Connecting to a WiFi network on your iPhone is typically done in just a few screen taps and toggles. However, there are many factors that could make such a simple process somewhat hard to accomplish. Thus WiFi connectivity issues emerge among the most common problems encountered by smartphone users. And owners of the iPhone XS are no exception.
Here in this post, I’ve mapped out a few suggested methods and workarounds that are used to deal with a similar problem on the iPhone XS that cannot connect to WiFi internet. Feel free to refer to this walkthrough whenever you need help resolving the same problem on your iPhone.
Before anything else, if you are looking for a solution to a different problem, then drop in on our iPhone XS Help Guides page for we have already solved some of the most common problems with this device. Try to find issues that are similar to yours and feel free to use our workarounds and solutions.
Troubleshooting iPhone XS that can’t connect to WiFi
Before troubleshooting, make sure that your iPhone is acquiring a stable WiFi signal. You wouldn’t be able to connect to WiFi internet if the WiFi signal is poor or intermittent. If the signal strength is good yet you still cannot connect to WiFi internet, then you can move on and start ruling out software-related culprits.
First solution: Perform a Force Restart on your iPhone XS.
A simple solution to minor issues including those affecting the phone’s wireless functions is a soft reset or forced restart on your iPhone. This will likely suffice if rogue apps inflicting minor network connectivity errors are the underlying cause of the problem.
If everything was working perfectly fine with your iPhone’s WiFi internet services but suddenly you’re having trouble connecting to the WiFi internet, then this could be just a temporary network glitch. Minor issues like this are usually rectified with a soft reset or forced restart on the device. To soft reset your iPhone XS, simply follow these steps:
- Press and hold the Top button and either Volume button until the Power Off slider appears.
- Drag the slider to power off your device completely.
- After 30 seconds, press and hold the Top button again until the Apple logo appears
To force restart your iPhone XS, follow these steps instead:
- Press and release the Volume Up button quickly.
- Press and release the Volume Down button quickly.
- Lastly, press and hold the Side button for a few seconds until you see the Apple logo.
Both these methods don’t affect internal data so it’s safe to carry them out even without backing up files. After the phone reboots, try connecting to your WiFi network and see if the issue has been resolved.
ALSO READ: How to fix an iPhone XS that’s not ringing on incoming calls
Second solution: Reboot your wireless router/modem.
Getting a fix right from the heart of your internet connection might resolve the problem. Like your iPhone, modems and routers also experience random firmware crashes. When these happen, various symptoms could occur. And that’s when your Internet connection becomes unstable. To rectify minor firmware crashes on your modem/router, performing the so-called power cycle is an effective solution. Here’s how it’s done:
- Press the Power button or On/Off switch on the wireless modem/router until it shuts off.
- While it’s switched off, unplug the AC adapter from the power source and leave it that way up to one minute.
- After a minute, plug the AC adapter back to the power source then turn on your wireless modem/router.
Reboot or soft reset your iPhone XS after restarting your modem/router. Once the modem/router is back up and running stable, reconnect your iPhone to your preferred WiFi network. Be sure to enter the correct WiFi password to ensure that the connection is successful. When you’ve successfully connected to the network, open a browser app then try navigating through various websites to see if they’re all loading up as intended. If they do, then your device is now able to access the Internet and thus, problem solved. Otherwise, continue to troubleshoot and eliminate other causing factors.
Third solution: Turn Off/On WiFi Internet on your iPhone XS.
A simple trick like turning the WiFi off and on is usually enough to resolve the minor internet problems on your phone. Doing so will clear out minor network errors that caused intermittent to no Internet connection. There are different ways to restart your iPhone’s internet connection. The usual tweak is done through the WiFi toggle. And here’s how it’s done:
- Access Settings from the Home screen.
- Tap WiFi and toggle the switch to turn it off. Wait for a few seconds then toggle it again to turn it on.
Another way to refresh your iPhone’s wireless internet connection is through the Airplane Mode toggle. Here’s how it works:
- Access Settings > Airplane mode menu.
- Toggle the switch to enable Airplane mode.
- Restart or soft reset your iPhone XS while airplane mode is turned on.
- After rebooting your phone, access Settings > Airplane mode then disable it.
Wireless radios and relevant functions of your iPhone are disabled when Airplane Mode is enabled. And disabling Airplane Mode re-enables them. Turns out that doing such a trick effectively eliminates minor errors affecting WiFi, Bluetooth, and cellular features. A lot of people have found wonders from performing this trick so it could be worth a shot.
After turning Airplane Mode off again, reconnect to your WiFi network to get back online and use online apps and services as you intend to do.
ALSO READ: How to fix YouTube app that keeps crashing, not working on iPhone XS
Fourth solution: Forget WiFi network then add it back.
Software bugs and glitches affecting the WiFi network could cause unstable to no WiFi internet connection. This is usually what happens if the WiFi network gets corrupted and is no longer stable. In that scenario, removing the corrupted WiFi network will likely resolve the issue. This is how to remove a corrupted WiFi network from your iPhone XS:
- From the Home screen, select Settings.
- Tap on WiFi then toggle the switch to turn it on.
- Look for your WiFi network on the list then select it.
- Tap the Information Icon next to the name of the network (SSID).
- Select the option to Forget this Network.
- Once prompted, select Forget Network to confirm.
If you see other saved WiFi networks, follow the same steps to forget/remove them all so that none of them could cause conflicts to the WiFi network in use. After forgetting WiFi networks, reboot/soft reset your iPhone to clear its network cache and to refresh the network system. Then set up/add your WiFi network again to reconnect to the WiFi internet and get back online.
Fifth solution: Reset network settings on your iPhone XS.
If your iPhone XS still cannot connect to WiFi internet after performing the previous workarounds, then try finding a more concrete solution. And this is when performing software resets must be considered among the next options. If the issue has been caused by a network error, performing reset network settings might do the trick. Here’s how it’s done:
- From the Home screen, access Settings > General.
- Scroll down to and then select Reset.
- Tap Reset network settings and enter your passcode when prompted. Just follow the on-screen instructions to complete the reset of network settings.
Your iPhone will automatically reboot once the reset network settings is done. As soon as it’s done booting up, it will revert to its default network configurations. By then you can start setting up your wireless network to reconnect and get back online.
ALSO READ: How to fix iPhone XS WiFi button is greyed out, WiFi button disabled
Sixth solution: Restore your iPhone XS in recovery mode.
Performing a full system reset and restore can be considered among the last options if the problem isn’t rectified by any of the above solutions. What you’re dealing with could be a complex network error, which requires more advanced solutions. If you wish to troubleshoot further, then you can proceed and try performing a factory reset. This will erase everything on your device and then restore its factory defaults settings. A faster way to factory reset your iPhone is through settings. But before you do, be sure to back up all important files from your phone storage to iCloud. Once you’ve secured the backup, follow these steps to start with the reset:
- Tap Settings from your Home screen.
- Tap General.
- Scroll down to and tap on Reset.
- Select the option to Erase all content and settings.
- Enter your passcode, when asked to confirm.
- Then tap the option to instigate iOS reset.
After the reset, set up your iPhone as new using the start-up wizard so that the required settings are implemented.
More often than not, software-related problems in mobile devices are resolved after a factory reset unless more complex system errors like a corrupted iOS file is at fault. Thus if the problem continues and your iPhone XS still cannot connect to WiFi after a factory reset, then this is when you may opt for an iOS restore through iTunes. You can proceed and perform a recovery mode restore or DFU mode restore to wipe your device and restore from a previous iOS backup.
You will need to use a Mac or Windows computer with the latest iTunes app installed to restore your iPhone XS in recovery mode and DFU mode. Once you’ve got everything ready, just follow these steps to restore your iPhone in recovery mode:
- Using the Apple-supplied USB/Lightning cable, connect your iPhone XS to the computer.
- Once connected, press and release the Volume up button quickly.
- Then quickly press and release the Volume down button.
- Press and hold the Power/Side button until you see the Recovery mode. Do not release the Side button if you’ll see the Apple logo as you will need to enter recovery mode.
- Once iTunes prompts you to Restore or Update, select Restore. This will allow iTunes to download the software for your device. Your phone will exit recovery mode if the download takes more than 15 minutes. If that happens, just repeat the steps to enter recovery mode again.
Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the restore process and once it’s finished, you can disconnect your iPhone XS from the computer and exit recovery mode by rebooting your device.
Still cannot connect to WiFi Internet on your iPhone XS?
If all the solutions indicated above did not rectify the issue, then you can contact your local Internet service provider for further recommendations and also ask them to check their system for any network outages transpiring in your area. If you suspect that the problem is with the wireless router or modem, then you can ask your service provider to reset the router/modem from their end.
Alternatively, you can also visit the nearest Apple service center in your place and have your iPhone checked by an authorized technician.
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