13 Methods to Fix iPhone Keeps Dropping WiFi in iOS 18

User Concern

“I bought my new iPhone 15 yesterday, and on both WiFi networks (at home and work), the network will not stay connected. It will connect after I manually choose the WiFi network, but as soon as I lock the phone, it drops again. How do I fix my iPhone from dropping WiFi?

Recently, many users have reported on the official Apple forum that the iPhone keeps dropping WiFi. They want to understand why does WiFi on the iPhone keeps disconnecting and how to solve this problem.

Typically, the unstable WiFi network connection of the iPhone is related to the WiFi network itself. For example, the iPhone is too far away from the router, has a weak WiFi signal, or has too many users connected to the network.

Read on to find out how to resolve the iPhone keeps dropping WiFi problem.

Why Does WiFi Keep Disconnecting on iPhone?

There are many reasons why your iPhone may keep disconnecting from the WiFi. Below are some common ones:

• If your iPhone is too far from the router, the signal may be weak and cause frequent disconnections.
• Too many devices connected to the same WiFi network can interfere with the connection and lead to a WiFi drop.
• Problems with the router, such as outdated firmware or hardware issues, can cause your iPhone to disconnect from WiFi.
• iPhone software issues or outdated iOS versions can also cause WiFi disconnecting problems.
• Incorrect network settings on your iPhone, such as VPNs or custom DNS, might lead to connection drops.

What to Do When iPhone Keeps Dropping Wifi Due to Network Issue

There are some potential ways to do when your iPhone keeps dropping WiFi connection due to the network issue.

Tip 1. Check WiFi Signal Strength

First, check your iPhone's WiFi signal. The signal strength is usually shown by four bars; if there are only one or two bars, the connection can become unstable and slow. To improve this, try using your iPhone closer to the router or consider upgrading to a router with a stronger signal.

Keep in mind that when your iPhone is locked or in low power mode, the WiFi might switch to a standby mode to save battery, but it doesn’t actually turn off.

In public places like offices or malls, your iPhone might lose WiFi connection even if the signal appears strong. This can happen because too many devices are connected to the same network, causing instability due to the router's device limit.

Tip 2. Turn WiFi Off and Back On

If your iPhone keeps dropping WiFi, you can try to turn the WiFi off and then back on to fix the problem.

On your iPhone, go to Settings > WiFi and tap on the switch to turn off WiFi. Wait a few moments, and then tap on the switch again to turn the WiFi back on.

Tip 3. Restart WiFi Router

If the iPhone keeps losing WiFi connection at home, you can check the WiFi signal and ensure there are no issues with the router. Restarting the router can often resolve the problem.

• Press and hold the power switch on your router for a few seconds until the device turns off.
• Unplug the router from the power source and wait for 20-30 seconds before plugging it back in again.
• Then, press the power switch again to turn the router on and wait while it reconnects.

Tip 4. Enable the Auto-Join for WiFi Network

The WiFi will keep disconnecting from the iPhone if the Auto-Join option is turned off. You need to turn on the Auto-Join feature to check whether the problem can be fixed.

• Open the Settings app on your iPhone and tap on Wi-Fi.
• Find your WiFi network and tap the (i) icon next to it.
• If Auto-Join is turned off, toggle it on. Enabling this feature may help stabilize your WiFi connection.

Tip 5. Forget Your WiFi Network & Reconnect

If you have enabled Auto-Join on your iPhone but the device still keeps dropping WiFi, you can try to forget your WiFi network and then reconnect it.

• Navigate to Settings > Wi-Fi on your iPhone.
• Tap the i button next to your WiFi network.
• Now, tap on Forget this Network to drop the connection.

After forgetting your WiFi network, head back to Settings > Wi-Fi and find your WiFi network, tap on the name of your network and enter its password to reconnect to it.

Tip 6. Turn Off Wi-Fi Assist

Wi-Fi Assist is a feature that will drop into your cellular data if it detects that the WiFi network has a poor signal. To turn off Wi-Fi Assist, follow these simple steps.

• On your iPhone, go to Settings > Cellular/Mobile Data.
• Scroll down to the bottom; you will see the Wi-Fi Assist option.
• Simple toggle it off to fix your iPhone keeps disconnecting WiFi problem.

Tip 7. Turn On and Turn Off Airplane Mode

An old yet effective way to fix different issues related to WiFi and cellular data connection is to turn on and off Airplane Mode. Here’s how to do it:

• Click on Settings from the home screen and tap on Airplane Mode.
• Toggle the switch of the Airplane Mode to ON. Doing so will turn off the features of Bluetooth connections and WiFi.
• When you turn on Airplane Mode, restart the device and turn off this feature again.

Tip 8. Turn Off VPN

If your iPhone connects to the WiFi network via VPN, it may be the cause of the iPhone WiFi connection issue. In this case, just turn off the VPN by following the steps below:

• Go to Settings and click on General.
• Scroll down and click on VPN & Device Management.
• Disable the Status option on the top and change it to Not Connected.

Fix iPhone Keeps Disconnecting from Wi-Fi Due to the Device Issue

Tip 9. Restart Your iPhone

Simply restarting your iPhone is also an effective way to fix the issue of iPhone keeps dropping WiFi. Turning the iPhone off and back on will refresh the device's system and then fix some minor flaws.

• For iPhone X or later, please keep holding the side button and the volume down button at the same time until "slide to power off" appears on the screen.
• For iPhone 8 or earlier, please keep holding the power button until you see "slide to power off."
• Slide from left to right to power off your iPhone. Wait for a while and then keep pressing the side button (iPhone X or later) or the power button (iPhone 8 or earlier) until the Apple logo shows up on the screen.

Tip 10. Update iPhone Software

If restarting your iPhone doesn't work, it's a good practice to update the device to the latest iOS version, as updates often fix bugs found in older versions.

• To check for iOS updates, go to Settings > General > Software Update.
• If an update is available, tap Download and Install and follow the on-screen instructions to install it.

Tip 11. Reset Network Settings

If you have troubleshooted the routers and network problems, try resetting the network settings on your iPhone. To do this:

• Head over to iPhone Settings and select General > Transfer or Reset iPhone,
• Choose Reset and then click the option of Reset Network Settings.

This action will delete all network settings, including WiFi, Bluetooth, Cellular, VPN and return them to factory defaults. And you will need to reconnect to your WiFi network or Bluetooth devices.

Tip 12. Reset All Settings

If your iPhone still keeps disconnecting from WiFi after resetting network settings, it is time to reset all settings. Please note that this will delete all customized settings on the device and restore them to default options. Here's how to do it:

• Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone and choose the option Reset.
• Tap on Reset All Settings. Then, enter your passcode to confirm the action and wait for your iPhone to reboot.

Tip 13. Fix iPhone Keeps Dropping WiFi without Data Loss

Various bugs related to the iOS system will occur when you choose to upgrade your iOS system to the newest iOS 18. FoneGeek iOS System Recovery will be a good assistant to fix all kinds of iOS system issues in only a few clicks.

Key Features of FoneGeek iOS System Recovery:

• It is 100% safe to use without erasing the data on the device.
• Various iOS system issues will be resolved in a few clicks.
• You don't need to be an iPhone expert when running this program; it is easy to use.
• This tool is compatible with all iPhone models and iOS versions, even iPhone 16/15 and iOS 18/17.

How to Fix iPhone Keeps Dropping WiFi with FoneGeek iOS System Recovery

Step 1. Download the iOS repair tool from the FoneGeek official site onto your computer. Install and run the program, then choose Standard Mode from the home interface.

Step 2. You will be prompted to connect your iPhone to your computer. Click Next to continue.

Step 3. This program will automatically detect the device information and the firmware package that you need, then click Download.

Step 4. Once the download is complete, click on Fix Now to start repairing. Do not disconnect your iPhone from the computer during the fix process. Or the whole process will be interrupted.

Conclusion

After reading this article, you should know the different causes and solutions for your iPhone keeps dropping WiFi. Pick the best method to help you overcome the problem and make the iPhone network connection more stable. If you've tried all these solutions and your iPhone still keeps disconnecting from Wi-Fi, it might be time to contact your Internet Service Provider or Apple Support for further assistance.