Make Your iPhone Ask to Join Wi-Fi Networks

  Matt Cone       April 11, 2013      Tutorials iPhone Network


By default, your iPhone automatically connects to known wi-fi networks. (To stop an iPhone from automatically connecting, you can tell your iPhone to forget a wi-fi network.) But what happens if you take your iPhone to a new location? You’ll need to manually connect your iPhone to a wi-fi network.

That’s a hassle. But if you have the foresight and inclination, you can save yourself time in the future by making your iPhone ask to join wi-fi networks when no known networks are available. Instead of having to open settings to join a network, you’ll be able to easily select a network from an on-screen prompt.

Here’s how to make your iPhone ask to join wi-fi networks:

  1. From the home screen, tap Settings.

  2. Tap Wi-Fi. The window shown below appears.

    iPhone Wi-Fi settings

  3. Move the Ask to Join Networks slider to the On position.

  4. The next time you’re in a location with no known networks, your iPhone will prompt you to connect to an available wi-fi network, as shown below.

    Selecting a wireless network on your iPhone

In the future, this prompt will be displayed when no known networks are available. To actually see the prompt, you’ll need to do something that requires network access, like try to check your email or open a webpage. To connect to a wi-fi network, select a network and enter a password, if one is required.

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