Apple’s newest batch of telephones, the iPhone 17, 17 Professional, 17 Professional Max, and Air, have solely been in shops since Friday, however they’ve already been hit by complaints that Wi-Fi on the units doesn’t at all times work because it ought to. Customers throughout a spread of boards have claimed that periodically, Wi-Fi connectivity “briefly disconnects after which reconnects after they unlock the iPhone,” which may additionally trigger CarPlay to disconnect.
One thread on Apple Group (which has 42 replies, by the way, though these numbers are inflated by folks suggesting options and repeat commenters) writes: “I’ve seen that my Wi-Fi constantly was dropping out and in on setup and that my wi-fi Apple CarPlay appears to disconnect intermittently.”
A reply to that thread corroborates the difficulty. “CarPlay not dependable with iOS 26 and iPhone Air,” they are saying. “Wi-fi connection continually dropping. Unusable.” And one other complains: “Having similar Wi-Fi points on my 17 Professional Max, Wi-Fi [drops] randomly and repeatedly with no service in any respect whereas my 16 Professional Max [works] flawlessly.”
A Redditor, in the meantime, sums up the scenario as “iPhone 17 Wi-Fi turns on and off each time I unlock the iPhone OR swipe down and convey up the lock display (Notification Middle). Moreover, Bluetooth additionally has a excessive probability of dropping when this occurs.”
At this stage, we solely have anecdotal proof, fairly than correct knowledge. Based mostly on the variety of studies, first noticed by MacRumors, the difficulty seems not less than moderately widespread, however the true frequency and the trigger are each unknown. Some complainants, for instance, say the “bug” takes impact once they’re carrying a paired Apple Watch, however with so many individuals proudly owning each an Apple Watch and a brand new iPhone, it’s unimaginable to inform if that is truly an element.
Certainly, it’s attainable (albeit unlikely, given the amount and specificity of complaints) that the difficulty isn’t restricted to the brand new telephones, however to iOS 26, which many individuals with older telephones haven’t but put in. These with brand-new {hardware} additionally are usually extra delicate to bugs and issues, which stand out extra on a tool that’s in any other case delivering cutting-edge efficiency.
No matter whether or not it could possibly have an effect on older telephones, Apple will probably be trying into the studies and deciding whether or not it wants a repair. In truth, it could have already executed so: some complainants report that putting in the primary beta of iOS 26.1 fixes the issue. That isn’t an choice for all, however we’d advise these with affected telephones to maintain a watch out for the complete model of iOS 26.1.
