iOS 26.1 Beta Seems To Fix Wi-Fi Issues For iPhone 17 And iPhone Air Users

It's been only a few days since Apple released the iPhone 17 and iPhone Air models, but it seems several users have been experiencing intermittent Wi-Fi issues. As first spotted by MacRumors, these early adopters have posted across several online forums regarding the experience with Wi-Fi and wireless connectivity on the newer models.

What's interesting about this issue is that most of them have said it only happens when their Apple Watch is unlocked. On the MacRumors Forum, one of the users said: "Strangely this only happens when I am wearing my Apple Watch (and it is already unlocked) and I unlock my iPhone. It is reproducible nearly 100% of the time. This also manifests itself in wireless CarPlay. When I am wearing my watch and I unlock my iPhone, CarPlay will disconnect and reconnect." When the user doesn't have their watch on, the Wi-Fi seems to work just fine.

On Reddit, the user who complained about the same issue said iOS 26.1 beta 1 fixed the Wi-Fi/Bluetooth dropping issues, and other Redditors echoed the same. With that, the only way to fix the issue, if you're among the iPhone 17 or iPhone Air users with this issue, is to update to iOS 26.1 beta 1. That said, you will also get a variety of other features with the beta 1 update.

Still, it's possible that Apple might release iOS 26.0.1 in the coming days. After all, the reliability of the iPhone 17 and iPhone Air is crucial for the company, as it has added its first custom Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, the N1, to these products.

During the iPhone 17 launch event, the company claimed the Apple-designed wireless networking chip not only enables Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread, but also improves the overall performance and reliability of Personal Hotspot and AirDrop. Consequently, making sure the modem works well with the ecosystem is very important for the company. BGR will let you know once Apple offers an update to fix this issue.