Resolved iOS 6 WiFi Problem (Resolved)

[sirenized]

**** HERE IS THE FIX!!! ****

After I upgraded my iPhone4S to IOS 6 I noticed when I wanted to use my home Wifi it kept going to an apple log-in screen every time.

Turns out that the Safari cookie for the Apple website may be corrupted after the IOS 6 update. It uses this Apple website test to see if you are able to successfully reach the internet and if not, then it assumes you are on some public Wifi EULA approval page - Unfortunately this feature broke on some devices after IOS 6.

Here's how to fix it. Go to:

/Settings/Safari/Advanced/Website_Data/

Scroll down until you find apple.com or http://www.apple.com and swipe left until the red "Delete" button shows up.

Press Delete and then you can exit out of that and your Wifi should now work. Report back after you have fixed your device!

Cheers!
Michael L.

My hero #

 

[pitt1717]

Here is what is going on. Ever since iOS 4(?) there has been a feature where if you connect to a WiFi network it will try to ping this site:http://www.apple.com/library/test/success.html

If it is a success then it lets you connect, if it is not a success the phone trys to bring up what would be a Login page for corporate wifi networks. Example, public access points that have a login page, etc.

It seems that some moron at Apple deleted the file located at http://www.apple.com/library/test/success.html and that is why it is not working.

This is not an iOS 6 issue but rather a problem with Apple's website.

Rebooting your phone will not help, nothing will help until Apple fixes the problem on their end.

if this is true, then what if my internet went down. would i not be able to log into my home network. think about it, its totally wrong and apple has a lot of explaining to do. a redirect on a home network should never happen.

 

[1984]

Okay, so Apple fixed it on their end but why is this happening? Yes, it's a test of internet connectivity but there are certainly better ways to do it. A page is taken down and suddenly all iOS devices are rendered inoperable for wifi? Does it only do this check the first time enabling wifi after an iOS update or every single time?

 

[K3rmitx]

Problem solved

There are problems with iOS6, consist in/based on disconecting with computer network.
If anyone has this problem here is a temporary solution.

1. Go to settings
2. Turn on Airplane mode
3. Next we go in WiFI settings (WiFi should automatically turn off after turning on Airplane mode)
4. Change Wifi to ON
5. Go back to main settings and turn off Airplane mode

Kermit
Bye, See Ya...

 

[LeonHH]

Flight Mode

Turning the airplane mode off/on solved my wifi problem... (3gs/new iPad)
cheers

 

[beinhorn]

Secret Ping!

This explains it:

http://erratasec.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/apples-secret-wispr-request.html

very true. wispr request. captive portal

 

[cyberwalker]

renew lease and hard restart

Go into the access point (Settings > WiFi > (name of access point) then click the arrow next to the access point name and scroll down and click Renew Lease at the bottom of the screen.

This seems to work nicely. A hard reset may also help (as it will renew the lease on the AP too)

 

[trvr]

if the issue was on apple side then this is scary. My device should not contact apple servers to connect to a local wifi. what it was trying to do was no different then when you log into free wifi.
it seems like our packets were being directed to an outside authentication page

Yeah, no. Let's stop that train of thought right now. Here's how that process works:

1. WiFi notices your router, starts the connection process.
2. Your iPhone does the necessary handshakes and does the authentication dance.
3. The connection process completes. Hooray!
4. iPhone software says: "Dude, I need to find out if this is a weird pay wall router. Because if it is, then your apps are going to be jacked."
5. iPhone software hits a URL on Apple's site. If you're behind a pay wall, the software doesn't recognize the page and pops up the web page for your convenience. You enter the pay wall details, purchase access, whatever.

Your iPhone does tons of other traffic with Apple's servers that you don't even know about. All of it helps make your life easier in some way.

Edit: to clarify, it SHOULD make your life easier in some way. In this case, the captive portal detection process is flawed.

 

[Cdaddy112]

Yeah, no. Let's stop that train of thought right now. Here's how that process works:

1. WiFi notices your router, starts the connection process.
2. Your iPhone does the necessary handshakes and does the authentication dance.
3. The connection process completes. Hooray!
4. iPhone software says: "Dude, I need to find out if this is a weird pay wall router. Because if it is, then your apps are going to be jacked."
5. iPhone software hits a URL on Apple's site. If you're behind a pay wall, the software doesn't recognize the page and pops up the web page for your convenience. You enter the pay wall details, purchase access, whatever.

Your iPhone does tons of other traffic with Apple's servers that you don't even
know about. All of it helps make your life easier in some way.

It's mindbending how inaccurate your statements are

 

[ppnkg]

ok, don't shoot, apple fixed it. The fact remains that a lot of people were affected by the issue for a while - sure, not the end of the world (although I see a lot of people did experience it like this). It does indicate some sloppiness on the part of apple, right? (My first reaction was wtf apple? then came straight to macrumors to check out what's going on).

 

[Jester3]

This is how I fixed that same problem on my iPad3. Go in Settings and click Wifi then click the network your using and scroll down to Auto Login and turn it off!

 

[understudyhero]

Yeah, no. Let's stop that train of thought right now. Here's how that process works:

1. WiFi notices your router, starts the connection process.
2. Your iPhone does the necessary handshakes and does the authentication dance.
3. The connection process completes. Hooray!
4. iPhone software says: "Dude, I need to find out if this is a weird pay wall router. Because if it is, then your apps are going to be jacked."
5. iPhone software hits a URL on Apple's site. If you're behind a pay wall, the software doesn't recognize the page and pops up the web page for your convenience. You enter the pay wall details, purchase access, whatever.

Your iPhone does tons of other traffic with Apple's servers that you don't even know about. All of it helps make your life easier in some way.

You are missing the point though, if you set up an iPhone on cell everything will be ok. Then go to an Intranet and theoretically it will try to call Apple and not reach it and then cause the same problem. Yes - neat in theory, help me log in to paywall wifi! - but absolutely horrible in action because of what just happened. Hell no I don't want my phone dependent on a web page on apple to function. I want my phone to offer wifi without a path home being a prerequisite. This is very similar to an issue the Boxee Box has that it has to get home to boxee to even play local content.

 

[hayesk]

you know what I think is crazy? Not a single news site has listed this story. Wifi gos out on millions of devices and none of these sites pickup on it? But if a factory worker assembling an unreleased apple product passes gas there is a grainy cell phone picture capturing the whole thing up on 9to5mac in 30 seconds.

Almost as crazy as expecting all the news sites to be able to write a story within half an hour.

 

[Cdaddy112]

Almost as crazy as expecting all the news sites to be able to write a story within half an hour.

if apple announced that all pre orders for iphone 5 are cancelled i bet all news sites would report within 10 minutes

 

[Jester3]

Leave Auto Join on and turn off Auto Login!

 

[lilpete752003]

Scary

It is scary to think that if Apple can do this and have temporary control of your device, then what else is Apple capable of ? I am sure they could get all our info without our knowledge if they wanted to. Ooh! You all better watch out lol, just kidding. I am just glad my device works now

 

[trvr]

You are missing the point though, if you set up an iPhone on cell everything will be ok. Then go to an Intranet and theoretically it will try to call Apple and not reach it and then cause the same problem. Yes - neat in theory, help me log in to paywall wifi! - but absolutely horrible in action because of what just happened. Hell no I don't want my phone dependent on a web page on apple to function. I want my phone to offer wifi without a path home being a prerequisite. This is very similar to an issue the Boxee Box has that it has to get home to boxee to even play local content.

Oh, I didn't mean to imply that the process was flawless and good. I'm just saying Apple isn't harvesting your packets, as seemed to be implied:

it seems like our packets were being directed to an outside authentication page

 

[AceCoolie]

Not fixed for me

My ip4 can't connect and all my other devices still on ios5 can. I've tried all the suggestions in this thread such as airplane mode, forgetting the network, reset of network setting, http proxy, etc and no joy. I'm pissed because this has evidently been an issue since I upgraded around noon so all my iTunes updates an iCloud restores have gone over cell data and pushed me over my limit!!!

 

[crisss1205]

if this is true, then what if my internet went down. would i not be able to log into my home network. think about it, its totally wrong and apple has a lot of explaining to do. a redirect on a home network should never happen.

It is getting back a HTTP response which means your internet is not down. If your internet was down then the phone would know to not show the message. Also it may be more sophisticated and use a combination of DNS response and HTTP response.

 

[austinguy23]

I FIGURED OUT WHAT FIXED IT, GUYS!

I took a shower and when I was done, my WiFi worked again!

Quick, everyone take a shower! I used a blue towel if that helps...

 

[understudyhero]

It is getting back a HTTP response which means your internet is not down. If your internet was down then the phone would know to not show the message. Also it may be more sophisticated and use a combination of DNS response and HTTP response.

That it a very good point, Apple servers are deciding if you have an internet connection or not. Even while popping up a valid 404 error type page from Apple your phone is now deciding "oh you can't possibly have internet here be miserable while we try to helpfully let you go to the non-existant sign in page for your access point"

 

[SheltonDynamics]

Try going into the wifi settings and turning HTTP Proxy to auto and renewing lease. It worked on both my iPhones 4s. Still didn't solve passbook or App Store not loading problem but I bet that's an over subscription to apple site problem.

 

[Wilsonium]

I was able to get my iphone 4 working again with wifi by resetting network settings (general -> reset -> reset network settings)

Yup... This is what I did this morning and it worked fine on two iP4s' and 3 iPads.

 

[iBaeza]

There is for some iphone and ipad users like me a wifi problem in ios 6, the problem is after updating to ios 6 when you try to connect to a wifi network it will seconds later, load up a page on the apple page that is invalid (a login page) etc, to fix this problem you have to cut airplane mode on for 10 seconds then after you disable airplane mode problem will be fixed.

 

[crisss1205]

That it a very good point, Apple servers are deciding if you have an internet connection or not. Even while popping up a valid 404 error type page from Apple your phone is now deciding "oh you can't possibly have internet here be miserable while we try to helpfully let you go to the non-existant sign in page for your access point"

Also remember, this is not new with iOS 6. This was definitely in iOS 5, probably in iOS 4 and maybe even in iOS 3.

Also OS X 10.7 and 10.8 also use the same exact thing.