Several iPhone users have complained that they cannot turn on Wi-Fi on their phone because the button to enable Wi-Fi appears “grayed out” or “dim”.
By grayed out, I mean that the Wi-Fi button is disabled and cannot be tapped. Thus it is impossible to turn on Wi-Fi.
On your iPhone, you can access this setting by going to Settings > Wi-Fi. If you are having this issue, the Wi-Fi button does not function. When it is tapped to toggle it on, nothing happens.
You can also turn on Wi-Fi by going to Control Center. However, if your iPhone is having this issue, it won’t be possible to enable Wi-Fi using Control Center either. When Control Center is open, you will see that the Wi-Fi icon is disabled with a slash through it, (see the screenshot below.)
this issue will prevent you from connecting to the Internet. This means that the apps and services that require the Internet connection to function such as Mail, iMessage, Safari, iCloud, will not work. This further means that you cannot access the Internet on your iPhone via an app or a website.
This article explains what you can do if your iPhone Wi-Fi won’t turn on because the setting is grayed out.
1. Restart
The first step is simple but effective. But it can fix this Wi-Fi problem. Simply restart your iPhone. Here is how:
iPhone X, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, or later: Press and hold the side button and either of the volume buttons until you see the power off slider. Drag the slider. Wait a few seconds for your iPhone to turn off. Then press and hold the side button until the Apple logo appears.
Other iPhone models (iPhone 8 or earlier): Press and hold the power button (side or top, depending on your iPhone model) until the power off slider appears. Then drag the slider. Wait for your device to completely power off. Then press and hold the side button until you see the Apple logo.
Now go to Settings > Wi-Fi. Can you enable Wi-Fi now?
2. Update
This issue may be caused by a software bug. There may already be an upgrade or update addressing that bug. Thus updating your iPhone may fix your Wi-Fi problem. You can check for updates by going to Settings > General > Software Update. If there is an update available, follow the onscreen instructions to update your iPhone.
3. Reset Network Settings
Some of your network settings may be corrupted and causing thisWi-Fi problem. You can reset your network settings to fix it. Please note that this will erase all of your network settings such as your Wi-Fi passwords. If you want to do this, simply go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Network Settings.
After resetting, you will have to re-enter your Wi-Fi passwords and pair your Bluetooth devices.
4. Reset all settings
Reset all settings on your iPhone to see if this can fix your problem. Doing so will restore all of your customized settings (sounds, display, Wi-Fi, etc) to the factory settings. Your data such as photos, apps, etc will not be affected. In other words, this will restore to the default settings without erasing your data.
Please go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset and then choose Reset All Settings. And then follow the onscreen instructions.
5. Contact Apple support
So you have tried everything and your iPhone Wi-Fi will not turn on? Then you may want to contact Apple for further help.
