In this article, we provide troubleshooting tips to fix the iOS 12 – 12.4.1 Wi-Fi problems that have helped our readers in the past.
iOS 12 comes with cool new features and improvements, but like any other major iOS software update, it comes with its own set of problems. Some of our readers have reported that they’re facing Wi-Fi problems after updating their iPhone or iPad to iOS 12 – iOS 12.4.1.
The issues being reported include not being able to connect to a Wi-Fi network, getting an incorrect password prompt, Wi-Fi settings grayed out, dropping connection intermittently or speeds being extremely slow.
Fix Wi-Fi Problems with iOS 12 – 12.4.1 on iPhone or iPad
Here are some time-tested solutions to fix the Wi-Fi connectivity problems on your iPhone or iPad after upgrading to iOS 12 – iOS 12.4.1.
1. Restart Router
Before we look at troubleshooting the issue on the iOS device, let us do some basic troubleshooting at the router level as it has helped in resolving the issue for several readers.
Restart your router and try connecting your iPhone or iPad again to see if it resolves the issue.
The router is like a mini-computer with a CPU, memory and local storage in the plastic box, all running in an operating system. So like a computer, restarting your router can resolve the problem. It is also recommended to wait for 10 seconds after you have turned off your router before restarting it to Ensure that every capacitor is fully drained, and thus every bit of memory is cleared. This ensures that all the settings on the router that may be causing the issue are reset.
2. Update Router firmware
Update your Router’s firmware to ensure that the known bugs have been fixed. Some readers have reported that upgrading the Router firmware had helped in resolving the issue.
3. Hard Reset or Force Restart
Like all tech problems, there is no harm in starting off by force restarting or hard resetting your iPhone or iPad to see it helps.
- On an iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR, iPhone X, iPhone 8, and 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 Apple logo.
- On an iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus, press and hold both the Side and Volume Down buttons for at least 10 seconds, until you see the Apple logo.
- On an iPhone 6s and earlier, iPad, or iPod touch; press and hold both the Home and the Top (or Side) buttons for at least 10 seconds, until you see the Apple logo.
- On an iPad Pro 11-inch or iPad Pro 12.9-inch, press and quickly release the Volume Up button. Press and quickly release the Volume Down button. Then press and hold the Power button until the device restarts.
4. Forget Wi-Fi Network and Rejoin
If you’re not able to connect to a Wi-Fi Network and being prompted that the password you’ve entered is incorrect despite entering the correct password, then try to forget the Wi-Fi network, and join the network again.
To forget the Wi-Fi network, tap on the Wi-Fi network from the list under Settings > Wi-Fi. Then tap on Forget This Network. You will be prompted with a popup message asking you if you want to forget Wi-Fi Network. Tap Forget to forget the network.
Now go back to Settings > Wi-Fi, select the network again, enter the password, and Join the network again to see if it helps.
5. Reset Network Settings
Most networking related issues I’ve experienced have been fixed after resetting network settings. Resetting these settings flushes caches and clears DHCP settings and other networking related info. To reset network settings, open the Settings app and navigate to Settings > General > Reset and tap on Reset Network Settings.
6. Disable VPN
If you have enabled via the Settings app or a VPN app, then try to disable VPN to see if it resolves the issue. You can disable VPN via the Settings app and navigate to the VPN settings to disable the Status toggle from Connected to Not Connected. If you are not able to disable it then launch the VPN app to disable VPN temporarily to figure out if it resolves the WiFi problem on your iPhone or iPad.
7. Disable Wi-Fi Networking Services
Many users have reported that they’ve solved their issues by disabling Wi-Fi Networking under Settings > Privacy > Location Services > System Services. This only relates to your location being used for Wi-Fi Networking, so it doesn’t disable Wi-Fi entirely.
8. Set Custom DNS
Often times, if your ISPs DNS servers are having problems, you can switch to Google DNS, CloudFlare or OpenDNS. You can follow the instructions in our post linked below to change your DNS settings.
- How to change the DNS server on your iPhone and iPad
- How to Use Cloudflare DNS on your iPhone and iPad
9. Ask To Join Network
This is not an ideal solution, but if none of the solutions mentioned above work, then you can try enabling “Ask to Join Networks” by going to Settings > Wi-Fi.
10. Wi-Fi Assist
iOS includes a feature called Wi-Fi Assist, which provides more reliable Internet connections when your Wi-Fi network becomes spotty. However, some readers have reported that turning it off and turning it back on seemed to help resolve the Wi-Fi problems. To turn off Wi-Fi Assist, launch the Settings app and navigate to Settings -> Cellular (Mobile in some regions) and scroll down to the bottom where you will see Wi-Fi Assist. Tap on the toggle to turn it off.
z11. Restore and Setup as new iPhone
If none of these tips fix your issues, the last resort is to restore your iPhone or iPad via iTunes and set it up as a new device. This way, you start afresh and get rid of possibly problematic customizations and settings on your device. Follow the instructions in the post linked below to do a clean restore to the latest version of iOS via iTunes.
➤ How to restore your iPhone or iPad with iTunes
Let us know in the comments if you faced any Wi-Fi issues after upgrading to iOS 12 – 12.4.1, and if so, were you able to fix the issues with these tips.
Last Updated: September 3, 2019.
