Owners report iPhone 17 drops Wi‑Fi and Bluetooth, cutting off CarPlay—likely linked to Apple Watch. Apple confirms a fix in iOS 26.1; release expected soon.
© Apple
Apple’s newest iPhone 17 lineup has run into a serious wireless connectivity snag. Owners around the world say their phones abruptly drop Wi‑Fi and Bluetooth, which in turn cuts off CarPlay.
Complaints started right after the phones went on sale, and the stories line up: the moment an iPhone 17 is unlocked, the device switches off Wi‑Fi. CarPlay loses the connection and then automatically reconnects.
Curiously, the glitch appears to be tied to Apple Watch. When the smartwatch is locked, the issue doesn’t show up. But once it’s unlocked and you start using the iPhone, both Wi‑Fi and Bluetooth begin to drop. Some users also note a similar hiccup with Vision Pro if an iPhone is unlocked nearby.
Apple has acknowledged the problem. Engineers are collecting logs from affected users and passing them to developers. Early indications point to a fix included in the latest iOS 26.1 beta—iPhone 17 owners who have installed it report the issue has disappeared. Most people, however, will have to wait for the stable release expected in October. Given the scale, Apple may roll out an unscheduled update specifically for iPhone 17. For early adopters, it’s a frustrating snag, but the remedy seems within reach.
It’s telling that iPhone 16 and older devices aren’t seeing the same trouble: in the very same cars their CarPlay sessions remain steady, reinforcing that the bug is confined to the new generation.