How to fix Wi-Fi keeps dropping iPhone 11 Pro Max

One of the most annoying problems anyone could encounter is intermittent connection to the internet. Most apps and services running on your phone require good and stable internet connection in order to work as intended. Hence, many are also affected if your phone is experiencing problems with the internet.

Mapped out below are basic workarounds you can use whenever you’re faced with the same issue on your iPhone 11 Pro Max Wi-Fi internet that keeps dropping. Read on for more detailed solutions.

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Common causes of Wi-Fi drops

Faulty modem/router. The main source of your internet connection is either a modem or wireless router. If something goes wrong with the modem or router, the quality of your internet connection will tell.

  • Network problems. These are comprised of temporary network outages and scheduled network system maintenance conducted by your internet service provider. Internet connectivity symptoms tied to network problems are typically not rectifiable at home.
  • Random software glitches. Random firmware issues on your iPhone can adversely affect the network system and thus various internet symptoms are triggered. Performing the basic internet tweaks can help solve the problem.
  • Update bugs. When your iPhone’s internet connection suddenly acts up after installing a new firmware update, there’s a higher chance that the update is to blame. Something in that update might have ruined the network system and thereby results in some internet issues.
  • Hardware damage. Physical or liquid damage on the network equipment or iPhone itself is the worst among the possible causes. Dealing with hardware-related issues typically require service.

Sometimes, proximity or distance between the iPhone and the network device can also be the underlying cause. The farther your iPhone is from the network device, the weaker the signal it gets. This therefore results in an unstable or poor internet connection. That said, be sure to keep your iPhone close to the wireless router or modem while troubleshooting.

Troubleshooting Wi-Fi drops or intermittent Wi-Fi on an iPhone 11 Pro Max

Try these methods to eliminate common factors that might have destabilized your iPhone’s Wi-Fi internet connection.

First solution: Power cycle the modem/router.

Various types of internet problems can be triggered when the modem or wireless router is glitching. Like any other electronic devices, modems and routers also give into some random firmware crashes. And when this happens, the adverse effects are directly perceived on your internet connection. This is when internet symptoms like slow browsing, intermittent connection or no internet connection arise. Random internet connectivity issues inflicted by minor firmware issues on the network equipment are usually resolved by a reboot or power cycle. Thus, if you’re close to your modem or router right now, follow these steps to power cycle it:

  1. Turn off your modem or router as you usually do.
  2. While the device is powered off, unplug its AC adapter from the power source and keep it unplugged for about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
  3. After the elapsed time, plug the device back into the power source.
  4. Wait until it’s finished booting up and the light indicators become stable.
  5. Make sure that the Wi-Fi light/indicator is not red. A red light indicator usually denotes a problem on either the device or outside line.

Shortly after the modem/router powers on, your iPhone should re-acquire wireless signal. If you’ve set it up to auto-connect to your Wi-Fi network, it will connect to the network directly. Otherwise, you’ll have to do it manually.

Once your iPhone is connected, launch a browser app to test the quality of your internet connection. This would mean launching of various websites or online resources to see whether or not your Wi-Fi connection is still dropping.

Second solution: Reboot your iPhone (soft reset).

Rebooting or performing a soft reset on your iPhone can fix various types of system issues, including those that are affecting Wi-Fi services. Aside from dumping junk files cached in the phone’s internal memory, a soft reset also rectifies minor system errors that caused other features, particularly Wi-Fi to suddenly become unstable. Here’s how it’s done:

  1. Press and hold the Side button and either of the Volume Button at the side of your phone for a few seconds.
  2. When the Slide to Power Off appears on your screen, release both buttons.
  3. Slide the Power off command to the right to turn off the phone.
  4. Wait for about 30 seconds then press and hold the Side Button until you see the Apple logo.

Allow your device to finish the boot sequence and then reconnects to the Wi-Fi network. When it’s connected, launch your browser to test your internet connection and see if it’s still intermittent.

Third solution: Refresh wireless functions of your iPhone.

There are many ways to refresh your iPhone’s wireless connection. Aside from power-cycling the network device, you can also some toggles on your iPhone to refresh Wi-Fi features. The following steps will refresh your iPhone’s Wi-Fi internet connection using the Wi-Fi toggle. Here’s how it works:

  1. From the Home screen, tap Settings.
  2. Select Wi-Fi.
  3. Toggle the Wi-Fi switch to turn the feature OFF.
  4. After 30 seconds, toggle the Wi-Fi switch again to turn Wi-Fi back on.
  5. Wait for your iPhone to reconnect to your Wi-Fi network.

When it’s connected, go online and see how your internet connection works.

Another method is the so-called Airplane Mode trick. A lot of iPhone owners have figured a way to fix random internet connectivity issues using this method. And here’s how it’s done:

  1. From the Home screen, tap Settings.
  2. Select Airplane Mode.
  3. Toggle the Airplane Mode switch to turn it ON. Wireless radios and relevant features of your iPhone will then be disabled.
  4. While Airplane Mode is enabled, perform a soft reset or restart your iPhone.
  5. After your phone reboots, go back to Settings-> Airplane Mode menu.
  6. Then toggle the switch to turn Airplane Mode off again.

Shortly after turning the Airplane mode switch off, your iPhone will re-establish wireless signals. If it doesn’t connect to your Wi-Fi network, connect to the network manually. Be sure to enter the correct Wi-Fi password to ensure successful network access. Then do some test browsing to see if your internet connection is already stable.

Fourth solution: Install software updates, if available.

Updating your iPhone’s software is also a potential solution to network connectivity issues, particularly those inflicted by some software bugs. Software updates released by Apple usually deliver some fix patches to get rid of recurring issues on the device. A faster way to check for available update is through your iPhone settings. But since your internet connection is not stable, using iTunes would be a better option. Just follow these steps:

  1. Open iTunes on your computer.
  2. Connect your iPhone to the computer using the original Lightning cable or USB cable that came with it.
  3. Wait for your iPhone to appear in iTunes then select it.
  4. Click on the Summary tab.
  5. Then click the button to Check for Update.

This will prompt iTunes to start check for available software update for your iPhone. Just follow the rest of the onscreen commands to download and install an update, if available. When the update is finished, reboot your iPhone and disconnect it from the computer.

Fifth solution: Forget Wi-Fi network from your iPhone.

Wi-Fi drops can also be due to the Wi-Fi network that’s corrupted. To deal with internet problems caused by a corrupt Wi-Fi network, deleting the network would be necessary. Doing so will let you set up the network as new. Here’s how it’s done:

  1. Go to your iPhone Settings-> Wi-Fi menu and make sure that the switch is turned on.
  2. Scroll down to the list of Available networks.
  3. Select the name of your Wi-Fi network then tap the information “i” icon next to it.
  4. Tap the option to Forget this Network.
  5. If prompted with a warning messages, tap Forget Network to confirm.

If you see any other unsecured and unused Wi-Fi networks in the list, repeat the same steps to delete them. This is recommended to prevent any of these networks from causing conflicts with the Wi-Fi network the iPhone is connected to.

When you’re done deleting Wi-Fi network (s), turn the Wi-Fi switch off then restart your iPhone to clear its network cache. Then continue with these steps to set up a fresh connection to your Wi-Fi network:

  1. Go back to Settings-> Wi-Fi menu then turn Wi-Fi back on to view the list of networks available.
  2. Select your Wi-Fi network in the list by tapping on.
  3. Tap Join or Connect.
  4. Enter the required network password.

If you entered the correct password, then you should be connected in no time. By then you can retry testing your internet connection to see if the problem is fixed.

Last resort: Reset network settings on your iPhone 11 Pro Max.

Wiping all your current network settings and preferences is usually needed to deal with recurring internet issues, particularly those that are attributed to incorrect network configuration. This therefore can be considered among the last options if your iPhone’s Wi-Fi still keeps dropping after performing all the previous methods. Just follow these steps whenever you’re ready to reset network settings on your iPhone:

  1. From the Home screen, tap Settings.
  2. Select General.
  3. Scroll down and tap on Reset.
  4. Select the option to Reset  network settings.
  5. If prompted, enter the device passcode to proceed.
  6. Then tap Reset network settings again to confirm.

Wait for your iPhone to finish erasing your current network settings and then restores the default network preferences. This process doesn’t affect any saved information on the iPhone storage, so there’s no need to worry of losing important files afterward. When the reset is finished, the phone restarts on its own and then loads up the default network values and options.

To get back online, you’ll need to connect to your Wi-Fi network like the first time you did. See if that solves the problem then.

Still experiencing intermittent Wi-Fi internet on your iPhone 11 Pro Max?

Intermittent Wi-Fi issue attributed to random software errors on the phone are usually dealt with by any of the aforementioned procedures. If none of that works and your iPhone 11 Pro Max is still experiencing random to frequent Wi-Fi drops, chances are that the underlying cause isn’t on your end. At this point, escalating the problem to your internet service provider would be your next option. They do have the required tools to troubleshoot complex problems with your network equipment (modem or router) that might have made your internet connection unstable. If the problem started after installing an iOS update and it persisted after carrying out the given tweaks, then you better contact Apple Support for further recommendations.

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