iPhone, iPad owners, beware! Connecting to this WiFi network could ruin your device. Here's why
1 min read . Updated: 20 Jun 2021, 06:38 PM IST
Premium- The bigger problem with this bug is that even if the user changes the SSID name or reboots the device, the issue persists
Apple iPhone, iPad users have a new bug to worry about. WiFi networks with a specific name could completely disable the device's ability to connect via WiFi.
The new bug has been spotted by an engineer, Carl Schou. The engineer shared a tweet showing how his Apple iPhone's WiFi had stopped working completely after logging in to a WiFi network with a very unique name.
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As soon as the iPhone or iPad user connects to a WiFi network with the SSID “%p%s%s%s%s%n", all Wi-Fi functionality on the iPhone was disabled at that very instant.
The bigger problem with this bug is that even if the user changes the SSID name or reboots the device, the issue persists. Even system networking features such as AirDrop will stop functioning after the bug is triggered.
Users are advised to steer clear of any WiFi network with the same name and be careful with WiFi networks that have the percentage sign in them. The bug is expected to be fixed in a future OS update.
However, if an iPhone or iPad user falls prey to such an issue, there is a workaround. The bug does not affect the hardware of the phone. Hence, the user can reset the network settings in order to fix the issue.
In order to fix the issue, the user can go to the device's Settings, then select the General option and click on Reset. The user can then click on Reset Network Settings.
Using this method, the user will loose all saved network settings, including saved passwords, and VPN settings. However, the user will be able to regain WiFi functionality after the reset.
