Tuesday, July 30, 2013

What to do if iPhone WiFi is greyed out?

If you are using iPhone 4S or iPhone 5 and have recently upgraded iOS, you might have ended up with your iPhone WiFi switch being greyed out. Read the article below to find out what causes this problem and ways it can be resolved.

The Apple Support Communities have seen a surge in problems related to iPhone users’ WiFi being defunct. In many cases, the issue is related to iPhone 4S recently updted from iOS 5 to iOS 6 but also occurs in iPhone 5.

UPDATE: I found a useful post which summarizes iPhone WiFi connectivity issues in general. It might be useful for you.

Check out this tumblr post for an exotic way to fix iPhone WiFi:


What causes iPhone WiFi greyed out?

iPhone Wifi being greyed out means that there is a hardware-related issue – i.e. the iPhone WiFi chip does not function.

With the release of iOS 6 back in September last year, Apple improved power management for better iPhone performance over iOS 5. As a result of inadequate testing, however, it happens that some WiFi chips in both iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 overheat under iOS 6.

Fortunately, the iPhone is a piece of advanced technology which automatically prevents damage when the WiFi chip becomes too hot by powering the chip off. This causes your iPhone WiFi to be greyed out and ultimately, you cannot connect iPhone to the Internet via WiFi.

How to solve issue with iPhone WiFi not functioning?

You can verify whether your iPhone WiFi setting is greyed out or dimmed by navigating to Settings > WiFi.

Also, go to Settings > General > About and you will see your Wi-Fi Address empty.

Since WiFi and Bluetooth use the same radio chip, it is very probable the iPhone Bluetooth feature under Settings > Bluetooth is disabled, disconnected, or inaccessible.

To resolve the issue:

1. Navigate to Settings and make sure that Airplane Mode is switched off

2. In the iPhone Settings, go to General > Reset > Rest Network Settings

3. Cold-restart the iPhone by pressing and holding the Sleep/Wake and Home buttons simultaneously for 10 seconds until you see the iPhone screen go blank

4. If this does not sort out the issue, update the iPhone’s iOS to the latest version by connecting the device to iTunes on your PC


Alternative method known to have worked in case of iPhone WiFi setting dimmed using freezer

1. Tap Settings >General> Cellular > Cellular Data > OFF

2. Place the iPhone in a ziplock bag and make sure to squeeze the air out of the bag

3. Put the bag in a freezer for 15 minutes

Why place the iPhone in a freezer? As the iPhone would automatically turn off the WiFi chip due to overheating, when you cool down the chip sufficiently, the iPhone automatic protection is disabled. However, this is a temporary fix, until the next time the iPhone WiFi chip overheats and greys out.

If all fails or you wish to have a permanent solution for your iPhone WiFi greyed out, you must contact Apple directly. If your iPhone is in warranty, you are eligible for free-of-charge iPhone replacement by sending the device to the nearest Apple Store.

Still need help?

Post your question directly on my Facebook wall, I'll answer the same day with as many detailed instructions as possible.

To visit my helpful Facebook page click on the link below or scan the QR code to create your ticket:

112 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Glad to have helped! If you like the content and find it helpful, please give me a like on my Facebook page:

      https://www.facebook.com/iPhone.Contacts.

      Thanks!

      Delete
  2. Thanks for the kind words, Jacob! Be sure to check out my Facebook page for more content like this.

    ReplyDelete
  3. just as it says its a temporary fix in the freezer, how could i solve the problem once and for all....??????

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Indeed, the freezer solution is a temporary fix. Chances are if you take the phone to the Apple Store, they can replace the over-heating WiFi chip with a new one which should solve the problem permanently.

      Also, check out the following article which examines in greater detail WiFi and other connectivity issues related to the iPhone here:

      iPhone Wifi problems

      Delete
  4. Oh my gosh -- it worked! The first option of resetting did the trick. Thank you!! I only discovered the wifi icon not working after my son watched over 2 hours of video on my phone!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are welcome, Allison. Happy to have helped. Be sure to follow me on Facebook for more useful iPhone tips and tricks. Here's my Facebook page:

      https://www.facebook.com/iPhone.Contacts

      Delete
  5. THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH MY WIFI IS FIXED ALREADY AFTERV I PUT IN THE freezer for 15 minutes

    ReplyDelete
  6. It did not work... :( The problem remains!

    ReplyDelete
  7. After the last update, my iPod 5 will only connect to Apple Wi-Fi routers. My cell phone will connect to the same wi-fi routers. The Wi-Fi button is not greyed out. I tried the network setting reset and cold restart. Any thoughts

    ReplyDelete
  8. I thought this was a scam, but after trying everything that Apple had suggested and getting very frustrated, the Apple person told me to return the phone or....he had heard of a freezer fix but couldn't verify. I did the freezer and it worked!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi CJ, glad it worked out! Be sure to follow me on Facebook for more tips and tricks:

      https://www.facebook.com/iPhone.Contacts

      Delete
  9. i have an iphone 4 and i did all of the steps above and its still not working please help?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Dylan, if all fails, you'd need to take the iPhone to the nearest Apple Store for repair or replacement.

      Delete
  10. i've 4s 32gb, my WIFI is greyed out & so did al wat u said above, done freezing too. After that it works for 2days 3rd day the same problem occured. How can i rectify it permanently????

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If the issue comes back, this means that it is caused by a hardware issue (i.e. malfunctioning WiFi radio chip). For a permanent solution to this problem, you need to change the WiFi radio chip. Be sure to visit the nearest Apple Store for advice.

      Delete
  11. Thanks Bob! Your first fix worked for me!! Hurray!!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. the freezer thing worked for me ,bravo man

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thank you thank you thank you! I researched the heck out this issue and tried everything else, but the freezer is what finally worked!!!
    By the way, it is summer and now that I think of it, the problem started after I left my phone in a hot car!
    You made my day!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cara, happy to have helped. Enjoy the summer!

      Delete
  14. my iphone 4 wifi chip is burned out do you think the freezer thing will still work???

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not if your chip is completely destroyed. :(

      Delete
  15. didn't work, iphone sucks. glad I only spent $40 on this to use as an mp3 player because its not good for anything else. none of my androids ever had a problem with this and they don't even have that fancy "advanced technology" that shuts hardware down in case of over heating

    lol, oh wait, pretty much everything with a processor has that.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Freezer did not work for me. Saw another post suggesting a hairdryer on the headphone jack combined with reset of network settings on phone and a phone reboot. It worked which is strange given this chain about overheating

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