WiFi Auto-Join option turned on itself

I found this problem from iOS 16.x, my iPhone saved about 3 wifi ssid (1 home, 1 school, and the other one is managed by Carrier), the "Auto-Join" option of these wifi has been turn off, but i didn't turn off wifi because AirDrop, AirPlay and unlocked by AppleWatch needs WiFi.


Under normal circumstances, iPhone will not join any WiFi network unless I manually select one, but sometimes I found that the iPhone automatically connects to one of the WiFi networks I have saved, even when I didn't manually choose it, and the "Auto-Join" option is turned on by itself.


I want to know under what circumstances the auto-join function will be turned on by itself.


(Sorry for my bad english)

iPhone 13, iOS 16

Posted on Jul 28, 2023 01:37 AM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jul 28, 2023 02:21 AM

If your iPhone is automatically connecting to a saved WiFi network without your manual selection, and the "Auto-Join" option is turning itself on, there could be a few possible explanations for this behavior. Here are some things you can check and do to troubleshoot the issue:


  1. Location-based Auto-Join: iPhones have a feature called "Auto-Join Hotspot" that allows the device to automatically join known WiFi networks based on your location. It uses cell tower and GPS information to determine your location and connect to familiar WiFi networks. To check if this feature is enabled, go to Settings > WiFi and scroll down to find the "Auto-Join Hotspot" option. You can disable this feature if you don't want your iPhone to automatically connect to known networks based on location.
    1. The pic below says: Known networks will be joined automatically. If no known networks are available, you will be notified of available networks.
  2. iCloud Keychain Sync: If you have multiple Apple devices (e.g., iPhone, iPad, Mac) and use iCloud Keychain to sync your WiFi network settings across devices (Refer to the third Screenshot below), changes made on one device can propagate to others. So, if you accidentally enabled the "Auto-Join" option on one device, it might get synced to your iPhone as well. To avoid this, ensure that you manually manage WiFi networks on each device separately.
    1. See the pic below: Which says, Your device and other devices using iCloud Keychain will no longer join this Wi-Fi network If Forget is tapped.


2 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jul 28, 2023 02:21 AM in response to 承桓

If your iPhone is automatically connecting to a saved WiFi network without your manual selection, and the "Auto-Join" option is turning itself on, there could be a few possible explanations for this behavior. Here are some things you can check and do to troubleshoot the issue:


  1. Location-based Auto-Join: iPhones have a feature called "Auto-Join Hotspot" that allows the device to automatically join known WiFi networks based on your location. It uses cell tower and GPS information to determine your location and connect to familiar WiFi networks. To check if this feature is enabled, go to Settings > WiFi and scroll down to find the "Auto-Join Hotspot" option. You can disable this feature if you don't want your iPhone to automatically connect to known networks based on location.
    1. The pic below says: Known networks will be joined automatically. If no known networks are available, you will be notified of available networks.
  2. iCloud Keychain Sync: If you have multiple Apple devices (e.g., iPhone, iPad, Mac) and use iCloud Keychain to sync your WiFi network settings across devices (Refer to the third Screenshot below), changes made on one device can propagate to others. So, if you accidentally enabled the "Auto-Join" option on one device, it might get synced to your iPhone as well. To avoid this, ensure that you manually manage WiFi networks on each device separately.
    1. See the pic below: Which says, Your device and other devices using iCloud Keychain will no longer join this Wi-Fi network If Forget is tapped.


Jul 28, 2023 02:26 AM in response to SravanKrA

Thanks for reply.


  1. Auto-Join Hotspot of my device is set with "Never"
  2. Wi-Fi Auto-Join is turned on on my iPad and MacBook (they have no cellular data), remove the saved wifi in my iPhone can solve the problem, but i need iCloud KeyChain to sync passwords between my apple devices, so the wifi settings in my iPad and Mac will be removed too.

This thread has been closed by the system or the community team. You may vote for any posts you find helpful, or search the Community for additional answers.

WiFi Auto-Join option turned on itself

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.