Stop iPhone from automatically connecting to the WiFi my iPad is connected to

It seems that this is not yet possible, which is a shame. Usually I always use a VPN on my mac if I need to connect to a network not managed by me (public, hotel, friend’s, etc.). However, I am not always careful to activate the VPN on my iPhone at the same time. Thus I will end up with my iPhone automatically connected to that “new” network unintentionally. Doesn’t look safe!

Thanks for reaching out DuLac55,

It sounds like you are having trouble where your Wi-Fi on your iPad is automatically connecting to your iPhone. We can help.

This sounds like you might have Personal Hotspot turned on on your iPhone. You can follow these steps to turn it off: How to set up a Personal Hotspot on your iPhone or iPad.

Once it is turned off, see if you're able to connect without connecting to your iPhone's connection.

Hope that helps.

Take care.

DuLac55,

We understand that the networks you're forgetting on your iPhone are syncing to the iPad. It sounds like this may be a feature built into iCloud Keychain. One option would be to disable iCloud Keychain, by following the guidance here: Set up iCloud Keychain - Apple Support

However, another good option would be to disable the "Auto Join" feature that has your iPhone automatically connect to that particular network. You could do this rather than forgetting it entirely. You can do this by pulling up Settings > Wi-Fi > [Your Network], tapping the More Info button and then tapping Auto-Join to disable that. This would enable you to stop your iPhone from connecting to that network but would still let you enjoy the other features of iCloud Keychain that you may be utilizing currently.

We hope this does the trick for you!

Cheers.

My issue is more pervasive. I need to stop the iPhone from auto-joining ALL networks, especially unknown networks that are not showing up under the WiFI list. This is specifically to stop auto connecting to dead-end Spectrum public wifi access points that are extensively deployed in my area in all public places. The problem is that phone connects to the AP but can't use the network without having or creating an account. So any IP communicati on on the iPhone is interrupted until you resolve this by logging in or turning off WiFi and using mobile data. This is very disruptive.

Well stated. This is exactly the same problem I’m having too.

I feel your pain. Do you live in New York? I do. I basically have to turn my Wi-Fi off whenever I leave the house.