iPhone Keeps Disconnecting from WiFi? Here’s How to Fix That!

Part I: Common Fixes to iPhone Keeps Getting Disconnected from WiFi Issue

In your search for a fix for iPhone keeps getting disconnected from WiFi issue, you might have come across the legend that Apple and WiFi have somewhat a tumultuous relationship ever since. Hey, no offense to the people who have been having issues with Apple products and WiFi, but the situation is not irredeemable as those reports from people might have you believe. Here are some basics to go over before we deep dive into the world of fixes to prevent your iPhone from losing WiFi and find a permanent fix to this annoying problem.

Check 1: Internet Connection Stability

One of the easiest answers to the question, “why does my iPhone keep getting disconnecting from WiFi” lies in the most obvious part of the equation - your internet connection. It is entirely possible that your internet connection is unstable at your provider's end, and when that happens, the iPhone disconnects from WiFi. To check if your internet connection is stable, you need to go into your modem/ router's administration settings to check for how long has your internet been connected. Note that if you had a power outage recently, or if your modem/ router rebooted, this number could be in minutes, hours, or a few days. If not, you might be surprised to see your internet being connected for months!

Now, if you know that there was no power loss recently, and the internet connection was not stable, you will likely see a low number here, for example, you might see that you have been connected to the internet for a few minutes, or a couple of hours.

If you didn't have a power outage recently and you see a low connection time, this might suggest that your internet connection is unstable, but you also need to make sure that your hardware is not at fault here.

Check 2: Modem/ Router Faults

If your internet connection does not stay connected for long, it can mean two things - either a fault in the connection or a fault in the modem/ router. Does your modem/ router get excessively hot after a while? It is possible that it gets overheated and reboots, causing the iPhone keeps getting disconnected from WiFi issue that you face. It could also be a fault in the hardware that does not manifest in any tangible way such as heat. What do we do in this case? Get a hold of a spare modem/ router from anywhere, where you know it works, and use that with your connection to come to a conclusion if it is the connection or the hardware at fault.

Check 3: Cables and Connectors

I once had an issue where my internet connection would disconnect frequently with no explanation. I tried everything, and ultimately, decided to call my provider. The person came, tried the usual steps - taking the connector out, plugging it back, making sure it is connected to the right port (WAN vs LAN), and so on. Finally, he checked the connector itself and, in my case, found that a couple of wires were switched. He replaced the connector, connecting the wires in whichever order he thought he needed it to be, and boom, stable internet. It might be a good idea for you to try and have your provider look at those things for you.

Now, if everything looks good here, then you can start with the following ways to stop the iPhone from getting disconnected from WiFi issue. These are essentially software fixes.

Part II: Advanced Fixes to iPhone Keeps Getting Disconnected from WiFi Issue

Software fixes? No, you wouldn't have to touch a line of code or anything. You do not even need to be a tech whiz for it. These are still easy to do and should get you connected to stable WiFi in no time. Well, time will tell about that, no? :-)

Fix 1: Checking Your WiFi Networks

Since your iPhone keeps getting disconnected from WiFi, we are assuming that something is interfering here. What does that mean? To understand that, you need a little understanding of what is going on behind the scenes when your phone connects to any WiFi network and what is your iPhone programmed to do. In a nutshell, to give you the best experience, wireless radios in your iPhone connect to the strongest signal so as to give you the best experience as well as preserve the battery since a strong signal means lesser power required to stay connected to it. What does this mean in our situation?

It is possible that your place has a stronger signal that is not yours, and your iPhone might be trying to connect to it instead. This is even truer when the network that it is trying to connect to has the same name as yours, confusing the software (this is a limitation of WiFi technologies and standards, beyond the scope of this article). The easiest explanation for that is that you might be having a dual-band WiFi system in your house, a 2.4 GHz signal, and a 5 GHz signal. 2.4 GHz will overpower the 5 GHz one, and if for some reason you named both the same sometime during setup but with different passwords, it is possible that your iPhone is struggling to differentiate and keeps trying to connect to the other.

The fix is to rename the WiFi networks you have with clear, separate names. You can do this in your modem/ router's administration settings. Every device has its own way around it, so it is not possible to list one common thing.

Fix 2: Check Password Encryption Standards

If you recently bought a new router/ modem with the latest technologies, you might have enabled WPA3 password encryption and your iPhone would expect a WPA2 connection, even though you think the network names were the same. This is a measure designed for your own protection, so all you need to do here is forget the WiFi network and rejoin it so that the iPhone connects with the latest WPA standard if supported.

Here's how to do that:

Step 1: Launch Settings and tap WiFi

Step 2: Tap the circled (i) beside your connected network

Step 3: Tap Forget This Network.

Step 4: Tap Forget one more time.

Step 5: The network will be listed back under available networks, and you can tap and enter your password again for it to connect with the latest encryption standards that you have in your modem/ router.

Alternatively, if your iPhone does not have the WPA3 encryption, you can simply take to your modem/ router's administration settings and change the password standard from WPA3 to WPA2-Personal (or WPA2-PSK) and connect again.

You might see terms such as AES or TKIP, which are encryption methods to use for encryption standards (WPA2) but leave that as is, your iPhone can connect to either.

Fix 3: Update iOS Operating System

Goes without saying, in the world we live in today, it is best to stay up-to-date with the latest operating system that we have available to us, in order to have the latest security and bug fixes. Who knows if the iPhone getting disconnected from WiFi issue could be just an update away? To check for an update to your iPhone's iOS version, do the following:

Step 1: Connect the device to a charger and make sure there is at least a 50% charge

Step 2: Launch Settings and tap General

Step 3: Tap Software Update and wait for it to check if there is any update.

Ironically, you will need a WiFi internet connection for this, so depending on the severity of your iPhone disconnecting from WiFi issue, this might or might not work for you.

In that case, you can connect the iPhone to your computer, and if it is a recent Mac, you can launch Finder and check for an update and update it through your Mac. If you are on an older Mac, or Windows computer, you will need iTunes to do the same.

Fix 4: Check Weak Signal Spots and Disable Personal Hotspots

We live in an age where it is possible to have more devices than humans in a household. And, unfortunately, we are in a work-from-home situation. That means all devices in the home are connected to the internet, and it is possible that some might be doing so with the hotspot feature in iPhone and Android smartphones. That could be messing (interfering) with your iPhone's ability to stay latched on to one network, especially if it sees its brothers and sisters (read: other Apple devices) in the vicinity to connect to and where you are at in the house gets poor WiFi signal. This is common with ISP-provided hardware, and in homes with thick walls. The signal isn't able to get through as well as it needs to for the iPhone to work reliably and the iPhone chooses to drop it, switching to fast 4G/ 5G instead.

Where are we getting with this? To properly diagnose your issue, you need to switch off all WiFi networks in the house, disable all personal hotspots, and then see if the issue persists or if the phone stays connected now reliably. If it stays connected, you have found your issue, and you can work to ensure that you are around the strongest signal and where you want to be. This can be done through getting mesh WiFi systems, etc., or moving your own workspace close to the WiFi station you want to stay connected to. It is our heartiest recommendation to invest in a good WiFi mesh system to allow your WiFi connection to blanket your house so that there are no weak signal spots, causing the iPhone to keep disconnecting from WiFi.

Fix 5: Reset Network Settings

We can reset all network settings to see if that fixes the issue. Here's how to reset network settings on iPhone:

Step 1: Launch Settings and tap General

Step 2: Scroll down till the end and tap Transfer or Reset iPhone

Step 3: Tap Reset and choose Reset Network Settings to reset your iPhone's network settings.

When the phone boots back up, you may want to go to Settings > General > About and customize the iPhone name, and you will also need to enter your WiFi network credentials again. See if that helps and you are now connected reliably.