iPhone Wi-Fi Drops When Screen Locks? Here’s How to Fix It

Camilla Woo January 6, 2023

wifi disconnect

Check the discussion in the Apple community, you will find that many iPhone users have encountered Wi-Fi automatically disconnects when the phone's screen is locked, no matter which version of the system is. It is a highly controversial feature of the iPhone, which caused inconvenience to users who need to use Wi-Fi to answer calls or listen to music when the screen is locked. Have you ever encountered this problem? The following content will answer this question and teach you how to solve it.

Total Time: 5 minutes

Supply & Tools:

  • iPhone
  • Router

Why does the Wi-Fi automatically disconnect when the iPhone locks the screen?

The design of this function is probably based on the following two reasons.

  • Save power. We all know that connecting a mobile phone to Wi-Fi consumes more power than not connecting to Wi-Fi. When the screen is locked, the iOS system thinks that the user does not need to use Wi-Fi. In order to maintain a good power-saving effect, it will automatically turn off Wi-Fi after the screen is locked.

  • Switch to the best network signal. When the Wi-Fi signal is poor, the iOS system will automatically turn off Wi-Fi after locking the screen and switch to a relatively better 4G/5G network.
cellular vs wifi

How to fix iPhone automatically disconnects from Wi-Fi when the screen is locked?

You can troubleshoot according to the following methods to solve the problem.

1.Check if there is a Wi-Fi password-sharing software on your iPhone. If exist, uninstall it. uninstall

2.Force restart your iPhone. Force restarting your device can help fix many glitches on your iPhone, including Wi-Fi disconnects automatically after locking the screen.

  • To force restart iPhone 8 and later series: Quickly press the volume up and down keys respectively, and then keep pressing the power button until you see the Apple logo;
  • To force restart iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus: Press and hold the volume down button and the power button simultaneously until you see the Apple logo;
  • To force restart iPhone 6s and earlier series: Press and hold the home button and power button simultaneously until you see the Apple logo.
force restart

3.Disconnect Wi-Fi and reconnect again.

Enter Settings → Click Wi-Fi → Click the "i" icon on the right side of the Wi-Fi network → Click Forget This Network → Click Forget after a dialog box appears → Return to Wi-Fi connection list → Re-click the Wi-Fi network you want to connect → Enter correct password to connect.
disconnect and reconnect

4.Enable Auto-Join. If you have turned off auto-join Wi-Fi, your iPhone may also automatically disconnect from Wi-Fi when the screen is locked. Therefore, it is recommended that you enable it.

Go to Settings → Click Wi-Fi → Click the "i" icon on the right side of the Wi-Fi network → Enable Auto-Join.
enable auto-join

5.Turn off Wi-Fi Assistant. If the iPhone has turned on Wi-Fi Assistant, when the Wi-Fi signal is poor, the iPhone will automatically connect to the cellular data to bring you the maximum network speed. However, this may cause the iPhone to automatically disconnect from Wi-Fi after the screen is locked. To turn off Wi-Fi Assistant, please follow next steps.

Go to Settings → Click Cellular → Scroll to the bottom to find Wi-Fi Assistant and turn it off.
turn off wifi assistant

6.Restart the Wi-Fi router. Sometimes, the iPhone will automatically disconnect from the Wi-Fi after the screen is locked if the Wi-Fi router has worked for a long time.
In this case, you can power off the Wi-Fi router by pressing the on/off button or simply unplug the power cord. Wait a few seconds and turn it back on.
restart wifi router

7.Reset network settings. The problem may also be caused by the network settings of the iPhone. You can try to reset the network settings. Resetting network settings will not erase the data on the iPhone, but the Wi-Fi passwords stored on the device will be deleted.

Enter Settings → Click General → Click Reset → Click Reset Network Settings → Click Reset after a dialog box appears → Wait for the system to recover and restart, then try to connect to the Wi-Fi network to check if the Wi-Fi connection is normal.
reset network settings

8.Upgrade the iOS version. If your iPhone is running an older iOS version, the device may encounter some software issues that can lead to a Wi-Fi disconnection after the screen is locked. You can solve this problem by upgrading the system version.

Go to Settings → Click General → Click Software Update → If a software update is available, click Download and install it.
upgrade ios version

9.The ultimate solution: Repair the iOS system. You can do it with a system repair tool. repair ios system

How to avoid iPhone automatically disconnecting from Wi-Fi when the screen is locked?

Two tips to solve your troubles:

  • Adjust iPhone settings: turn off Wi-Fi Assistant and low power mode.

  • Pay attention to hotspot selection: Avoid connecting to Wi-Fi networks in public areas, and try to connect to an encrypted hotspot.

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