Some iPhone 17 Owners Report Wi-Fi Dropping When Unlocking Their Phone

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The iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air landed in the general public’s hands last Friday. Some early adopters are finding issues with the connectivity on their new iPhone, and it appears to be a confusing situation with multiple variations of similar problems.

According to reports on Reddit, which have now seen hundreds of comments from other users, some iPhone 17 models are disconnecting from Wi-Fi every time the phone is unlocked. The reports were first spotted by MacRumors.

One user, called r/tbone388, shares their situation where the Wi-Fi turns off when unlocking the device, or swiping down on the lock screen to access the notification center.

The brief disconnect and reconnect to Wi-Fi is frustrating for users as it slows down the experience. It can also have an impact on systems that require a Wi-Fi connection, such as Apple CarPlay.

The original Reddit user has found either disconnecting or locking their Apple Watch has helped limit the issue, suggesting the problems may be tied to the smartwatch.

However, some other commenters have said that doesn’t fix the issue for them. Some are also sharing slightly differing problems without the use of an Apple Watch, although they all tie to Wi-Fi connectivity dropping for a short period of time.

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There are also further reports on Apple’s support forum. It’s currently unclear how widespread these issues are. So far, there aren’t any reports of similar problems with iOS 26 on older iPhone models, suggesting it’s limited to the new hardware.

If you’re experiencing this problem, you may find a fix is coming with iOS 26.1. The first beta for the software is available now, and some users who have switched over to it have found the issue is solved. It’s not a fix for everyone though as some say it continues to be a problem for them, even when running the new software.

You should only switch to iOS 26.1 Beta 1 if you’re clear on the risks of running early software. In the meantime, we’ll have to await an update from Apple. The brand has yet to comment on the problems. PCMag has asked Apple for comment and we’ll update this article when we hear back.