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 persistently 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 problem. “CarPlay not dependable with iOS 26 and iPhone Air,” they are saying. “Wi-fi connection always dropping. Unusable.” And one other complains: “Having identical 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 screen (Notification Heart). Moreover, Bluetooth additionally has a excessive likelihood of dropping when this occurs.”
At this stage, we solely have anecdotal proof, moderately than correct information. Primarily based on the variety of experiences, first noticed by MacRumors, the problem seems at the very least 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 not possible to inform if that is truly an element.
Certainly, it’s potential (albeit unlikely, given the quantity and specificity of complaints) that the problem 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 might have an effect on older telephones, Apple can be trying into the experiences and deciding whether or not it wants a repair. The truth is, it might have already executed so: some complainants report that putting in the primary beta of iOS 26.1 fixes the issue. That isn’t an possibility for all, however we’d advise these with affected telephones to maintain a watch out for the total model of iOS 26.1.
