Software updates are originally programmed to deliver good outputs but because of various factors, some updates would result in adverse outcomes. Tackled in this post is one of the most common post-update issues any iPhone owners could endure from and that is losing internet connection.
Most features or apps installed on the phone require internet connection in order to work as intended. That said, finding quick solutions to the problem is imperative.
To give you some inputs, I’ve laid out a few handy tweaks that can be used to deal with various types of internet problems on an iOS device, including those inflicted by software bugs. Feel free to refer to these simple troubleshooting guide whenever you ended up facing the same internet dilemma after installing the latest iOS update on your new iPhone. Read on to find out what to do if your iPhone 11 Pro suddenly cannot connect to Wi-Fi after updating to iOS 13.2.3.
Troubleshooting an iPhone 11 Pro that cannot connect to Wi-Fi after updating iOS
Before you begin to troubleshoot, check your iPhone’s Wi-Fi signal indicator and see if it’s showing any errors like No service, Network unavailable, and the like. If the Wi-Fi signal indicator doesn’t show on the status bar, verify your iPhone settings and see if the Wi-Fi switch is enabled. If it’s not, then you will need to enable the feature by simply tapping the Wi-Fi switch to turn it ON. Also care to check the light indicators on your modem or wireless router. If you see any red light indicator, then the network equipment is the problem and not your iPhone. If all signal indicators are showing the normal colors but your iPhone still cannot connect to Wi-Fi, you can then start ruling out software-related factors with these lined up procedures.
First solution: Restart your iPhone
Any device could suddenly become shaky after an update. As a result, some features won’t be able to work as intended. And that could be what’s going on with your iPhone’s Wi-Fi feature. To deal with random post-update issues like this, restarting the phone can help. That said, follow these steps to restart or soft reset your iPhone 11 Pro:
- Press and hold both the Side button and Volume Up button for a few seconds.
- Release both buttons when the Slide to Power off bar appears.
- Swipe or drag the bar to turn your device off.
- After about 30 seconds, press and hold the Side button and then release when the Apple logo appears.
After your iPhone reboots, allow it to re-establish Wi-Fi signal and then retry connecting to Wi-Fi to see if the problem is gone. If your iPhone is still unable to connect, try other methods to eliminate other factors.
Second solution: Turn Wi-Fi off and then back on again
Your iPhone’s wireless functions might have temporarily stopped working after the new system changes were implemented. As a result, your device lost Wi-Fi internet connection. In this case, refreshing the Wi-Fi feature of your iPhone will likely address the issue. So here’s what you should do next:
- From the Home screen, tap Settings.
- Scroll to and select Wi-Fi.
- Toggle the Wi-Fi switch to turn the feature off.
- After a few seconds, toggle the switch to turn Wi-Fi back on again.
Alternatively, you can use the Airplane Mode trick to simultaneously restart your iPhone’s wireless features. Performing this trick can also help eliminate random flaws affecting the phone’s wireless radios, including those that were triggered by the recent iOS update bugs. Here’s how the Airplane Mode trick is done:
- From the Home screen, tap Settings.
- Scroll down and tap on Airplane Mode.
- Toggle the Airplane Mode switch to turn the feature ON. Doing so disables your iPhone’s wireless radios and associated features like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
- While Airplane Mode is turned on, reboot or soft reset your iPhone to clear out network cache.
- After it reboots, go back to Settings-> Airplane Mode menu.
- Then toggle the Airplane Mode switch to turn it OFF again.
Allow your phone to re-acquire Wi-Fi signal and then you can try connecting to Wi-Fi again once the signal has stabilized.
Third solution: Delete Wi-Fi network then add it back
It is also possible that your Wi-Fi network has become corrupted after the update and therefore it’s no longer working. To fix the problem, you will need to delete the corrupted Wi-Fi network from your phone’s network directory so that you can set it up as new. Here’s what you should do then:
- Go to your iPhone Settings-> Wi-Fi menu then make sure that the Wi-Fi switch is turned on.
- Scroll down to the list of available Wi-Fi networks and then select the network that your iPhone is connected to.
- Tap the information “i” icon next to the name of the selected Wi-Fi network.
- Then tap the option to Forget this Network.
- If prompted, tap Forget Network to confirm network deletion.
You can also delete any other saved Wi-Fi networks that are no longer used on your device. Doing so will prevent any of these networks from causing conflicts with the selected network. After deleting Wi-Fi networks, turn off the Wi-Fi switch on your phone then restart it. As soon as it’s finished rebooting, head back to Settings-> Wi-Fi menu and then toggle the switch to turn the feature ON.
Don’t forget to enter the correct Wi-Fi password when asked to join and connect to the Wi-Fi network.
Fourth solution: Update carrier settings on your iPhone through iTunes
Widespread issues including those inflicted by an iOS bug can also be resolved by installing carrier updates on your device. These updates are rolled out by your carrier/internet service provider to ensure network stability and security. These updates may also contain the required fix patch to the transpiring issue with your iPhone’s wireless internet connection. Since your iPhone can’t connect to Wi-Fi, installing carrier updates through settings wouldn’t be possible. This is when iTunes play its part. You can use iTunes to manually install carrier settings updates on your iPhone 11 Pro with these steps:
- Connect your iPhone to the computer and then open iTunes. Be sure to use the latest version of iTunes app to avoid bumping into some system conflicts.
- Wait for your device to sync and back up with iTunes.
- Click to select your iPhone 11 Pro when it appears in iTunes.
- Navigate to the Summary section and then hold down the Shift key on the keyboard and click Check for Update. Doing so will prompt iTunes to install an iOS image (*.ipsw).
- Change the file type to iPhone/iPad Carrier Configuration File (*.ipcc).
- Select the desired file and then follow the rest of the onscreen instructions to complete the process.
When the carrier update installation is complete, turn your iPhone off and then disconnect it from the computer.
Fifth solution: Reset network settings to fix your iPhone 11 Pro that cannot connect to WiFi
This reset will erase your current network settings including server settings, APNs, saved Wi-Fi networks, Bluetooth connections and other relevant data along with their associated errors. If your network settings have been overwritten by the recent update and the overrides had caused some network conflicts, performing a network settings reset would be necessary. Here’s how it’s done:
- From the Home screen, tap on Settings.
- Select General.
- Scroll down and tap on Reset.
- Tap to select Reset network settings from the given options.
- Enter your passcode if prompted to continue.
- Tap on Reset network settings again to confirm action.
After the reset, your phone restarts on its own and then loads up the default network values and options. To get back online, you will need to set up your Wi-Fi network and join/connect to it like the first time you did.
Last resort: Erase your iPhone and restore factory defaults
This can be deemed among the last options if the problem continues after performing all prior methods. What you’re dealing with could be that complex hence, could not be rectified by the basic procedures. And this is when a factory reset plays a vital role. If you wish to continue troubleshooting and resort to a factory reset, back up all your critical data from your iPhone storage to iCloud. Once the backup file is secured, you can proceed right away with these steps to factory reset your iPhone through settings:
- From the Home screen, tap Settings.
- Select General.
- Scroll down and tap on Reset.
- Select the option to Erase all content and settings. This will erase everything from your iPhone system including all saved data on the internal memory.
- Enter your device passcode if prompted to continue.
- Then tap the option to confirm that you want to erase your iPhone and restore its factory default settings.
Performing a factory reset usually renders positive results when it comes to resolving complex system errors. That said, your iPhone’s internet connection should be back up and running smoothly again at this point unless the network equipment is at fault. Although the symptoms instigated after installing the new iOS update, it is still possible that the problem is due to a faulty modem or router in use. And that’s what you need to figure out next.
What to do if your iPhone 11 Pro still cannot connect to Wi-Fi
The above solutions are usually good enough to eliminate common software-related factors that might have hindered your iPhone from connect to Wi-Fi after the update. If none of them works, then it’s possible that the problem isn’t with the iPhone but rather with the network equipment. For example, your wireless router or modem may be enduring some random firmware crashes and is therefore not working as intended. If that’s the case, then power cycling the network equipment is what you need. To do so, simply turn the modem/router off then unplug it from the power source for about 30 seconds or so. After the elapsed time, plug it back in and then turn it on again. This should clear out any existing internet problems transpiring on the connected devices, including your iPhone.
It is also possible that the problem is not on your end. This is usually the case if a temporary network outage is transpiring. To check if there are any ongoing outages that could affect Wi-Fi internet services in your place, contact your internet service provider for more information. You can also ask them to run a quick diagnostics to evaluate your network equipment from their end. If necessary, you can ask them to re-provision or reset the modem/router remotely.
ALSO READ: Dealing with various Internet and Network problems on iPhone 11 Pro after iOS 13.2.3 update