Some iPhone and iPad users have updated to iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 and discovered wi-fi issues that did not exist before the update, whether it’s that a wireless network suddenly doesn’t work, or the connection is dropping, abnormally slow, or some other wi-fi difficulty. Considering that nearly everything relies on the internet these days, having wi-fi problems and connectivity issues can be very annoying, so resolving wireless network difficulties is of the utmost important.
This article is going to walk through various steps to troubleshoot wi-fi problems that may be encountered with iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 on iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.
0: Install Available Updates to iOS / iPadOS
The first thing you should do is check for and install any available updates to iOS or iPadOS. For example, iOS 14.0.1 and iPadOS 14.0.1 was released and includes a fix for wi-fi issues, and that may resolve your problem.
Always check for available system software updates first, as they often include bug fixes which may resolve the problem you are experiencing. This is done by going to Settings > General > Software Update.
Don’t forget to backup your device before installing any software updates as well.
1: Reboot the Device
Sometimes a simple reboot of the iPhone or iPad will resolve connection issues.
You can either soft reboot or hard reboot. A soft reboot means turning the device off, then back on again. A hard reboot is forcing the device to restart, and the procedure for that varies per iPhone or iPad.
For newer iPhone and iPad models, like iPhone 11, XS, XR, X, 8, and iPad Pro, press Volume Up, Volume Down, then hold the side Power button until the device restarts with an Apple logo.
For older iPhone and iPad models with clickable Home buttons, holding the Home button and Power button at the same time until you see the Apple logo will force restart the device.
For iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, hold Volume down button and Power button until the device restarts.
2: Forget the Wi-Fi Network, Toggle AirPlane Mode, then Rejoin
- Open the Settings app, then go to “Wi-Fi”
- Find the wi-fi network you’re connected to, then tap the “I” button next to the network name
- Tap on “Forget This Network”
- Exit out of Settings
- Turn on AirPlane Mode by pulling down Control Center and tapping the AirPlane icon (or by activating it from Settings), leave it on for a few seconds, then turn AirPlane mode back off again
- Return to the Settings app and go back to “Wi-Fi”
- Re-join the wireless network you were previously connected to
3: Reset Network Settings
A common resolution for networking issues is to reset the network settings on the device. The downside to this is that it loses saved wi-fi network passwords and other customizations to network settings, so be prepared to re-enter that info if needed:
- Go to “Settings”, then to “General” and to “About”
- Go to “Reset”, then choose “Reset Network Settings”
- Confirm to reset network settings
4: Disable Private MAC Address
If the wi-fi problems are only happening on a specific network after updating to iOS 14 or iPadOS 14, you may also try disabling the Private Address feature, which randomizes MAC addresses when joining wi-fi networks.
- Open the Settings app, then go to “Wi-Fi”
- Find the network you’re connected to, then tap the “I” button next to the network name
- Toggle the switch with Private Address to the OFF position
5: Delete or Disable VPN, Reinstall VPN
If you’re a VPN user and experiencing wi-fi issues, sometimes disabling, deleting, and reinstalling that VPN can be resolve the issue. You may notice the VPN logo flickers in the corner of the devices screen, but there’s not always and obvious indicator that this is to blame.
To disable a VPN, go to Settings > VPN > toggle the switch OFF
That alone may work for some users. If it does, be sure to update the VPN app from the App Store, or contact whoever your VPN is run through to find additional troubleshooting steps from them, as there may be configuration issues with the VPN.
To delete a VPN, go to Settings > General > VPN > tap the (i) button next to the VPN, then tap on “Delete” and confirm.
Of course if you delete a VPN it will no longer be usable, so you’d need to add one again, either by reinstalling the relevant VPN app, or by re-configuring it again if you have a manually configured VPN.
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Did the above troubleshooting tricks resolve your wi-fi problems with iOS 14 or iPadOS 14? Did you find another solution? Share with us your experiences and thoughts in the comments below.