How to fix an iPhone SE that has no Internet access even if Wi-Fi status says connected (easy steps)

There are times when weird things happen and your device would just stop working as intended. Just like what happens to an iPhone that’s unable to access the Internet even when it’s status says connected. More often than not, problems like this are attributed to a software error either on the network equipment or device itself. There are also some cases where network outages are to blame. In worst case scenarios, it occurs due to some sort of physical or liquid damage on the network equipment or iPhone itself.

For hardware-related cases, service is usually needed. Before rushing to a service center though, there are a few workarounds and possible solutions you can try on. The methods I demonstrate below are used to address a similar issue on a particularly iOS device that is the iPhone SE. However, any of these can still be utilized as reference to deal with the same Wi-Fi problem on other iPhone variants. Read on to find out how to troubleshoot your iPhone SE that cannot access or browse the Internet even if Wi-Fi is connected.

Now, before we proceed with our troubleshooting, if you have other concerns with your new iPhone SE, drop by our troubleshooting page for we have already published some guides and tutorials. You may also contact us by completing our iPhone issues questionnaire. This is a free consultation servicer we offer and all we need is information about the problem. So please give us that so that we can help you better.

First solution: Reboot or power cycle your wireless router/modem.

Firmware crashes also occur on network equipment like modem or wireless router. When this happens, wireless connectivity features of your connected devices will be affected. And no browsing is one of the many symptoms to surface. More often, this occurs as a random firmware glitch that can easily be dealt with by power cycling or reboot the network equipment. Here’s how it’s done:

Locate the Power button to switch your wireless modem or router. You’ll know if your network equipment is completely off when all the light indicators on it are off.
Unplug your modem/router from the power source.
Leave it unplugged for about 30 seconds to 1 minute. This should be enough time for your network equipment to rest.
After the elapsed time, plug it back into the power source and then turn it back on.
Wait until all the light indicators are up and stable.

If you see any red light indicator, wait until it turns blue or green. A red light usually indicates a problem either on the network equipment or on you network service provider’s end. You may have to call your service provider for help in this case. If nothing seems odd with your network equipment, then you’re good to go.

Second solution: Perform a soft reset on your iPhone.

Software glitches transpiring on your iPhone can also be one of the possible triggers. Should this be a minor glitch, performing a soft reset will be able to fix it. It refreshes your iPhone system and eliminates any errors that might have caused trouble to wireless connectivity function of your phone. And here’s how it’s done:

Press and hold the Power button until the Slide to Power off prompt appears.
Drag the slider to power off your iPhone completely.
After 30 seconds or so, press and hold the Power button until the Apple logo appears.

Wait until your iPhone boots up completely and then reconnect to your Wi-Fi network. Once it’s connected, open a browser and do some test browsing. If you can browse other sites except for one, then the problem is isolated to a website and not on your iPhone. But if you cannot browse any website, then you’ll need to troubleshoot further with the next methods.

Third solution: Forget/delete your Wi-Fi network on your iPhone.

It’s possible that your Wi-Fi network in use gets corrupted and therefore not working as intended. A first approach to fix such errors is to turn Wi-Fi off and on. If that doesn’t work, then you can forget or delete your Wi-Fi network instead. This means you will need to set up your Wi-Fi network again and then reconnect. Here’s how to do so:

Tap Settings.
Tap to turn Wi-Fi on if necessary.
Locate and select your Wi-Fi network in the list.
Tap the blue i or information icon next to your Wi-Fi network.
Select the option to Forget this Network. Doing so will delete your wireless network from the phone’s memory.
If prompted, enter your device passcode to continue.
Then tap to confirm the option to delete Wi-Fi network.
Restart your iPhone when the network has been successfully deleted.
Go back to Settings-> Wi-Fi menu, and then scan for available wireless networks. Select your Wi-Fi network and then tap the option to Join.

Wait until the Wi-Fi status says Connected and then open a browser or online app to do some test browsing to see if you can connect to the Internet already.

Fourth solution: Reset network settings on your iPhone.

Problems like this can also be due to incorrect or invalid network settings on the phone. If it occurs after you modified some settings, then it will likely be resolved by reverting the settings changes you’ve made back to how they were previously configured. Alternatively, you can perform a network settings reset on your iPhone to restore the default network configurations and then set up and connect to your Wi-Fi network as if it’s the first time you do. To get this done, follow these steps:

Tap Settings from Home.
Tap General.
Scroll to and tap Reset.
Select the option to Reset network settings. This will delete all your current network settings including Wi-Fi networks and passwords but does not affect any of your personal information.
If prompted, enter your device passcode to continue.
Then tap the option to confirm network settings reset.

Your iPhone will reboot automatically when the reset is finished. After it’s rebooted, head over to Settings-> Wi-Fi menu. Turn Wi-Fi on then setup and connect to your Wi-Fi network again.

Fifth solution: Update iOS to the latest version.

Updating your iPhone software to the latest version can also help especially if the problem is inflicted by some system bugs. Updates usually contain fix patches to eliminate bug-inflicted problems in different devices so it’s also worth a shot. If you haven’t already, then you might as well consider updating your iPhone to the latest iOS version available like iOS 11.3 or iOS 11.3.1. But since you’re having trouble with your Wi-Fi Internet connection, OTA update installation wouldn’t be an option. And this is where you will need to use iTunes. To get started, secure a Windows PC or Mac computer with the latest version of OS and iTunes software installed. Once you have it ready, follow these steps to update your iPhone SE via iTunes on your computer.

Connect your iPhone to your computer using the supplied USB cable or Lightning cable.
Open iTunes on your computer and wait for it to recognize your iOS device.
On your iPhone, tap the option to Trust this Computer if prompted.
Once recognized, your iPhone will appear in iTunes.
Click to select your iPhone then navigate to the Summary section in iTunes.
Click the button to Update or Restore.

An update notification will show up if an update is available. Read and review the information then follow the onscreen instructions to proceed with the update download and installation. Remember to keep a backup of all your important data beforehand. Your iPhone must also have at least 50 percent power.

Other options

Reset/restore iOS. If the problem started after installing a new update and that it persisted, then you may continue to troubleshoot and this time opt for iOS reset or restore. You may opt to reset your iPhone SE to factory defaults or restore to a previous iOS backup either through recovery mode or DFU mode restore in iTunes.
Contact your ISP/carrier. To make sure this isn’t an issue with your network service provider or base towers, try contacting your carrier or ISP to verify the current network status in your area. Sometimes, problems like this may occur due to network outages or network system errors on your carrier’s end. You can also ask them to provision your wireless router/modem or reset it remotely. They also have access to a dedicated software to get things like this done when needed.

Connect with us

Visit our troubleshooting page to view more solutions to other iPhone problems we have addressed in our prior posts. If you wish to reach our iOS support team for further assistance, then you may do so by filling up this form with all the required information. Be sure to provide us with the significant details of the issue that you need help with so we would be able to give you the best possible solutions and recommendations to try on.

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