iOS 16.1 is causing a mysterious Wi-Fi problem for some

Ios 15 Wi Fi Hero
(Image credit: Future)

If you installed iOS 16.1 earlier this week and found that your iPhone's Wi-Fi keeps disconnecting, you aren't the only one.

Apple released iOS 16.1 to the public on Monday, October 24 and since then people have been posting to social media and support forums across the web to complain that their iPhones just won't stay connected — even if they just leave them alone.

So far, no fix has been found among those who are afflicted by this mysterious issue, 

Shy Wi-Fi

Looking through people's complaints on Twitter, there doesn't appear to be a particular model of iPhone that is being affected more than others. One person reports that their iPhone 14 Pro Max is misbehaving, disconnecting Wi-Fi every few seconds. Another says they have the same problem but use a much older handset. In this case, they're using an iPhone XS Max.

Some people have tried resetting their network settings, while others have reset their entire iPhone. Nothing seems to work, as first reported by MacRumors.

It's unclear whether Apple is aware of the issue or if it has a fix in the works. The iOS 16.2 beta is already being tested by developers and those on the public beta program, but there could be a fix released before then if Apple can engineer one.

Apple has struggled for stability across all of its iOS 16 releases since the first one in September. It may be the best iPhone software in terms of features and capabilities, but the same cannot be said for the number of bugs that have been so far occurred it. Including some specifically related to the brand-new iPhone 14 models when they were released last month.

Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.