[7 Ways] How to Fix iPhone WiFi Spinning Wheel Won't Connect

Why iPhone WiFi spinning wheel won't connect and how to fix? This article will give you detailed guidance to make it. If you need to update software, don’t forget to back up iPhone first.

Kathy by Kathy Updated October 10, 2024
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Why iPhone WiFi spinning wheel won't connect?

The spinning wheel or loading icon often signifies ongoing data exchange between your device and Apple's servers. If this cycle persists endlessly, there may be some errors occurred on your iPhone.

⛔ Some operations are running in the background.
⛔ An outdated iOS system is running on your iPhone.
⛔ Some unknown internet errors happen.
⛔ The Share iPhone Analytics service is turned on.
⛔ Some apps might be undergoing automatic updates.

How to Fix iPhone won't connect to WiFi keeps spinning

To fix the WiFi just keeps spinning and won’t connect issue, you can keep on reading to find solutions.

Method 1. Force restart your iPhone

You can first try a force restart of your phone to see if that works.

For iPhone 8 Plus/8/X or later: Press and release the Volume Up button > Press and release the Volume Down button > Press and hold the side button until the Apple logo appears.

restart iPhone

For iPhone 7 Plus or 7: Press and hold the Sleep/Wake and Volume Down buttons simultaneously until the Apple logo appears.

For iPhone 6 or earlier: Press and hold the Home button and Sleep/Wake button at the same time until the Apple logo is displayed on your screen.

Method 2. Disable some background app

If the issue is occurred by some background apps, you can use the Disabling the Background App Refresh feature to solve it. To turn it off, navigate to Settings > General > Background App Refresh, then toggle the switch to disable it.

refresh app

Method 3. Force quit all iPhone apps

To address the persistent spinning wheel next to Wi-Fi on your iPhone, attempting a force quit of background apps might help. Just swipe up from the Home screen slightly, pause in the middle, then press and hold an app until red circles appear. Swipe up on the apps to close them.

exit iPhone apps

Method 4. Disable Share iPhone Analytics

Apple aims to enhance their products by routinely collecting usage statistics from their devices. However, there might have been an issue while transmitting this data back to Apple servers.

To avoid it, you can go to Settings > Choose Privacy (or Privacy & Security) > Scroll down and select Analytics and Improvements > Toggle off Share iPhone Analytics.

share iphone analysis

Method 5. Turn on and off Airplane Mode

If the issue is caused by internet errors, try refreshing your network connection by toggling Airplane Mode on and off.

Open Control Center by swiping down from the top-right corner (Face ID) or up from the bottom edge (Touch ID), then tap the Airplane Mode icon. Alternatively, access Settings, select Airplane Mode, and enable it. Wait about 30 seconds, then turn Airplane Mode off.

Method 6. Disable automatic downloads and updates

To prevent the spinning wheel next to Wi-Fi caused by ongoing app updates or downloads, consider disabling automatic downloads and updates on your iPhone. Navigate to Settings > iTunes & App Stores, then toggle off all options under Automatic Downloads.

automatic update

Method 7. Update software

If there is an outdated iOS system running on your device, you can update it to solve the iPhone WiFi spinning wheel won't connect issue. To avoid sudden data loss such as contacts after the process, it’s suggested to back up iPhone data first.

Fully backup iPhone

The all-in-one iPhone data management app - FoneTool can help you make it efficiently.

laugh Full or selective backup: You can fully back up iPhone or selectively back up photos, videos, music, contacts, messages as you like.
laugh Much faster transfer: The super-fast transfer speed can help you backup all data in a very short time. And 100 photos can be moved in 3 seconds.
laugh No data leakage: FoneTool’s USB connection ensures all data can be moved in absolute security.
laugh Universal restore: You can restore your iPhone backup to another iOS device without any Apple ID limitation.

Step 1. Click the download button to install FoneTool on your Windows PC > Connect your iPhone to the computer with a USB cable.

Download Freeware Win 11/10/8.1/8/7/XP
Secure Download

Step 2. Launch FoneTool and choose Phone Backup > Full Backup > Click Get Started to continue.

start to backup iPhone

Step 3. If need, check Enable Backup Encryption to protect your private data > Click Backup Storage Path to choose a storage folder on PC > Tap on Start Backup to begin.

fully back up iPhone

Update software

Now you can launch Settings on your iPhone > Choose General > Click Software Update and choose Download and Install to make it.

update software

If your iPhone can't check for update, then FoneTool can also help you easily upgrade your iOS system in 3 steps. Just connect your iPhone to the computer via a USB cable and download FoneTool on your PC to start the update.

Download Freeware Win 11/10/8.1/8/7/XP
Secure Download

Step 1. Connect your iPhone to the computer > Launch FoneTool > Go to Toolbox > Choose iOS System Repair to continue.

go to ios system repair

Step 2. Choose iOS Upgrade/Downgrade.

choose ios upgrade

Step 3. Go to the Upgrade section > Click Start.

start upgrade

Step 4. Choose the firmware version you need > Change the storage path from the Target Path option > Click Download to get the firmware.

download freewareto upgrade

Step 5. Once the download process is finished, just click Start Upgrade to begin the task.

confirm to upgrade

After that, you can launch FoneTool again, and go to My Backups > Click Restore to restore your iPhone full backup. With its universal restore feature, you can even backup iPhone to iPad.

restore backup

Tip: Within the My Backups interface, you can also click the View dot next to Restore to access your iPhone data from the backups easily.  

Conclusion

Hope you can find useful ways in this article to fix the iPhone WiFi spinning wheel won't connect issue. If you have to update your iOS system, it’s better to use FoneTool to back up iPhone before the process.

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