Yay for iOS 6.1, grey Wi-Fi iPhone bug is fix- AWW, SNAP

When Apple rolled out iOS 6.1, its first major update to iOS 6, yesterday, it introduced a series of bug fixes, software tweaks for iTunes and Siri and also added LTE support - but none of that was any use to the disconnected and discontented sufferers of a particular iPhone software flaw: greyed-out Wi-Fi. iPhone owners have …

[Anonymous Coward]

Well

Well who's the douche for installing it on the first day?

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Well

Well who's the prat that can't read? They've rolled out the update to try and fix an OLD issue.

Unless you happen to search 3 months after it's released "Is there an issue if I update my phone to IOS where my wifi gets greyed out?", they may be completely unaware. I know if I update a device months after release I don't spend night after night panicking something might go wrong.

Out of X million sold, seems a few hundred may have this issue.

And I don't even have an iPhone (or any Apple devices), nor am I likely to buy any, so I'm not even slightly biased

[joeW]

Hmmmm

If heating/cooling part of the phone solves the issue for some, might the problem be a dodgy connection of some kind? Heat the part -> metal expands ever so slightly -> connection gets popped together -> problem solved?

A long shot I know, just thinking out loud.

[g e]

Re: Hmmmm

WTF would anyone downvote that?

Likelihood of a failed connection manifesting its failed-ness via a software upgrade is slim, and would likely have shown up in other software versions, being a physical defect. Not totally impossible I spose, all the same if the software maybe ran something hotter nearby.

[Darryl]

Re: Hmmmm

Doesn't seem likely if it's affecting three different versions of the phone

[dogged]

Re: Hmmmm

WTF would anyone downvote that?

Because it suggests that the build quality and/or software of an Apple product may be less than utter, utter orgasmic perfection?

I can't say for sure but remember that Apple is a cult, not a company.

[Don Jefe]

Re: Hmmmm

Not a fanboi reaction I expect.

Unfortunately the angry asshats that live on the Internet have been invading this site fairly heavy over the past couple of years and as I'm sure you know many of them are mean spirited dicks who just like to be negative.

[sabroni]

Re: mean spirited dicks who just like to be negative.

Welcome to the UK.

[wayne 8]

Re: mean spirited dicks who just like to be negative.

welcome to humanity.

[Combustable Lemon]

Re: Hmmmm

It doesn't seem completely unreasonable. There are other devices whereby the solder on the board inside was less than perfect and had a tendency to crack causing connections to fail. This was fixed by heating it up at which point the fissures would re-seal. I wish i could remember what device this was but i think it's affected more than a few things. Not sure that is the case here, just thought i'd mention it.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Hmmmm

Had the same issue with a graphics chip on an IBM 486 once. Same fix. Got pretty tedious in the end. Should've fitted a graphics card maybe! Good luck trying that with a phone.

[Anonymous Coward]

How a software update can "cause" a hard problem

Likelihood of a failed connection manifesting its failed-ness via a software upgrade is slim

Not really. Maybe iOS 6 added some improved error checking/diagnostics before enabling the various hardware subsystems, and phones with a loose connection to the wifi chipset fail the check and are shown greyed out, while under 5.x the test being failed isn't done so it shows up. Depending on what is being tested and how it is failing it might cause wifi problems or maybe it isn't noticeable - if, for instance, the particular failure only affects certain bands/channels/encryption schemes.

I mean, seriously, anything that can be fixed with a hairdryer is clearly not a software problem. Anyone with an iPhone 5 that has this problem would get it replaced for free. If you own an older one and it is out of warranty (good reason to be in the EU with the mandated two year warranty, I guess!) then you're SOL. Presumably in a phone with greyed out wifi the wifi was always a bit dodgy, or maybe the phone just happened to be dropped shortly before getting iOS 6 but since nothing broke externally the owner assumed it was fine.

[Wize]

Re: How a software update can "cause" a hard problem

"Not really. Maybe iOS 6 added some improved error checking/diagnostics before enabling the various hardware subsystems, and phones with a loose connection to the wifi chipset fail the check and are shown greyed out, while under 5.x the test being failed isn't done so it shows up."

Sounds very likely. Sounds like they need to change their 'disable' into a warning notification (either beside the on/off or an icon notification).

[Anonymous Coward]

RE: [if it's] out of warranty [...] then you're SOL

Probably not, Apple can be very nice about that kind of thing. I guess if your phone's REALLY old, maybe.

Before we get all shouty, they tend to be less sympathetic towards people who storm into the shop hurling abuse at the staff and screaming that this would never happen with an HTC etc. Such people almost never do well in those situations.

[Aitor 1]

Re: RE: [if it's] out of warranty [...] then you're SOL

Yes, they are very nice. For a.. err. NICE sum of money they will repair the badly manufactured unit.

This is exactly what they did with my mother's in law laptop... its battery was recalled in the us (serial number included) but as she lives in Europe, and no recall was made here.. bad luck, even as it GREW.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Hmmmm

Because some people are Apple-hating morons who despise the suggestion that Apple kit is just another form of stuff affected by the same issues as anyone else's stuff and seize on any tiny flaw, even ones common to all devices, that "prove" that Apple kit is useless overpriced chavvie rubbish.

So let the downvoting begin...

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Hmmmm

Indeed, quite obviously a manufacturing problem that no amount of OS updates will fix. the phone can't see the Wifi chipset..

[Annihilator]

Re: Hmmmm

Probably. The part that's targetted with the hairdryer is where all the various connecters join the mainboard (camera, aerial, screen etc)

[Anonymous Coward]

"just thinking out loud."

figures.

[joeW]

Well, I was

just thinking out loud. You should try it some time (the thinking part).

[Steve Todd]

What?

No problems with it at all here. Of course if you have an installed base of 200 million devices then some are going to fail/have problems when you upgrade them (and Anna likes to try especially hard to find those examples). If a factory restore (easy and well documented on the web) doesn't fix the problem then back to Apple with them (using hairdryers etc not recommended).

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: What?

I thought one of Apples USP's was 'It's standardised hardware to reduce support and problems.'

[Steve Todd]

Re: What?

No such thing as identical devices. There will be manufacturing differences (the WiFi "bug" sounds more like a hardware manufacturing issue) and software configuration issues (3rd party software & OS configuration). Look at what happens when there are firmware upgrades for devices like the Xbox, there are always a small percentage of failures.

[Soruk]

Re: What?

> I thought one of Apples USP's was 'It's standardised hardware to reduce support and problems.'

They've succeeded on the "reduce support" line. It no longer supports WiFi.

[The Bit Wrangler]

Re: What?

So, Anna has found a problem from 200 million samples. You haven't from... 1.Which is statistically significant?

I would suggest that there are some people with the problem suggests it exists whereas your sample size is probably a little small to be useful.

I'd imagine if the problem was more wide-spread Apple might be working harder to fix it (see Antennagate) doesn't mean it's not an issue, though.

[Steve Todd]

Re: What?

>Which is statistically significant?

2700 out of 200 million, and Anna claims this is a pre-existing bug (that I've never heard of before). I'd say that, near as makes no difference, my experience is just as statistically valid as her thread.

Given there are no iPhone 5's that are out of warranty and Apple will repair or replace defective devices on the spot, we might have heard about mass return rates don't you think?

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: What?

The 2700 is just the number of replies in the thread.

Some users will never use the WiFi feature but it still might be broken and many will never post to that thread about the problem.

Overall, the 2700 replies indicates that many owners are affected.

I haven't seen any studies on how many people who experience a problem go on to post about it on a thread but I suspect it will be a very tiny minority which means the 2700 could well be several orders of magnitude smaller than the true figure.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: What?

2700 replies does not equal 2700 genuine people - i.e. how many non-Apple users jumping on the band wagon and duplicates and out of HOW many iPhones sold?

[DF118]

Re: What?

Yeah, cos us non Apple users have nothing better to do than hang around Apple support forums replying on threads about iPhone wi-fi not working.

On a related note, I think perhaps the 400k thread views might be the important number.

[Internet ToughGuy]

Re: What?

"I'd imagine if the problem was more wide-spread Apple might be working harder to fix it (see Antennagate) doesn't mean it's not an issue, though."

Regarding Antennagate, Apple's first reaction was not to try to fix the issue. It was to deny it. Their second reaction was to tell users that they were holding the phone incorrectly. Their third reaction was to try to tell the world that if you held competitors' phones certain ways that you might have the same problem, so therefore it was ok. After that, they went with bumpers as opposed to re-engineering their faulty products.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8tXyfjfnB0

So I wouldn't imagine at all that Apple would feel compelled to fix an issue regardless of the sample size. Not having 4g on the iPhone 4 didn't stop the masses flocking, and the utter failure of the iPhone 5 to innovate doesn't seem to have had such a negative impact on sales either. If the consumer will buy the product regardless of the quality and innovation, then there is no incentive for the manufacturer to perfect their model. Just make it shiny and stick the Apple logo on the back, and the cult will buy.

[Robert Helpmann??]

Re: What?

So, Anna has found a problem from 200 million samples. You haven't from... 1.Which is statistically significant?

While I agree with the sentiment you express, you should keep in mind that statistical significance is not the only kind that matters. Most users don't care about what is going wrong with someone else's stuff, they only care that it is happening on their own personal kit and what it takes to make it work right. To most of the computer-using world, that is what is regarded as significant.

[Anonymous Coward]

Wi-Fi doesn't work, what do you do?

Android User.... Download a different ROM or even fix the code yourself.

Apple User.... Bitch, moan, tell Apple that is the last iPhone you will ever buy (as if they care?), downgrade. No you try and fix the fault with a freezer or a hairdryer.

Is it just me that thinks some people have more money/time than sense to even try this stuff?

[GettinSadda]

> downgrade. No you try and fix the fault with a freezer or a hairdryer.

You cannot downgrade the firmware in a iPhone without a special file that you can't make yourself - Apple have to make it, and generally won't. There are some dodgy solutions for extracting that file from the phone itself, but only if you do that before applying the original update - once you have updated the file is forever destroyed!

[Anonymous Coward]

lol

the old recompile the kernel malarkey

[rvt]

As a Android user you cannot always fix the code be ause you don't always get the source code of drivers and firmware.

Remember, only the kernel is GPLed, and the mayority of libraries. Anything else is closed sourced and cannot be fixed.

[Anonymous Coward]

As an Android user, if it is a hardware problem (as freezers and hairdryers suggest), it is not always straightforward to re-solder an item on a tiny manufactured PCB, even though you can take the phone apart.

[tomban]

Personally I would have taken it back to shop and said it wasn't good enough. Sale of goods act etc...

I did the same with my Transformer Prime after 6 months.

So many people w**k on about how great Apple service is, I too wonder why these people resorted to the hair-dryer trick instead of just taking it back.

[jai]

that was the last iPhone i bought

yep, that's probably very true.

but will it be the last one that you buy?

[taxman]

Yay! No WiFi

Could this be why iOS6 is considered more secure than Android?

[Test Man]

I reckon the wifi hairdryer fix is rubbish and it's pure coincidence that the wifi starts working after they try it.

[FartingHippo]

Maybe, maybe not

Remember the old Xbox-360-in-a-towel trick that often sorted out the RROD?

Admittedly that was a hardware fault; using heat to fix a software fault does sound rather flaky.

[TeeCee]

Re: Maybe, maybe not

That was my thought. Some troll posts that. Other trolls cotton on and post "That worked for me" comments.

Everyone gets kicks and giggles watching the sheep brick their devices en masse.

IIRC everyone who really tried the Xbox in a towel thing found that it fixed the RROD problem via the simple expedient of ensuring that no lights lit up on the damned thing ever again.

[Fihart]

Re: Maybe, maybe not

My boiler kept failing whenever the weather got colder -- but worked once I had heated the room it was in using a fan heater. When British Gas came to fix the unit the engineer changed the circuit board, explaining that my experience with the thermal issue showed it was probably a dry solder joint which shrank in the cold, causing a break in the circuit.

Could be what's ailing the iPhone.

[Ian Yates]

Re: Maybe, maybe not

... so... iPhone users should just fan heat every room they go in to?

[Michael H.F. Wilkinson]

Re: Maybe, maybe not

The towel tricks works by calming the wifi chip by protecting it from the gaze of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal.

Mine is the one with the towel

[Anonymous Coward]

Probably

"pure coincidence that the wifi starts working after they try it"

So, the same reason homeopathy "works" then.

[Chris007]

ElReg: "We asked Apple for a comment and have received no reply"

see icon

[Velv]

Re: ElReg: "We asked Apple for a comment and have received no reply"

"We asked Apple for a comment and have received no reply"

I thought that this was just boiler plate text that El Reg bolted on the end of every article - I didn't think they actually bothered asking

[Euripides Pants]

Re: ElReg: "We asked Apple for a comment and have received no reply"

Of course they didn't reply, they gots no Wi-Fi!

[Don Jefe]

Re: ElReg: "We asked Apple for a comment and have received no reply"

I'm sure they asked. El Reg has been on Apple's shitlist for many, many years. They used to make a big deal about being blackballed by Apple in all the related articles.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: ElReg: "We asked Apple for a comment and have received no reply"

There is a ® after "We asked Apple for a comment and have received no reply" -- is that for the whole article or for that particular sentence?

[g e]

That really is a massive fail

It's not like they don't know the damned hardware or anything.

Antennagate was a moronic design flaw but this is mind-bending in its why-the-fuck-did-they-not-test-it-properly-ness. Or even the why-change-shit-which-aint-busted-ness.

Dumbfounded.

(Any chance of a boggled-mind icon?)

[jai]

Re: That really is a massive fail

but is it? is it REALLY?

Anna states that "One thread has 2,700 replies"

We'll be generous and allow that every reply is from a seperate affected person, no one posted more than once to comment on whether or not they had any success with different suggestions.

During the last quarter (i.e. since iOS6 has been preinstalled on all new iPhones) Apple sold 47.8 million iPhones

[citation]http://thenextweb.com/apple/2013/01/23/tim-cook-apple-has-sold-over-500m-ios-devices-at-a-rate-of-10-per-second-in-q1-2013[/citation]

So a quick bit of maths shows that at most only 0.005649% of iPhone iOS6 users are impacted by this and are so upset by it that they've found their to the Apple website forum to complain about it.

That's not really a massive fail, it's a 0.005649% of a fail, really.

[Annihilator]

Re: That really is a massive fail

"So a quick bit of maths shows that at most only 0.005649% of iPhone iOS6 users are impacted by this and are so upset by it that they've found their to the Apple website forum to complain about it."

Well, no, because you're excluding the people who don't know that it happens, those that don't know of that website to post a complaint about it, and those who have just taken it back to Apple and had a replacement. I'd bet that a fair number of iPhone users don't know that they have wifi, or how to connect it. SWMBO doesn't, certainly.

[ArmanX]

Re: That really is a massive fail

I beg to differ on your math; you assume that every single iPhone user affected by this posted in that forum. Obviously that is a poor assumption, since some part of iPhone users couldn't figure out how to plug in a USB device, let alone navigate to a forum. Since we have no idea how many support calls were made about this, we can only make up random numbers in the hope that our assumptions are correct; thus, if we assume rampantly speculate that:

• 50% of users affected by this bug ignore it completely
• 90% of the remainder never visit the forum (troubleshooting in other ways)
• 75% of the users that visit the forum see that thread, and
• 20% of the users that see that thread post in it, however
• 25% of the posts are repeat posters.

Given that the 2700 posts are only the tip of the iceberg, I calculate that it is actually only 0.5649% of a fail, and that this issue affects over a quarter of a million iPhones - a small but statistically relevant number!

[Rafael 1]

What we need

is something like a Drake equation to calculate real problems from forum posts.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Drake equation

Yes, we could call it the ArmanX/Rafael 1 Equation.

[csumpi]

but look at the bright side

at+t and verizon will double the iphone advertising because users will use more mobile data when they can't connect to wifi (and get charged for it).

with all that advertising and new iphone sales, maybe even apple's stock price moves out of the shitter.

[futnuh]

Re: but look at the bright side

This bug cost me $700. I made the mistake of upgrading the day before I took a 3-week business trip to the US. My wifi stopped working and, not having time to swap the phone for a new one, ended up running up a huge data bill.

[stanimir]

Re: but look at the bright side

buy the cheapest android you can find - like 100 quid or so (I see the dollar sign but I guess android there are not significantly more expensive).

[Shane8]

Working as intended...

Your just holding it wrong....hold it correctly...for long enough...no need for hairdryer..problem solved!

Makes me glad to not have a iPhone....welcoming the iFanbois downvotes!

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Working as intended...

So no other phone on the planet has had a fault?

Apple faults get a lot more media attention compared to other brands. Just like a fault on a BMW or VW gets attention but a fault on a KIA or Skoda doesn't.

[stanimir]

Re: Working as intended...

Škoda is practically VW anyways.

[Mo McRoberts]

I wonder of those whose WiFi doesn't work post-upgrade have considered just speaking to Apple about it? It's not like it's an intermittent thing or anything — take it into the Genius Bar, show them it greyed out, and you should get it swapped as defective pretty sharpish. IME they'll do a like-for-like swap for much less severe issues…

[Anonymous Coward]

You hands are too cold

Try warming your hands first.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: You hands are too cold

I put my hands in the microwave for a bit (took bloody ages to jam the door sensor properly).

Hurt like billy-o and didn't fix the iPhone. I think your suggestion was a pretty poor one, in retrospect. On the plus side, once I've done the same with my head it will look like I've got a lovely tan.

[BeerTokens]

Out of warranty?

Why are they unable to get apple to fix this, if their phone is out of warranty. Coming from the end of the scale where I download the odd package and obscure program with the program writer explicitly telling me that he has made this code available for those who wish to use it but offers no warranty or guarantees when running the program I know if it does not work then tuff titties. I would assume that if Apple allow a customer of theirs to download and install an update to their device they would be responsible for fixing it or at least offering a solution, other wise I would say that they have supplied something that is not fit for purpose via their store, free or not.

As far as I'm concerned it is their software, their device they are responsible for it.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: "Out of warranty"?

EU regulations give a consumer up to 6 years from the date of purchase to raise a claim for defects in materials or workmanship.

For how this relates to the UK see http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/shopping/how-to-complain

[Richard 12]

Re: "Out of warranty"?

Although Apple have been known to deliberately ignore this, and not all consumers are either certain enough of their rights, or well-connected enough to make enough noise for Apple to acknowledge it.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: "Out of warranty"?

You don't need to be well connected. Consumer focused laws are generally regulator enforced, so no need for expensive lawyers either.

[Monty Burns]

Re: "Out of warranty"?

"You don't need to be well connected. Consumer focused laws are generally regulator enforced, so no need for expensive lawyers either."

When I'm living in the UK I often resort to using them (Last case was a Renault Megane Cab where the electric windows failed) and from my experience they are NOT regulator enforced, they are COURT enforced. Difference is that you can end up taking the retailer (Maybe not Apple, maybe Carphone Wharehouse or T-Mobile or whoever) to court which incurs charges where regulators generally don't.

And mention taking a big company to court and most people will run a mile! (even though they could be assured (as can be with a court) of a victory against a corporation)

[HappyBlue]

Re: Out of warranty?

So let me get this straight ...

Apple tell you that you never own the device and so you can't jailbreak it, but if you have a problem, it's nothing to do with them?? Don't we call that double-standards?

[Ian Watkinson]

So if you have this problem, you take it back to apple and they exchange it for a handset that works.

What's the problem here exactly? Oh there's a couple of people that took a gamble, that they'd buy the phone cheap in another country, and now can't use their warranty. Well wasn't that the gamble?

If it's affecting an iphone sold in the UK, then your sale of goods act covers you, not of merchantable quality and DURABILTY.

Job's'a'goo'dun...

[Intractable Potsherd]

After all, it isn't like people move from one country to another for work, education, or other purposes, is it? These people were *of course* stupid not to rebuy all new kit from the country they are going to be in for the next few months ...

Sorry, you fail hard on this one.

[Piro]

But lest we forget: Apple has had many issues

Yet a few months down the line, the fanboys will be once again claiming Apple stuff is somehow better built than $OTHERVENDOR. It's not magical stuff, Apple doesn't care about your problem, just another shiny box pusher.

[Dave Perry]

My iPad 2 is fine

Bought a refurbished one last week, it arrived with 6.0.1 on it and went on wifi fine. Updated it to 6.1 and still rockin.

Not tried updating the iPhone (4S) yet, will backup tonight and give it a whirl then.

[Silverburn]

Re: My iPad 2 is fine

Woopie doo. <slow clap>

Everyone stop commenting now - transparently the post author and the 2,700 apple posters are all in on the joke but clever Dave never felt for it.

[Eddie Edwards]

Photo caption fail

That's not where the earphone socket is on an iPhone. The iPhone 5 has it at the bottom and the iPhone 4 has it the other side. Oddly, the earphone socket doesn't occupy the same physical space as the camera. The power button is there instead.

[Simon Harris]

Another heated the device up in a special place with a hairdryer

What? They managed to get an iPhone and a hairdrier into that special place?

Paris... because, err... well, she has some 'special places'... (or so I'm told!)

[Silverburn]

Re: Another heated the device up in a special place with a hairdryer

Except when they have higher throughput than waterloo, they cease to be special.

[We're all in it together]

In that case then

I have a working wifi signal on mine but I can't be bothered to switch it off with software. Given heat switches it on if I put it in the freezer overnight will my wifi stop?

[Anonymous Coward]

Apple......

Just wanted to see how many downvotes I get for just saying it LOL!

[Monty Burns]

Thats not how you do it, you need to post either:

"Apple rocks, Google Sucks"

or

"Google rocks, Apple sucks"

Of course which you use depends on the subject of the story and your aim, either + or - votes. Simples.

[Paul F]

Mine works fine.

If you have that problem then it's a defective phone. Go get it exchanged and restore from backup. Simple. Lots of whinging for a simple fix.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Mine works fine.

restore from backup

The only problem with restore from backup is that iTunes only retains the last backup. The moment you jack in, guess what it erases first? Before you do *anything* else with an iPhone, disable the automatic backup start or you may find you don't *have* backup.

I'm OK with their approach to usability and simplicity, but that is just flat out criminally stupid.

[Tim Bates]

Re: Only problem

That isn't the only problem... Apple's backup doesn't seem to back up the entire device. It seems particularly keen to not back up anything it thinks iTunes put on in the first place.

I'm not talking about a one off loss of data here - we've seen it dozens of times when people need to factory reset their iDevice for whatever reason.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Mine works fine.

Heating works obviously because a BGA mounted IC (chip) has a poor connection. This is a hardware fault that is hard to workaround in software.

[JohnMurray]

iphone 3gs

Running 6.0.1.

WiFi works no problem. In fact everything works. No problems.

In fact it even, with the addition of a 3uk sim, changes from O2 to 3UK...and works...it never did that before.

(setting-carrier-automatic off-3g on...)

[Andy Fletcher]

Reflowing? Seriously?

I did that with a broken PS3 (750w heat gun, not a hairdryer though - I'm a bloke). I can't imagine doing it to something that's still in warranty though.

[Dana W]

Another Apple problem I never even HEARD of Till El Reg filled me in.

Since it does not effect me or anyone I know with an iPhone I shall fee free to ignore it.

Thanks for the heads up on the update though, my policy with iOS updates has always been to wait till you tell us that is a disaster and fixes nothing. Then it always works like a charm. "The only bad update I ever got was when I ignored your sage advice"

"The biggest reason for this update I expect is to kill the new iOS jailbreak that should be releasing soon.. So its staying away from my iPad."

[Fred Flintstone]

wait till you tell us that is a disaster and fixes nothing. Then it always works like a charm.

Funny that, I have that with film reviews. I'd say that around 80% of the more entertaining movies I watched in 2012 were panned by the "experts" :)

[BrokenWing]

Reset all

My iPhone 4S had major slowing of the wifi after the IOS6 update and I was reluctant to try most of the options presented as a "fix". In the end I did try them in increasing order of "pain in the arseness". The only one that worked was "Reset All Settings", which was a major annoyance, having to re-enter wifi passwords, lock codes, background pictures, ring tones etc. but at least I have decent wifi again.

[Mark Fenton]

Works for on my machine

...(I know I shouldn't say that...I slap testers for saying that...)....but still...I bought my iPhone 4s because it is the only modern device that works with my in car bluetooth. I'd rather be having a....that is a different story.

Anyways - upgraded through all the various OS incarnations through to 6.1 - and all is still well. WiFi can be switched on/off no problems. In fact I'd never even heard of this issue before.

That said, if it had happened to me - I'd be right royally ticked off. And yes - Apple are supposed to be about standard hardware/firmware - so this shouldn't ever happen!

Getting my coat for saying "it works on my machine"

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Works for on my machine

"so this shouldn't ever happen!"

Yeah really - you sell 200m+ phones and you will get a small failure rate. Get real.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Works for on my machine

"Works fine on my machine is perfectly valid" from a tester ... as long as it's followed by "because ..."

If it's not, then a slap really isn't punishment enough

[Anonymous Coward]

Suspect Samsung would love 2700 non-faulty handsets - would be interesting to compare failure rates on the iPhone 5 vs S3 or similar.

[Richard 12]

They'll be roughly the same

You can tell because both companies are making money on them.

[Anonymous Coward]

In related news..

.. Microsoft indicated it would be ecstatic with 2700 failed phones, as it would indicate they had at least sold some. Experts pointed out that such a failure rate didn't have to point at a hardware failure, it could simply be users baffled by the UI.

[Morac]

It's a common enough problem, that Apple has a support document on it.

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1559

[Anonymous Coward]

Upgraded no probs

No greyed out WiFi here after my upgrade. Its worth contacting Apple support and report a hardware issue if your warranty is out of date. They may replace an iThingy for hardware issues after the warranty has expired. I can't remember how long after warranty expiry, but it's be worth checking out their support website for details. Worked for me once. PS I use an iPhone for work but I really prefer my old Nokia E71.

[Stretch]

A fool and their money...buy apple.

[Anonymous Coward]

This seems to me to be a hardware fault? so why not exchange the handset?

[The Alpha Klutz]

i thought it just worked

They only have like 4 iPhones, the fact that they did not properly test this release on all of them is UNACCEPTABLE. No ifs or buts. It's just unacceptable.

[Alex Bailey]

But what about BLUETOOTH???

Apple keep rolling out these fixes but there are a whole bunch of us who have been wanting fixes for Bluetooth ranging to problems with audio devices since iOS 6 was introduced right back to problems with hands free car kits which were broken back when iOS 5 was launched.

Bluetooth has some very long threads on the Apple support communities too but Apple and their genius bar staff seem to be doing nothing more than shrugging their shoulders and pointing us back at the manufacturers of the third party hardware. Sigh.