iPhone Keeps Disconnecting from Wi-Fi? Fix It Fast!

What To Know

  • If your Wi-Fi connection keeps dropping and reconnecting, it could be issues with your iPhone, your router, or both. 
  • For iPhone issues, you can reset network settings, forget your Wi-Fi network and rejoin, and more. 
  • For router issues, restart the router, update firmware, or change frequencies.  


If your iPad or iPhone keeps disconnecting from Wi-Fi, you'll want to fix it fast, before you use up all your cellular data! Here's what to do if your phone keeps disconnecting from Wi-Fi.

Jump To:

iPhone Keeps Disconnecting from Wi-Fi? Fix It Fast!

If Wi-Fi keeps disconnecting on your iPhone or iPad, we'll help you fix it! This is a bit of a different issue than if your iPhone won't connect to Wi-Fi at all, though there is some overlap. If Wi-Fi keeps disconnecting on your iPhone, there are a few easy Wi-Fi fixes to try first. Make sure Airplane Mode isn't turned on and Wi-Fi isn't off. Also, do an iPadOS or iOS updatereboot your iPhone or iPad, and see if turning off your VPN helps your iPhone stay connected to Wi-Fi. For more Wi-Fi tutorials, check out our free Tip of the Day

Check & Reboot Your Wi-Fi Router

If your Wi-Fi keeps disconnecting, it's possible that you're simply out of range of your router. Make sure your iPhone or iPad is showing at least one bar of signal strength in the Wi-Fi icon at the top of your screen. If not, move closer to your router, and see if your Wi-Fi keeps disconnecting, or stays connected now. If not, try rebooting your router.

iPhone Life
Discover your iPhone's hidden features
Get a daily tip (with screenshots and clear instructions) so you can master your iPhone in just one minute a day.
  1. Turn off your router, unplug the power cable, and disconnect the network cable.
  2. Turn off your iPhone or iPad.
  3. Wait thirty seconds, plug your router back in, reconnect the network cable, and wait for it to boot up again.
  4. Turn your iPad or iPhone back on. If it hasn't automatically joined your Wi-Fi network, open the Settings app, tap Wi-Fi, and look for your network name in My Networks.
  5. If it's there, tap it, and re-enter your password if asked.

There are a few more basic things related to your Wi-Fi network that you should look into. 

Make Sure Auto-Join Wi-Fi Is On

If your iPhone still won't connect to Wi-Fi or stops automatically connecting to Wi-Fi networks it connected to before, make sure that Auto-Join is on. 

Turn Off Wi-Fi Assist

Wi-Fi Assist helps your iPhone or iPad stay connected to the internet by automatically switching to cellular if your Wi-Fi network is weak. So, if your Wi-Fi keeps disconnecting, it could be because your iPhone or iPad is being automatically redirected to a cellular connection. Try turning off Wi-Fi Assist and see if you keep getting disconnected from Wi-Fi.

  1. Open the Settings app.

    iphone settings app
  2. Tap Cellular.

    tap cellular in ipad or iphone settings
  3. Scroll down and toggle off Wi-Fi Assist

    toggle off wifi assist if wifi keeps disconnecting

Forget & Rejoin Your Wi-Fi Network

If you're having trouble with a particular Wi-Fi network, here's how to forget a Wi-Fi network on your iPhone or iPad. After you've done this, rejoin the network and see if things have improved.

Reset Network Settings

If Wi-Fi is not working on your iPhone or iPad because of a connectivity issue, here's how to reset network settings on your iPhone. If that hasn't fixed the problem, you can take it one step further and Reset All Settings on your device. 

Contact Your Internet Service Provider

If you've worked through all the steps above and your iPhone or iPad keeps disconnecting from Wi-Fi, contact your internet service provider. It's possible there's a glitch, outage, or service problem they can resolve for you. 

Contact Apple Support

If your iPhone is still not connecting to Wi-Fi, or Wi-Fi keeps disconnecting, it's time to contact Apple Support. They'll be able to check if your iPhone or iPad has a hardware issue that can be repaired, so your device can connect, and stay connected to Wi-Fi. 

FAQ

  • Why does my Wi-Fi keep disconnecting? Your iPad or iPhone keeps disconnecting from Wi-Fi because of router issues, problems with your iPhone settings, connectivity issues between your iPhone and router, or a service problem with your internet provider.
  • What can I do if my iPhone won't stay connected to Wi-Fi? There are several ways to fix Wi-Fi problems, including rebooting your router and device, updating firmware on your router and software on your iPhone or iPad, checking iPhone settings, and more.
  • What if my iPhone is not connecting to Wi-Fi at all, or data is not working on my iPhone? We won't cover those topics here, but we do have two separate articles that will help you fix these problems; What to Do If Your iPhone Won't Connect to Wi-Fi, and Why Is My Data Not Working on iPhone?.

I hope this article has helped your iPhone or iPad stay connected to Wi-Fi. Please check back with us whenever you have iPhone issues; we're here to help!

Master your iPhone in one minute a day: Sign up here to get our FREE Tip of the Day delivered right to your inbox.

Topics

Author Details

Leanne Hays's picture

Author Details

Leanne Hays

Leanne Hays has over a dozen years of experience writing for online publications. As a Feature Writer for iPhone Life, she has authored hundreds of how-to, Apple news, and gear review articles, as well as a comprehensive Photos App guide. Leanne holds degrees in education and science and loves troubleshooting and repair. This combination makes her a perfect fit as manager of our Ask an Expert service, which helps iPhone Life Insiders with Apple hardware and software issues.
In off-work hours, Leanne is a mother of two, homesteader, audiobook fanatic, musician, and learning enthusiast.