iPhone WiFi Greyed Out? 11 Simple Tips to Fix It

Being unable to connect to a WiFi network can be quite annoying given how essential the internet is to our daily mobile experience. It even worsens when you discover that the iPhone WiFi grayed out and when you tap the toggle to turn it back on nothing happens.

If this sounds familiar, then you’re in the right place. We’ll outline below simple steps you can take to solve this WiFi problem and have your iPhone connected to the internet. Let’s get to it.

Why Is the Wi-Fi Button Grayed Out on My iPhone?

The WiFi button grayed out on iPhone is not a rare problem and the cause for it can be anything. However, in my experience, it usually points to a hardware problem, specifically the Wi-Fi antenna.

For iPhone 6/6S and earlier models, the WiFi antenna sits right under the headphone jack where tiny bits of debris/dust or even a small drop of liquid can get in, and then damage or short-circuit the antenna. This still can happen to any of the other iPhone models with no headphone jack.

Other possible cause could be iOS bugs or just software related, especially after updating the iOS version. All in all, whether the cause is hardware or software-related, the following solutions will help resolve it.

How Do You Fix When iPhone Wi-Fi is Greyed Out?

1. Ensure Airplane Mode Is Off

While this may seem silly, you would first want to ensure that the Airplane Mode is off on your iPhone. The Airplane mode feature is designed to disable Wi-Fi as well as other cellular networks so that you’re able to use the phone on a plane. Thus, turning it off can resolve the iPhone Wi-Fi grayed out issue.

You can check if it’s on at the Control Center:

• Swipe up right from the bottom of your iPhone home screen (or swipe down quickly from the top right for iPhone X and other newer models) to open the Control Center.
• Locate the icon of Airplane Mode. If it’s active/on (blue in color), tap it to disable it. This should solve the issue. If it’s off, try the next step.

2. Turn Off Cellular Data

There are instances where if the cellular data is turned on, it can interfere with the WiFi function or rather, negatively affect it. So, turn it off if it’s on to resolve the WiFi button greyed out on iPhone issue.

Head to Settings, tap General, then Cellular, and finally Cellular Data. Then just tap the toggle to turn it off. Now, try connecting to your WiFi.

3. Reset Your WiFi Router

Sometimes the cause of WiFi button greyed out on iPhone might be your WiFi router, not your device. With that in mind, try resetting the router by turning it off and on again. You can do this by simply unplugging its power cord, waiting for a minute, plugging it back in and switching it on again, then trying to connect the iPhone to the WiFi once the router connects to the internet.

Alternatively, you can reset the router by long pressing the reset button for half a minute if your router has one (often placed at the back). If you’re not sure how to reset your WiFi router, you can seek directions for your exact model from your manufacturer or internet provider.

4. Check for Any Liquid Damage

Liquid damage could potentially be why the iPhone WiFi greyed out, especially if the iPhone took a plunge recently and was soaked or just got wet. Chances are the internal hardware and buttons were damaged.

Therefore, you should check for water damage. Look at your iPhone’s Liquid Contact Indicator or LCI. It’s usually in or just around the SIM card port of most iPhones and it activates once it comes into contact with water or any other liquid.

It’s normally white or silver in color, but turns red immediately when touches any liquid. So, if it’s red upon checking it, then it’s certain that your device was at some point exposed to liquid and you’re possibly looking at liquid damage. You should contact Apple in this case or your carrier to know what options you have.

5. Restart Your iPhone/iPad

A simple restart could be all it takes to fix your iPhone’s WiFi issue. It doesn’t seem much but it often works in fixing minor software glitches that could be the reason for the WiFi button greyed out on iPhone.

• For iPhone X and later models, or an iPad that has no Home button, long-press Power/Top/Side button together with one of the Volume buttons to display the power off slider.

• For iPhone or iPad models that have a Home button, long-press the Power/Top/Side button to display the slider.

Drag the slider so as to shut down the device. Once it’s turned off, give it 30 seconds, and then long-press again the Power/Top/Side button to turn it on.

6. Update Your iPhone

It’s likely that a software bug is the cause of your WiFi problem, especially if you’re using an old iOS version. Updating it to the latest iOS version could remedy the problem since Apple usually releases effective fixes to all previous bugs with every new update.

You can carry out the update from your iPhone itself or do it using iTunes on your computer by downloading the latest iOS version and installing it on your iPhone. Once the update process is finished, you just restart your iPhone and then check whether the WiFi is working.

7. Reset Network Settings

In case you have the latest iOS version or updating it doesn’t work, then your network settings could be the problem. All iPhones usually keep the Wi-Fi and cellular network settings that help them to get online. However, these settings sometimes tend to cause problems that end up interfering with connectivity. Therefore, resetting the network settings can actually resolve the iPhone WiFi greyed out issue.

Note that doing so will erase all the current network settings already stored on your device, including Wi-Fi passwords, VPN settings, Bluetooth connections, etc.

• Head to Settings on your home screen.
• Go to General, then tap Reset button on the bottom.
• Next, tap Reset Network Settings. Put the passcode if prompted to continue.
• Tap Reset Network Settings once more to confirm.

Once done, reboot the phone and check if the issue is resolved.

8. Reset All Settings

As much as it may be a drastic measure, resetting all settings is a possible solution to WiFi grayed out on iPhone. It will basically get rid of all system settings and preferences on your iPhone from the time you started using it including passwords, links attached to your phone, and even network settings. Any errors present are equally removed.

However, your apps, photos, music, and other iPhone data won’t be removed. Nevertheless, we recommend backing up all your data in case anything goes wrong. To reset:

• Launch Settings and head to General.
• Locate Reset option at the bottom and tap it.
• Next, tap Reset All Settings. Provide the passcode if prompted.
• Tap Reset All Settings once more to confirm and proceed.

9. Restore iPhone to Factory Settings

This is certainly the last resort if you still have your WiFi button greyed out on iPhone after resetting all settings. Generally, factory resetting your iPhone is not similar to restarting it. Here, you return your iPhone to factory default settings, meaning everything on your device (all data, downloaded apps and settings) gets deleted and it’s restored to its original state like when you first unboxed it.

Therefore, it’s vital that you back up the iPhone data before proceeding. You’ll be starting from scratch but sometimes that’s what needed to resolve a serious problem.

• First, fully back up your iPhone by syncing it to iTunes or iCloud so that all your apps, settings and data are safe and you can restore them later.
• Launch Settings from your iPhone, go to General, then to Reset option.
• Now, tap the option Erase All Content and Settings.
• A message will pop up asking you to Backup then Erase or Erase Now. Select the appropriate option.
• Tap Erase Now in the confirmation pop-up or Erase Phone based on your iOS version.

Wait for two minutes for your phone to delete all data and then set it up again. Check if the Wi-Fi is working. Sync all your data back to your phone now if the Wi-Fi is fine.

10. Fix iPhone WiFi Greyed Out without Data Loss

You can fix your iPhone WiFi problem with a third-party tool like the Fucosoft iOS System Recovery if all the other solutions fail and more importantly, if you don’t want any of your data to get lost. Unlike other tools, this software is highly effective in fixing iOS-related issues and can successfully and permanently resolve the iPhone WiFi greyed out problem without data loss. It works quite fast and supports all versions of iOS (including iOS 16/15) and all iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch models (including iPhone 14/13 models).

Main Features of Fucosoft iOS System Recovery:

• Takes a few clicks to resolve iPhone WiFi greyed out problem.
• Can fix over 150 different other iOS system issues.
• Can repair iTunes errors 4013, 4005 and more.
• Lets you downgrade iOS version without jailbreak.
• Enter/Exit Recovery Mode for free with a single click.
• Reset iPhone or any other iOS device without Finder/iTunes.

To solve WiFi button grayed out on iPhone issue using Fucosoft iOS System Recovery, follow these steps:

Step 1: Install Fucosoft iOS System Recovery on your PC or Mac after downloading it. Run the software once installed and then connect the iPhone to the PC using its original USB cable from Apple.

Step 2:When the software detects the iPhone, click the green “Start” button. In the resulting interface, click “Standard Repair”. Carefully go through the brief note below.

Step 3: Your iPhone model plus the corresponding firmware package will be displayed in the resulting window. Once you see them, click the blue “Download” button to download and install the firmware package.

Step 4: As soon as it’s ready, you can start fixing your iPhone by clicking “Start Standard Repair” option. This would take a couple of minutes, so be patient until it’s complete.

From there, your iPhone will restart automatically, afterwhich you can check if the WiFi issue is fixed.

11. Contact Apple for Help

You can explore all the above solutions and still don’t get anyway. If that’s the situation, it’s likely you’ve got a WiFi hardware problem on your phone. To be sure if that’s really the case, contact Apple Support Center for assistance. You can set an appointment with your local or nearest Apple store via Genius Bar and have them diagnose your iPhone and also have it fixed.

Conclusion

The practical solutions above can certainly solve iPhone WiFi greyed out. We hope they work for you too once you try them. Should they fail though, we recommend you use the Fucosoft iOS System Recovery software as it will get rid of all possible iOS issues and bugs and resolve the WiFI problem permanently without deleting your data. If that fails too, you can contact Apple for help.