IOS 14 WiFi

I have the same problem with my iPhone 7Plus. I have just updated to iOS 14.2 yesterday morning and suddenly after the update, my phone have some problems with both Wifi and Cellular Data connectivity . The device now is like an useless brick, I cannot use any browsers or any apps. I have tried some recommendations below such as manually change the DNS or reset the network setting but it didn't work. Apple need to fix this bug and release a new update as soon as possible.

In order to fix this all you have to do is click the i to the right of the wifi network name you want to connect to. Then click on the "Private Address" to unselect the option. Then connect as you usually would. It is a default to have in on, so unless you turn it off you will not be able to connect to wifi.

Yes!
I have iphone X running on ios 14.2. Since the day I’ve updated it to ios 14.2, I’ve been experiencing the wifi issue.
when I go to wifi then it only shows 2.4 GHz and sometimes it only shows 5 GHz and sometimes nothing at all.
moreover, after connecting the wifi to 2.4 GHz (since this one shows up the most), the iphone comes back to cellular data just under a minute.
Apple should look into this and should fix it in the next update asap.

Guys and gals, I fixed this issue tonight. I have a brand new iphone 11, downloaded 14.2, and had the issue on my iphone 8 and now this one. I deleted an app that was using VPN. Once that wasn't being used any longer, everything returned to normal.

Some users with wifi problems on 14 might have there issue resolved with turning of private network and disabling vpn. But the core problem most are facing is dropping wifi unless your standing next to the hub.

I have had some good results addressing the WiFi problem by turning Bluetooth off. This seems to help with the WiFi issue of 14.2 I have no idea why, but it has helped. It doesn't completely fix the problem, but has allowed WiFi to work more often. I just have to remember to turn Bluetooth back on when I use the car.

Apparently turning off Bluetooth did it for me...?

Apple just told me that WPA-2 security is a known issue for ios 14. Their support rep said I should use WPA-3. Problem is my broadcom-based router (Netgear AC1750 purchased in 2018) does not offer WPA-3.

Chat transcript:

Apple:
Security
 WPA3 Personal for better security, or WPA2/WPA3 Transitional for compatibility with older devices
The security setting defines the type of authentication and encryption used by your router, and the level of privacy protection for data transmitted over its network. Whichever level of security you choose, always set a strong password for joining the network.

• WPA3 Personal is the newest, most secure protocol currently available for Wi-Fi devices. It works with all devices that support Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), and some older devices. 
• WPA2/WPA3 Transitional is a mixed mode that uses WPA3 Personal with devices that support that protocol, while allowing older devices to use WPA2 Personal (AES) instead.
• WPA2 Personal (AES) is appropriate when you can't use one of the more secure modes. In that case, also choose AES as the encryption or cipher type, if available.

Don't create or join networks that use older, deprecated security protocols like WPA/WPA2 Mixed Mode, WPA Personal, TKIP, Dynamic WEP (WEP with 802.1X), WEP Transitional Security Network, WEP Open, or WEP Shared. These are no longer secure, and they reduce network reliability and performance. Apple devices show a security warning when joining such networks.

Article: HT202068
Apologies, discard that  
Me:
OK
Apple:
Once you change the Security, you will need to monitor the devices for dropping connections intermittently 
Me:
So are you saying there is a problem with iOS using WPA2-PSK [AES]?
Apple:
Yes 
Me:
Introduced in iOS 12.4?
Apple:
Correct 
Is there anything else I can assist with today?

I have the similar issue for the WIFI stability after update to IOS 14.2 and later 14.2.1 ( iphone 12), my iphone 6S also facing similar WIFI stability issue after update to IOS 14 ( very much regret I did the uodate :((( )

Due to this WIFI instability, it is getting very tricky when doing the secure transactions (example banking), as the OTP or the 2FA identification is not able to receive on time or completely no authentication.

I called Apple support three times, no concrete solution for the problem !

In response to tarnation's post -

Thank you for providing this detail! The change of iOS' WiFi default security settings versus what was available on my Netgear Orbi router was my suspicion (noted in my posts on the previous page) and I'm happy to see it confirmed from Apple as I have not received any feedback from Netgear. What's concerning is that your interaction with Apple support confirms they are aware of this issue but it may come down to having to buy new network hardware. Not ideal.

My iPhone XS Max started dropping WIFI speed to <1MBPS suddenly today and not even pages load anymore saying no internet connectivity after iOS 14.2 update

Yeh, so hey Apple. Are you going to just sit there with your mouth shut or are you going to fix the mess you made with WiFi on this update? Forum solutions are nice to find. BUT WE ALL WANT A DEFINITIVE WORKAROUND FROM APPLE FOR THIS. The forum solutions might lead to instabilities or to insecurities. I am fine with WPA/WPA2. I do not have WPA/AES nor WPA3.

Most of us cannot just go out an buy a new WiFi router just to make you happy. You should have thought of that BEFORE releasing the upgrade, AND/OR given us all a warning.

How can we make this work safely with the security protocol we have been using?

Hi apple. I just bought a brand new IPhone 11 and I’m getting ready to transfer my information but once I am about to finish it is telling me I need to install IOS 14.2. The problem with this is the first time I tried to install the software it took all night long, I could not even use my phone and it was not even ready the next morning. So I restarted the phone, retransferred my information and now when I get to the install page it says I need to connect to WiFi but it does not even give me the option to connect to my home WiFi. I don’t even know what to do at this point. I’d appreciate if you could help me out. Thanks.

My speeds have been basically throttled on the BRAND new iPhone 12 Pro. Since updating to 14.2.1 Speed test on my phone the LTE network is 2.48Mbps. Yup, you read that right. Problem is only on my BRAND new iPhone 12 Pro. I have an iPhone 7 and iPad Pro and those LTE network speeds are 37.1 & 47.6. Both on 14.2 iOS. Whatever is going on, i don't think it's only me!!

Hopefully, they fix this issue ASAP!!!

In response to tarnation's post -

I checked my security settings on my router and doesnt have a WPA3 setting. I was set of WPA2, the crazy thing is though that when I switched the security to WPA (the less secure that Apple expressly said not to use) the problems have seemed to go away (for now) on my router (not the access point which is locked to have WPA/WPA2). In short Apple needs to get their s*** together and fix this.

Yes, my phone constantly disconnects from wifi for no reason and this has never been an issue with my computer or any other device. I've followed so many "troubleshooting tips" that I've found online, including Apple's own, and absolutely nothing works.

I keep seeing people in the comments say that turning off your VPN and Private Address fixes everything and that has not worked for me AT ALL. And even if it did, I should be able to use the VPN that I pay for every year for internet security which is something that Apple encourages ironically enough. Get your sh*t together Apple, we pay WAY too much our WiFi to only work half the time.

Yes a maddening issue... although I truly do not know the root cause I found that my Netgear Nighthawk router suddenly did not allow my phone to connect. I have set connectivity permissions to manually allow only certain Mac/WiFi addresses on my router.

After the update my router did not recognize my phone and I had to go into my router and RE-permit my phone to acesss. After that, no issues.

In response to Blort's post:

This is what I had to do as well, revert to a lesser level of security, which iOS warns against doing, Ha! That said, once I did this, my wifi worked as expected.

I sent the text from tarnation's post to Netgear, waiting on a response.

Yes, same here. I had my wifi upgraded and as you experienced, I couldn't connect my wifi and kept giving me 'no connection' warnings (except weirdly enough, it allowed me to access facebook products). Anyway, after reading this, I deleted my VPN. I agree, this is wrong and needs a fix. I just renewed it 2 weeks ago... Apple, what say you??

Yes. After a week on this 14.2 iOS now my wifi setting won’t turn on. I can’t connect to any WiFi connection. This needs fixed ASAP.

turning off bluetooth also solves the issue for me.

edit: iphone 11 pro
issue: wifi connection is not dropping, it seems like then I take my iphone out of sleep, e.g. whatsapp always says 'connecting' -> only the first few seconds, after that it works as normal. This is a problem however, connection seems to be lost when sleeping. Also turning off bluetooth sucks for other connected devices.

Hi all - I am following up on Conneires comments posted 1 day ago. Conneires is on to something. After trying all of the **** (apple replaced the word '**' with **** apple is very sensitive) (wow - think of a synonym for dumb) recommendations that are designed to eliminate problems by blind process of elimination (i.e. turn your phone off, turn it back on; turn your iPhone wifi off, turn it back on; turn your iPhone airplane mode on and off, turn your iPhone settings on and off, reset your iPhone settings, restore your iPhone settings - blah blah blah - "is your device plugged in to power source?". Just before I decided to chuck my phone out the window into a pond, I deleted my Express VPN app. Guess what? As soon as I did that everything - all of my apps and wifi connections are now back and fully functioning. Therefore, my genius tech sleuthing informs me that this DARN problem is a VPN matter. Delete your VPN app, get back on the internet, punch apple in the face. Now to figure out how to get VPN working.

I have been dealing with this issue ever since 14.0 rolled out. I’m currently on iPad OS 14.2 and have tried all the fixes and everyday I have to re-acquire my Wi Fi multiple times throughout the day. One of the comments I read from Apple leads me to believe this has more to do w/ security encryption standards on your WiFi rather than anything else. I will be installing a new AX router ($ 70) today w/ WPA3 encryption. I hope this solves the problem because the disconnects happen at the most annoying times. All of the current fixes listed on the Internet work the same as my connection drops sporadically and no one fix seems to be any more effective than the rest. Additionally, my understanding is that once you have committed to iOS 14.0/ iPad OS 14.0 or higher you can no longer go back to 13. I believe we are all being forced to upgrade to WiFi6 aka AX w/ WPA3 encryption.

Found that Wi-Fi private address feature in iOS 14 caused problems for me. After recent (2020-11) update to 14.2, Wi-Fi private address was enabled by default. This feature causes the phone to generate a new MAC address for each new wifi network it registers with. At home, we have 2.4 and 5 GHz bands, and the phone generated new MAC addresses for itself on both of these bands. So effectivity phone now has 3 MAC addresses at home: original non-private MAC, new private 2.4GHz MAC, new private 5Ghz MAC. I added these new MAC address into the "allowed" list on my router and all is good again. For anyone "locked out" of their network and unable to edit router access control list, simply disable the Wi-Fi Private Addresses feature and your phone should return to its original MAC address.