iOS 26.1 beta appears to fix iPhone Air, 17, and 17 Pro Wi-Fi issues

Macworld

Apple’s latest batch of phones, the iPhone 17, 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max, and Air, have only been in stores since Friday, but they’ve already been hit by complaints that Wi-Fi on the devices doesn’t always work as it should. Users across a range of forums have claimed that periodically, Wi-Fi connectivity “briefly disconnects and then reconnects after they unlock the iPhone,” which can also cause CarPlay to disconnect.

One thread on Apple Community (which has 42 replies, incidentally, although those numbers are inflated by people suggesting solutions and repeat commenters) writes: “I’ve noticed that my Wi-Fi consistently was dropping in and out on setup and that my wireless Apple CarPlay seems to disconnect intermittently.”

A reply to that thread corroborates the issue. “CarPlay not reliable with iOS 26 and iPhone Air,” they say. “Wireless connection constantly dropping. Unusable.” And another complains: “Having same Wi-Fi issues on my 17 Pro Max, Wi-Fi [drops] randomly and repeatedly with no service at all while my 16 Pro Max [works] flawlessly.”

A Redditor, meanwhile, sums up the situation as “iPhone 17 Wi-Fi turns off and on every time I unlock the iPhone OR swipe down and bring up the lock screen (Notification Center). Additionally, Bluetooth also has a high chance of dropping when this happens.”

At this stage, we only have anecdotal evidence, rather than proper data. Based on the number of reports, first spotted by MacRumors, the issue appears at least reasonably widespread, but the true frequency and the cause are both unknown. Some complainants, for example, say the “bug” takes effect when they’re wearing a paired Apple Watch, but with so many people owning both an Apple Watch and a new iPhone, it’s impossible to tell if this is actually a factor.

Indeed, it’s possible (albeit unlikely, given the volume and specificity of complaints) that the issue isn’t limited to the new phones, but to iOS 26, which many people with older phones haven’t yet installed. Those with brand-new hardware also tend to be more sensitive to bugs and problems, which stand out more on a device that’s otherwise delivering cutting-edge performance.

Regardless of whether it can affect older phones, Apple will be looking into the reports and deciding whether it needs a fix. In fact, it may have already done so: some complainants report that installing the first beta of iOS 26.1 fixes the problem. That isn’t an option for all, but we’d advise those with affected phones to keep an eye out for the full version of iOS 26.1.