In our constantly connected digital world, any wifi or mobile data problem can be a headache. And however expensive or recent a smartphone is, connection problems can sometimes occur. In our post today, we cover some connection problems about the iPhone 7. We will tackle the reason why your iPhone won’t connect to Internet and try to find a way to fix it.
In this post, I will walk you through in troubleshooting your iPhone 7 that has some issues connecting to a WiFi network. We will consider every possibility and rule them out one after another until we can figure out why the problem occurs and what to do to fix it. I will also be citing some problems sent by our readers as you may also encounter them.
For owners who are looking for a solution to a different problem, drop by our troubleshooting page for we have already addressed some of the most common problems with this device. Browse through the page to find issues that are similar with yours and use the solutions we suggested. If they don’t work or if you need further assistance don’t hesitate to contact us by filling up our iPhone issues questionnaire.
Why is iPhone not connecting to WiFi?
There are factors we need to consider in troubleshooting an iPhone that’s no longer connecting to a WiFi network. And in order to fix this problem, you have to rule out every possibility.
First, an iPhone may not be connecting to WiFi due to a minor firmware issue. That’s the reason why you need to perform the basic Forced Restart procedure to refresh it’s memory as well as reload all its apps and services. If this problem is caused by a minor firmware glitch, then your iPhone should be able to connect to the WiFi after this.
Second, you must power-cycle your network devices such as your modem or router. Electronic devices need to be rebooted from time to time to function normally. Just by unplugging those devices from the wall outlet and leaving them without power for a minute or two may save you from a lot of trouble.
Third, you need to reset all network settings in your iPhone. This will forget all wireless profiles your device created. After which, let your device reconnect to the same network and see if the problem is fixed. If it continues, then a reset will be necessary. So, the next time your iPhone not connecting to WiFi again, remember these things.
Below are similar topics sent by our readers:
Problem 1: iPhone 7 wifi says connected but internet is not working
So my iPhone claims it is connected to my WIFI, but when I went onto Safari, it claimed my internet wasn’t working. That’s fine, I don’t use it very much. But when I tried to update my phone to iOS 11.1, it wouldn’t let me verify the update because my internet wasn’t working. It’s not possible to update on data, so I’m pretty stuck on what to do.
I’ve already tried hard resetting my phone and router. The WiFi works fine on everyone else’s phone in my house, too! Please help. — Alli
Solution: Hi Alli. Since you didn’t provide any history about your device here, you need to determine whether the issue is on the router side or the iPhone side.
iPhone-side troubleshooting
The first set of troubleshooting steps that you must do is on the smartphone side. Below are the things that you must do.
Toggle wifi on and off
Simple step are sometimes effective solutions so if you haven’t tried turning wifi on and off, we suggest that you do it at this time. Turning wifi off means the wifi service is disabled as well, which can, in turn eliminate the bug that may have developed for some reason.
Toggle Wi-Fi Assist
Wi-fi Assist is a feature that ensures your phone will not lose internet connection by automatically switching mobile data on if wifi connection becomes poor or out of range. If you enabled Wi-Fi Assist, consider turning it off for a few seconds. Then, simply turn it back on and see if your wifi connection works properly.
To toggle Wi-Fi Assist on and off, follow these steps:
- Open Settings apps.
- Tap Cellular.
- Scroll down to the bottom and look for Wi-Fi Assist.
- Toggle Wi-Fi Assist ON and OFF for a few times.
If you’re lucky, it may help in resolving the problem.
Reset network settings
Fixing any network-related issue should involve this troubleshooting step. Resetting your iPhone’s network settings does the following:
- deletes all wifi networks and their passwords
- resets Wi-Fi Assist feature back to ON
- deletes any VPN information such as server names, VPN type, password, among others stored in the device
To reset your iPhone 7’s network settings, do these steps:
- Open Settings app.
- Tap General.
- Tap Reset.
- Tap Reset Network Settings.
- If prompted, enter your passcode.
- Tap Reset Network Settings.
Do a factory reset
If resetting network settings won’t help, the next logical troubleshooting step is to perform a factory reset. As the name suggests, all software settings will be returned to their defaults. If you haven’t tried doing it before, here’s how:
- Create a backup of your important files via iTunes or iCloud.
- Sign out of your iCloud account (if applicable).
- Go to Settings.
- Tap General.
- Tap Reset.
- Tap Erase All Content and Settings.
Try connecting to a Wi-Fi network in a different location.
If your phone won’t connect to internet after doing a factory reset, try to see if your iPhone can work fine with another wifi network. If you’ll encounter the same problem, that’s a confirmation that you have a bad hardware. Contact Apple for more support.
If, on the other hand, the issue disappears when you connect to another wifi network, proceed to router troubleshooting.
Router side troubleshooting
Router troubleshooting is actually beyond our scope of support so we can’t provide specifics for you. If you can’t manage to troubleshoot the device, make sure to contact your internet service provider for help. These are the two important things that you must do:
- Update your Wi-Fi router with the latest firmware and make sure that the router supports your Apple product.
- Check the router settings to see if you have selected an option that might have blocked your phone from connecting to the internet. Restarting your router won’t change the settings for you. There may be a need to reset the entire configuration so again, contact your ISP for device-specific troubleshooting steps.
Problem 2: iPhone 7 can’t verify iOS version
iPhone 7: I am connected to the internet. Everything is working fine but I can’t verify my 11.1 upgrade because it says I’m not connected to the internet. When I am. I tried using cellular data. I disconnected and reconnected to the internet, restarted the phone and then tried again. I tried switching to and from airplane mode. I don’t know what else to do. — Lauraholteart
Solution: Hi Lauraholteart. There may be an unknown bug causing the problem. To troubleshoot the issue, you must do the following:
Reset network settings
Try to reset your phone’s network settings first (steps provided above) and see if that will make a difference.
Ensure that all apps are up-to-date
Some issues may spring from incompatible or outdated apps. Make sure to check that all of your apps are working and running their latest available version. By default, App Store app is set to automatically download and install app updates. If you changed this setting before, be sure to manually update all your apps.
Do a full Restore
Finally, if nothing still works, try to restore your phone as a new device to force it to start from scratch. Here’s how to do it:
- Create a backup of your files. You can do that in a number of ways but the fastest and most effective way is by using iTunes in your PC or Mac. If you don’t want to create a backup at all, you can simply erase everything on the phone by following the steps in this link.
- Connect your iPhone to your computer with the cable that came with your phone.
- We assume you remember your phone’s passcode so simply enter it when you’re prompted for it.
- Select your iPhone once iTunes asks you for the specific device.
- Once you’re in the Summary panel or screen, select the option that will restore your device (Restore).
- Confirm by clicking on Restore button.
- Wait for a few moments while iTunes restores your device to its factory settings. It may also take some time if iTunes will need to install an updated operating system version.
- After this factory reset, all software settings should be restored to their defaults.
ALSO READ: How to fix an iPhone 7 iOS update error on Unable to Check for Update? [Troubleshooting Guide]
Problem 3: iPhone 7 wifi and other functions stop working after repair
I removed my screen to replace it as the glass was cracked. I obtained a complete LCD, camera, etc unit (with 4 cable ribbons). So it was just a plug and play Jon. It turned out that this new screen was faulty, so I removed it and refitted the old fracked screen. This worked perfectly before and the screen still does, however, the front camera, the flash (light) and the WiFi/Bluetooth all no longer working! I’ve checked all connections that I can find and they all seem fine. The only cables I disconnected were the 4 on the screen and the home button which I had to swap over from old to new and back again. I’ve tried resetting the phone which also didn’t help. The WiFi did come back again at one point, but then went again. Since then nothing. Can you offer any assistance with advice on what I should do next? Thanks. — Colin Blakemore
Solution: Hi Colin. This is the primary reason why we discourage untrained users from fixing their own devices. While replacing the component/s are relatively easy, diagnosing problems can be tricky for most, sometimes even for professionals. In your case, the cause of the problem can be anything. It may be due to an unnoticed broken circuitry, an incompatible replacement component, or other unknown hardware malfunction. The difficulty of doing hardware diagnosis is another reason why our blog does not support hardware problems. We suggest that you let an experienced technician check the hardware instead.
Problem 4: iPhone 7 wifi stopped working after Airplane Mode was toggled back off
Hello. I have an iPhone 7, and have never had any internet issues with it. This afternoon, I put it on airplane mode so it would charge faster. Once I took it off of airplane mode, the wifi stopped working. It says I am connected to the network, but when I try to use the internet, it says I have no internet connection.Other devices in the home are connecting to wifi, so it does not appear to be a router problem. I turned my phone on and off and did a network reset, but neither of those seem to work.Any help would be greatly appreciated. — Nicole
Solution: Hi Nicole. There may be a need for you to wipe the phone clean (Erase All Content and Settings) or a full Restore. If you’ve already done all our suggestions for Alli above, don’t hesitate to do abovementioned options — Erase all content and settings or Restore. Any of them should fix the problem.
Connect with us
We are committed to helping our readers fix the problems with their phones as well as learn how to properly use their devices. So, if you have other issues, you may visit our troubleshooting page so you can check by yourself the articles we’ve already published that contain solutions to common problems. Also, we do create videos to demonstrate how things are done on your phone. Visit our Youtube Channel and please subscribe to it. Thanks.