How to fix your Apple iPad Pro 2018 that won’t connect to Wi-Fi [Troubleshooting Guide]

Wi-Fi problems in mobile devices can be tied to several attributes including server problems, firmware crashes, random software glitches, network outage, hardware-related and account-related issues. This therefore denotes the need for you to look into both the software and hardware aspects when dealing with these problems.

Tackled in this post is a similar issue transpiring an Apple iPad Pro 2018 device and it’s about the iPad Pro that won’t connect to a Wi-Fi network. To give you some inputs on how to troubleshoot this problem, I’ve mapped out some of the most effective solutions for you to try on. Read on to learn what to do if your iPad Pro cannot connect to Wi-Fi.

Before we proceed, if you’re looking for a solution to a problem with your phone, try to browse through our troubleshooting pages to see if we support your device. If your phone is in the list of our supported devices, then go to the troubleshooting page and look for similar problems. Feel free to use our solutions and workarounds. Don’t worry it’s free. But if you still need our help, then fill up our iPad issues questionnaire and hit submit to contact us.

First solution: Power cycle or reboot the modem/router.

The very main source of your Wi-Fi network at home is the wireless router or modem. The setup may vary but the one that feeds wireless signal to all connected Wi-Fi devices is the wireless router or mode. Hence, working on the wireless router/modem first hand is highly recommended when solving Wi-Fi problems. Like other devices, wireless routers and modems also experience random firmware glitches. When this happens, various symptoms could arise from slow browsing to intermittent or no Internet connection at all. The simplest possible solution to this would be the so-called “power cycle” on the wireless router/modem. It somehow works similar to that of a soft reset on an iPhone when dealing with random software errors and glitches. If you can access your router or modem, then you can try doing this workaround. Here’s how it works:

  1. Find the ON/OFF (Power) switch then press on it until the device powers down.
  2. While the modem/router is turned off, unplug the AC adapter from the power source and leave it like that for about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
  3. After the elapsed time, plug it back into the power source then turn it on again.
  4. Wait until all the light indicators go stable.

Once the router/modem is back up and running steady, re-attempt to connect your iPad Pro to your Wi-Fi network and see if it’s working already.

Second solution: Reboot your iPad Pro (soft reset).

Performing a soft reset or restart on your iPad is also among the first possible solutions to try when minor software glitches are encountered. This effectively clears random errors  from random data corruption including those that caused conflict with the iPad’s network system. The process does not require backup creation beforehand because it doesn’t affect any saved information on the internal memory. If you haven’t already, then follow these steps to soft reset your iPad Pro:

  1. Press and hold the Power/Side button and the Volume Up button on the side of your iPad for a few seconds or until the Power Off slider appears.
  2. Drag the slider to turn off the iPad.
  3. After about 30 seconds, press and hold the Power/Side button on the top of your iPad for a few seconds.
  4. If prompted, enter the PIN code and select OK to proceed and access the Home screen.

Wait until your device boots up and then retry connecting to Wi-Fi.

Third solution: Forget Wi-Fi network then set it up again.

The Wi-Fi network that you’re trying to connect might have been corrupted and is no longer working. In that case, you will need to delete or forget the corrupted Wi-Fi network so you can set it up again on your iPad. Here’s how to get this done:

  1. Tap to open Settings from the Home screen.
  2. Select Wi-Fi.
  3. Tap the information “i” icon next to the wireless network you’re connected to.
  4. Tap the option to Forget This Network.

The selected Wi-Fi network will then be erased from the phone system. After forgetting the network, restart/soft reset your iPad to clear cache from its memory then follow these steps to set up your Wi-Fi network as new and then connect to it like the first time your device does:

  1. From the Home screen, tap Settings.
  2. Tap Wi-Fi then tap the switch to turn ON Wi-Fi.
  3. Wait until all Wi-Fi networks populate and then select the network you want to connect to. If the network isn’t in the list, make sure the router/modem is within range and has strong Wi-Fi signal/reception.
  4. Enter the network password if prompted.
  5. Select the option to Join.

Wait for your iPad to connect to the selected wireless network.

Fourth solution: Reset network settings on your iPad Pro.

Network problems including Wi-Fi errors that could not be resolved by prior methods are usually dealt with by a network reset. There might be some complex errors affecting the iPad’s network system like invalid server settings or corrupted network data that need to be cleared out. In this case, resetting the network settings on the iPad could be regarded among the next possible solutions. If you wish to try your luck in this tweak, then here’s how it’s done:

  1. Tap Settings from the Home screen.
  2. Select General.
  3. Scroll down and tap Reset.
  4. Tap Reset Network Settings from the given options.
  5. Enter your device passcode if prompted.
  6. Tap to confirm network settings reset.

Network information including Wi-Fi networks and passwords, Bluetooth, APNs, server settings and other relevant data are then deleted. After the reset, your device should reboot by itself. As soon as it boots up, you can set up your Wi-Fi network as new.

Fifth solution: Erase your iPad Pro and set it up as new (master reset).

If the problem isn’t fixed by any of the prior methods, then you are likely dealing with a fatal system error if not hardware damage on the iPad or network equipment (router or modem) you are using. To rule out fatal system errors, you can proceed with a master reset or factory reset on your iPad Pro. This will erase everything from your device including any corrupted data that caused major conflict to the wireless network system of your iPad. Should you wish to proceed, back up all your important files to iCloud or iTunes beforehand so you can still recover and use them again later. Once you’re all set, follow these steps to master reset your iPad Pro through settings:

  1. Tap Settings from the Home screen.
  2. Select General.
  3. Tap Reset.
  4. Select the option to Erase all content and settings.
  5. If prompted, tap the option to confirm action.

The system will then start erasing your iPad. After the reset, all factory defaults are restored. To use your iPad again, you need to set up and enable necessary features and services including Wi-Fi networks. Just follow the setup wizard to set up your device as new.

You can also use iTunes to factory reset your iPad Pro on a computer and then install the latest software version available for your device.

Seek more help

  • Contact your ISP. If your iPad Pro still failed to connect to Wi-Fi after applying the previous workarounds, contact your Internet service provider to check the current service status. There may be some technical issues on their end that might have caused temporary network outages. In that case, there’s nothing much you can do on your end but to wait until the network outage is over and for the Wi-Fi services to resume.
  • Contact Apple Support. If the problem instigated after installing a new update on your iPad Pro and none of the aforementioned solutions is able to fix it, then you may consider escalating the problem to Apple Support for further assistance and official recommendations.
  • Service/repair. To eliminate hardware damage from the possible causes, you can take your iPad to the nearest Apple-authorized service center in your place. If you suspect that the problem is with your wireless router or modem (like when all of your devices are experiencing similar problem), then you can take it to the device manufacturer or contact your router/modem provider instead.

I hope that we’ve been able to help you fix the problem with your device. We would appreciate it if you helped us spread the word so please share this post if you found it helpful. Thank you so much for reading!

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