How to fix APPLE iOS slowing down my wifi internet connection?

Lets start with the fact that "3G wifi" isn't a thing...

I also agree with the above. Get rid of the VPN. It serves no legitimate purpose when used to access the internet.

It does absolutely nothing to protect your privacy or secure your data.

Totally remove Nord VPN; it provides ZERO benefit other than providing income to Nord and making your device less secure (and slowing it down). Just having it installed will slow down your connection, whether using it or not.

Lots of stuff gets posted on the net. Lots of it regurgitated by AI, lately. But based on online searches, I’m a penguin. 😉

Remove the VPN app. With all VPN apps removed*, test again. VPNs can cause all sorts of slowdowns.

Wi-Fi usually uses some mix of 2.4GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz, as available. 3G is usually cellular, and that cellular usage is getting pretty rare. There is a 3 GHz band (3.55 to 3.7 GHz) available for Wi-Fi in the US, but no iPhone uses it.

*When performance overhead for negligible security benefits double-encrypting part of the comms and with exposure of and risk of metadata collection badly solving a problem that hasn’t existed for a decade or so is needed, re-install whichever “coffee shop” VPN you might choose. For better communications privacy, look at enabling iCloud+ Private Relay and ODoH.

macruleswhyproblem wrote: Just google “ios 26 slows wifi” to see lots of complaints

Just google “the earth is flat” or “alien abductions”

What is “lots”? There are a few hundred million iPads in use in the US alone. So “lots” would logically be tens of thousands or even more. Is that the number you have seen in a google search?

macruleswhyproblem wrote:

people report this whether or not they have VPN. On, off or uninstalled does not affect the problem.

So to confirm for this case, you have removed all VPN apps installed, restarted, and tested again?

You have also tested on a different Wi-Fi network, as more than a few Wi-Fi installations can have issues with newer Wi-Fi standards, that either client-side or router-side. Or interference.

Finding down-revision router firmware is common, as is finding Wi-Fi interference, too.

macruleswhyproblem wrote:

people report this whether or not they have VPN. On, off or uninstalled does not affect the problem.

People also report that they have been abducted by aliens and had chips implanted in their heads to track their locations and record their thoughts. That doesn't make it real...

I'm fully aware of what a VPN is for and how to use it. I've been in IT for almost 4 decades.

A VPN is intended to provide a secure connection to a private network such as your employer for access to resources on that network.

If you are using a VPN to access content such as streaming video, etc. because it is not available in your country, you are technically breaking the law.

Also, you did NOT say "5G". You said "3G". There is a huge difference. Lots of people mix up 5G and 5GHz. That's understandable. But when you throw "3G" out there, that's a whole different ball game.

This is a technical support forum. You're trying to address a technical problem. We can't help if you can't provide accurate information.

It is entirely possible that the problem is your wifi router, especially if it's more than a few years old.

Two different sets of Wi-Fi clients might or might not be confirmation, as different Wi-Fi implementations can react differently to different clients. If all respond the same (poorly) on multiple networks, then something in iOS is certainly a candidate culprit, but different clients with issues on the same network can all be caused by down-revision firmware, or by network interference, or by a failing Wi-Fi device, among other potential causes.

Several cases I’ve troubleshot involved dropouts of Apple Wi-Fi devices, for instance. The Time Capsules configured as Access Points just dropped offline for ~15 seconds at random, no warnings logged and no yellow LED shown, and that causing spinners on clients sporadically depending on network path.

Shorter: Test with a different network.

If you have a Mac or PC, those have better tools for collecting and analyzing Wi-Fi data. iPhone and iPad are largely limited to band, channel, and some SNR details. With a Mac, the low-cost WiFi Explorer app is quite helpful. WiFi Explorer immediately identified the Time Capsule drop-outs, and many cases of interference, as examples.

Shorter: Test the network. Test another network.

Details matter: As for 3G, 3 GHz, 5G, 5 GHz, and the rest, that’s all too common as IT is variously and sometimes intentionally confusing, and confirming these details is necessary and can send the troubleshooting discussions in very different directions. And with 5 GHz specifically, there are multiple generations of Wi-Fi using that band (5, 6, 7, and with 8 incoming next), plus all the “fun” that can be extended and mesh networks.

Too many of the VPNs are metadata and data-collecting vortexes, finer points of geo-blocking aside. And they can and do contain bugs. As part of network troubleshooting, expect to be asked to remove or disable or bypass components that can cause the reported issues to try to isolate the cause.

As for the ages: various of the helpers here are seniors. The oldest active I’m aware of is in their eighties, IIRC. Teens are undoubtedly active in ASC, too. Age isn’t a great proxy.

Sorry, but you're not making a lot of sense (3G wifi speed)... and not really providing any actual useful information.

macruleswhyproblem wrote:

...with or without Nord VPN.

Simply turning off a VPN does not eliminate all of its effects. Uninstall it. It's most likely unnecessary anyway.

Don't use VPN services.