out of business rather quickly. Don’t get me wrong, I love my Apple devices, and have a bunch of them, but I want to keep loving them, so Apple, if you are at all listening, get your act together and start treating your loyal customers properly and with respect, because this is unacceptable.

I totally agree with you Ryzon with regards to Apple. I love their products but am dismayed, to put it mildly, that they have released an update to iOS which has caused issues for so many people and cannot understand why a fix was not sorted as iOS11.4.2

As you say Apple need to test more thoroughly and yes I wish we could roll back an update that causes problems with a form of system restore to a previous version.

I mentioned the chipset in older routers as I had read that this was the problem. Perhaps they were wrong 😕 I am no expert. All in all let’s hope that Apple get it right with iOS12