Mobile Phones iPhone & iOS 30 30 people found this article helpful How to Reset Network Settings on Your iPhone Learn what network settings do and how to reset them by Andy Wolber Freelance Contributor Andy Wolber is a former Lifewire writer who has been writing about technology for 15+ years. His focus is G Suite, iOS, and nonprofit sector apps. our editorial process Twitter LinkedIn Andy Wolber Updated on April 21, 2020 Tweet Share Email iPhone & iOS Switching from Android It's frustrating when your iPhone appears to be connected to the internet, but data doesn’t flow. Safari won’t load sites, email won’t send, messaging apps won’t work, yet your phone’s Wi-Fi and signal bars indicate a network connection. Network settings control how your iPhone connects to Wi-Fi as well as cellular networks. When you reset network settings on your iPhone, the configurations for all Wi-Fi and cellular networks return to the default settings. A reset also clears virtual private network (VPN) configurations. After a reset, your iPhone should automatically reconnect to your carrier, but you’ll need to manually re-configure Wi-Fi and VPN settings. A network reset resolves most connection problems, but other, simpler actions may help, too. Information in this article applies to iPhone 6 through iPhone 11. Tips to Try Before Resetting Network Settings Before you reset your network settings, try the following tips when you experience a network connection problem with your iPhone. They are quicker than going through resetting your network, and they often solve the problem. Toggle Airplane Mode Put your phone in Airplane Mode for a minute or so. Tap Settings on your iPhone. Move the slider next to Airplane Mode to the right, so you can see green, indicating Airplane Mode is on and Wi-Fi is off. Wait a minute and then move the slider next to Airplane Mode to the left to turn Airplane Mode off and Wi-Fi on again. Check to see if your connections work. Power Off, Then Power On Your iPhone If toggling Airplane Mode doesn’t work, turn your iPhone off and back on. Hold down the Power button on the iPhone for a few seconds. Move the Slide to power off slider to the right to power off the phone. Wait for the phone to power down and then hold down the power button for a few seconds until the Apple logo appears to turn your phone back on. You need to enter your passcode to sign in when your device starts. Check to see if your connections work. Forget and Reconnect to Your Wi-Fi Network If you still can’t connect, remove and then reconnect your Wi-Fi network. Open Settings and tap Wi-Fi to open the Wi-Fi settings screen. The name of the network your device is currently connected to is displayed right beneath Wi-Fi and its on/off slider near the top of the screen. Tap the i within the circle to the right of the current network name. Tap Forget This Network and confirm by tapping Forget. Forgetting a network forces your iPhone to disconnect from the network and returns you to the screen that shows the available wireless networks. Tap the name of the network you want to join. Enter the network password and tap Join. Check to see if your connections work. Reset iPhones Network Settings If network connection problems persist, complete the following steps to reset the network settings on your iPhone. On your iPhone, open the Settings app. Tap General. Scroll to the bottom of the screen and tap Reset. Tap Reset Network Settings. If prompted, enter your passcode. Tap Reset Network Settings. Your iPhone resets its network settings and then restarts, which takes a minute or so. When you can use your phone again, enter your passcode. Your phone should automatically reconnect to your cellular provider. If your iPhone doesn’t auto-connect to your mobile network, contact your carrier or Apple for support. You also need to rejoin Wi-Fi networks. Tap Settings > Wi-Fi and then tap the name of the network you want to join. If prompted, enter the network password and then tap Join. If you use a VPN, obtain and follow instructions from your VPN provider to reconfigure its app and settings on your device. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Email Address Sign up There was an error. Please try again. You're in! Thanks for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. Thank you for signing up. Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit