WiFi and Bluetooth Drops Even After iOS 26.0.1

When I saw the "do you have VPN" made me think, i just added the AT&T App armor thing and it aligned with my similar poor bluetooth connection issues.

Removed that app and my airpods connected the first time without me having to restart the bluetooth... ****. Guess I'll just have to deal with that guy "Suspected Spam" continuing to ring my number.

Perhaps a long shot:

Do you have a 3rd party VPN installed, even if you are not using it? If so, delete the VPN profile in Settings/General/VPN & Device Management/VPN, then restart your device. Don't just turn it off; delete the profile. If that fixes it, you can try reinstalling VPN, but probably shouldn't.

Delete all of Nord VPN, including the profile. If that fixes it you can try reinstalling it, but you probably shouldn’t:VPN: What you need to know - Apple Community

Do you and your partner have the same version of iOS? I've updated to 26.0.1 and am having really annoying wifi disconnection and reconnection on my iPhone 15 Pro in a newly installed 900Mbs UK full fibre broadband system which is working incredibly well for wifi on MacBook etc. My wife has not yet updated to 26.0.1 and is having ZERO issues.

It's only a sample size of 1, but it appears to be almost indisputable that this is a problem within the latest version of iOS. Get it sorted, Apple! I'm not paying for all this new connectivity (especially as where we live is quite remote, with often negligible 4/5G signal...) only for your software to be poor!

Regarding the Bluetooth drops: I'm seeing the same problem using iOS 26.0.1 on a brand new iPhone 16e and two different (older) pairs of AirPods. After each disconnect, I end up putting the AirPods back in their case, closing it, waiting a moment, and re-opening the case. I then see the iPhone reconnect to the AirPods. But I generally have to repeat this every 5-15 minutes.

-Dan in Austin, Texas

Just wanted to let you know that it’s not just the 17. I’ve got a 16 PM and a 12.9 M1 iPad Pro (I’ve had it since the day it came out, and Apple Care recently replaced it because it was under 80% healthy). I’ve been having the same issue since I updated to iOS 26, and the 0.1 update doesn’t fix it for me either. I have Express VPN on my iPad but not on my phone and the issue is present with both.

I use my iPad Pro nearly all day, every day, and I have the Apple Pencil 2nd gen and Magic Keyboard. For health reasons I use my Apple Pencil almost exclusively as opposed to finger touch. The Apple Pencil keeps disconnecting. Not hundreds of times a day but I’d guess at least 10-20 times a day for me. At first I thought it was safari issue as I’ll be scrolling along, and everything would freeze for about 10-15 seconds. The screen doesn’t show that the pencil is disconnected, but after the first hand full of times it happened I discovered I can still scroll with my fingers. Sometimes the pencil will start working again after that 10-15 seconds but sometimes I have to put the pencil back on the magnetic edge to get it to work again.

I also have the AirPods Pro 3, and they randomly disconnect and reconnect too. It doesn’t seem to be anything I’m doing. I use the AirPods Pro 3 with dual connection between my iPad and my iPhone 16 PMax, and it happens with both devices, even if I disable the dual connection. Sometimes it is just pauses whatever I’m watching or listening to and then pick back up. A few times it has kicked the audio off the AirPods Pro 3 and starts playing the audio through my iPad speakers.

I also use my phone to connect to CarPlay in my 2022 Ram 1500 Uconnect 12.1” (it has the latest firmware/software). In this setup, while listening to Apple Music, songs will skip or stop for like one second. It reminds me of when we used CD players and hit a bump in the road, and the music would stop for a second and then pick back up. It’s been super annoying when I’m cruising and singing along, and all of a sudden, I’m singing alone lol.

I’ve been an iPad user and fan since the original iPad Pro 9.7 (it was way more stable and reliable than any Android tablet back then), but the iPhone 16PM is my first iPhone (I used to be a Galaxy Geek). I really hope they can fix the issue soon because it’s getting old fast!

After hours of support and escalation I was told first “this is the first report of this” which shocked me and I didn’t believe.

Then I was told the same VPN profile stuff which I tried and honestly did not make much sense.

Now my case is sitting in some limbo with no answers or timeline. Honestly I feel like they do not care. I use Bluetooth for noise canceling reasons for health and that has been taken away. I fail to see how this does not warrant replacement or a trigger of their warranty. Very disappointed by Apple.

I just noticed this after updating to iOS 26.1 on my 16 Pro Max. Oddly, haven’t noticed until connecting to my parents WiFi at their home while visiting. Also odd, I installed a new Netgear Nighthawk mesh system about a month or so ago and it hasn’t been an issue until today. My wife’s 16 pro isn’t having the issue but she’s on 26.0.1.

Only thing that brought some brief luck was restarting the phone and that lasted for maybe 20-30 minutes. Checking my wife’s phone, hasn’t been an issue once so don’t believe it’s the Router as no other devices in the home are having the issue. While I don’t have the Netgear Armor app downloaded, I do have the Netgear app installed from when I set up the equipment and my Nord VPN is not currently enabled. Curious if anyone finds a solution. Also, have not noticed any Bluetooth issues.

iPhone 17 Pro:

I am also having frequent bluetooth dropouts despite the iOS update.

We are not the only ones. widespread issue. Apple needs to fix this ASAP.