Maybe you want to save some battery, stop a weak network from grabbing your phone, or force the iPhone onto cellular data for a while. To turn Wi-Fi fully off, open Settings, tap Wi-Fi, and turn off Wi-Fi. The catch most people miss: the Wi-Fi button in Control Center only disconnects you for now, and Wi-Fi stays available in the background.
These steps apply to current versions of iOS on any iPhone that can run them.
Turn Wi-Fi all the way off in Settings
This is the only method Apple describes as disabling Wi-Fi completely, for all networks and devices. It stays off until you switch it back on yourself.
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap Wi-Fi near the top of the list.
- Tap the Wi-Fi switch at the top of the screen so it is no longer green. The list of networks below it disappears.
- Go back to the main Settings screen. The Wi-Fi row there no longer shows a network name.
If you can’t spot Wi-Fi in the list, swipe down on the main Settings screen to show the search field and type Wi-Fi.
Bluetooth works the same way: Settings, then Bluetooth, then turn off the Bluetooth switch. Turning off one does not turn off the other.
The Wi-Fi button in Control Center looks like an on/off switch, but it behaves more like a “disconnect for now” button. When you tap it, the icon dims (grays out) and your iPhone drops whatever network it was on. Wi-Fi itself keeps running so that a group of Apple features still work:
- AirDrop and AirPlay
- Apple Watch and Unlock with Apple Watch
- Apple Pencil (on iPad)
- Continuity features such as Handoff and Instant Hotspot
- Location Services
The disconnect is also temporary. According to Apple’s article on the Control Center Wi-Fi and Bluetooth buttons, auto-join for nearby networks stays off only until one of these happens:
- You turn Wi-Fi back on in Control Center.
- You connect to a network in Settings under Wi-Fi.
- You walk or drive to a new location.
- It’s 5 a.m. local time.
- You restart your iPhone.
So if you tap the button on your way out of the office and find the phone back on the home network the next morning, nothing is broken. That is the design. If you need help finding the panel itself, see how to open Control Center on each iPhone model.
Settings switch, Control Center and Airplane Mode compared
| Method | What happens to Wi-Fi | When Wi-Fi comes back |
|---|---|---|
| Settings > Wi-Fi switch | Fully off for all networks and devices | Only when you turn it back on |
| Control Center Wi-Fi button | Disconnects from the current network; Wi-Fi stays available for AirDrop, Apple Watch and similar features | Next location change, 5 a.m., a restart, or when you reconnect |
| Airplane Mode | May turn off Wi-Fi along with cellular | When Airplane Mode ends, or right away if you turn Wi-Fi on while in Airplane Mode |
| Forget This Network | Wi-Fi stays on; the phone stops joining one network | When you join that network again and enter its password |
Pick the Settings switch when you want Wi-Fi gone until you say otherwise. Pick Control Center for a quick break from a bad connection. Pick one of the options in the next section when the problem is a single network, not Wi-Fi in general.
Stop one network without turning Wi-Fi off
Often the real goal is to keep the iPhone off one slow or unwanted network, such as a coffee shop hotspot it joined once. Turning off all of Wi-Fi is overkill for that. The iPhone User Guide page on Wi-Fi settings documents these options:
- Forget the network. Go to Settings > Wi-Fi, tap the info button next to the network, then tap Forget This Network. The iPhone stops joining it automatically, and you would need the password to join again.
- Control new networks. In Settings > Wi-Fi, tap Ask to Join Networks and choose Off, Notify or Ask. Your iPhone still joins networks it already knows; this setting decides what happens when only unfamiliar networks are around.
- Control Personal Hotspots. In Settings > Wi-Fi, tap Auto-Join Hotspot and choose Never, Ask to Join or Automatic. Never is a good choice if your phone keeps hopping onto another device’s hotspot.
The same info button screen also holds per-network options such as Low Data Mode. If a network keeps throttling things, read how Low Data Mode works on iPhone and Android before deciding to drop it.
Airplane Mode and Wi-Fi
Airplane Mode turns off cellular and may also turn off Wi-Fi. Apple notes two things worth knowing: if the airline allows it, you can turn Wi-Fi back on while Airplane Mode is still on, and your iPhone remembers that choice, so Wi-Fi stays on the next time you use Airplane Mode. If you want Wi-Fi off during a flight, turn it off again while in Airplane Mode. The full behavior, including what happens to Bluetooth, is in turning Airplane Mode on or off on iPhone.
What still works with Wi-Fi off
- Calls and texts over cellular. Regular calls and SMS use your carrier’s network, not Wi-Fi.
- Internet over cellular data. Apps, iMessage and web browsing switch to cellular data if it is turned on for them, which counts against your plan. Keep an eye on usage under Settings > Cellular.
- Wi-Fi Calling stops. Wi-Fi Calling needs a Wi-Fi connection. Apple says emergency calls are routed through cellular service when available, and may go over Wi-Fi Calling only when cellular service isn’t available and Wi-Fi Calling is on. See Apple’s Wi-Fi Calling page for details. If you rely on Wi-Fi Calling at home because cellular coverage is weak there, leave Wi-Fi on.
- Sharing your connection. To give a laptop or tablet internet from your phone instead, see how to share your iPhone internet connection with Personal Hotspot.
- Network details. Your local address on a Wi-Fi network only exists while you’re connected. To look it up later, turn Wi-Fi back on and follow the steps for finding your iPhone’s local IP address.
Turn Wi-Fi back on and confirm it worked
Go to Settings > Wi-Fi and turn the Wi-Fi switch back on. Your iPhone rejoins a known network nearby on its own, or lists available networks for you to tap. If you only disconnected with the Control Center button, tapping that button again is enough.
To check the current state, open Settings > Wi-Fi. If the Wi-Fi switch is off and no networks are listed, Wi-Fi is disabled. If the switch is on and a network has a checkmark, you’re connected. If the switch is on but no network is checked, Wi-Fi is available but not joined, which is what you would expect after using the Control Center button.
When Wi-Fi comes back on its own or the switch is dimmed
- Wi-Fi reconnected overnight or after a drive. You most likely used the Control Center button. Use the Settings switch for a lasting off.
- The Wi-Fi switch is dimmed (grayed out). Apple’s Wi-Fi troubleshooting article says to restart your device. If that doesn’t fix it and other fixes fail, Apple lists Reset Network Settings under Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset. That erases all saved Wi-Fi networks and passwords, cellular settings, and VPN and APN settings, so treat it as a last step. Resetting network settings on iPhone walks through what to expect afterward.
- Work or school iPhone. If your organization manages the phone, some network settings may be locked. Ask the IT administrator before changing them.
Wi-Fi off: quick answers
Does turning off Wi-Fi save battery?
Apple doesn’t publish a figure for this, so expect a small difference at most. Screen brightness and app activity usually matter more.
Will turning off Wi-Fi turn off Bluetooth too?
No. The Settings switches are separate. In Control Center, the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth buttons are also separate, and each one only disconnects.
Will AirDrop still work?
Not with the Settings switch off, because that disables Wi-Fi for all devices. If you want to drop your network but keep AirDrop and Apple Watch features working, use the Control Center button instead, since Apple says Wi-Fi stays available for them.
Once Wi-Fi is off, a good next step is to check which apps use the most cellular data, so the switch to cellular doesn’t surprise you at the end of the month.
Kermit Matthews runs Live2Tech from just outside Philadelphia. He is an IT specialist with over 20 years of experience, from a university help desk to small-business IT, IT management and his own consulting practice, and has written tech guides full time since 2020. Steps are checked against the current software on a real device or the maker’s official documentation. More about Kermit.