Picture this: You are all excited to download a new software update on your iPhone or iPad but when you go to the Software update screen, the Download and Install button appears greyed out. And you are greeted by “This update requires a Wi-Fi connection to download”. What’s worse is that your device is connected to Wi-Fi. You may wonder what is going on. Don’t worry. We are here to help. Let’s learn how to fix This update requires a Wi-Fi connection to download on iPad and iPhone.
Table of Contents
1. Restart Devices
The first thing that you must do to get rid of the “This update requires a Wi-Fi connection to download” error when connected to Wi-Fi is to restart your iPhone/iPad and the Wi-Fi modem. To restart the modem, simply unplug it for 30 seconds and then plug it back into the power supply.
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2. Switch to a Different Wi-Fi Network
Firstly, try turning off the Wi-Fi on your iPhone or iPad and then turn it on again. If that doesn’t fix the issue, try connecting to a different Wi-Fi network, if available.
If you have a dual-band Wi-Fi router, in most cases, connecting to a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network from 5 GHz or vice versa will solve the “This update requires a Wi-Fi connection to download” problem. Open your Wi-Fi settings and connect to the other band of the same Wi-Fi. On some Wi-Fi modems, you may need to open the router settings and then enable the other network mode.
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3. Turn off Wi-Fi Assist
If mobile data is enabled on your iPhone/iPad, you should try turning off Wi-Fi Assist. This feature basically allows your iPhone to use mobile data when the Wi-Fi network is poor. There are chances that this feature could be the cause of the “This update requires a Wi-Fi connection to download” error.
To turn off Wi-Fi Assist on iPhone/iPad, follow these steps:
1. Open Settings on your iPhone/iPad.
2. Go to Mobile Service (Mobile data or Cellular data).
3. Scroll down to the bottom and turn off the toggle next to Wi-Fi Assist. Now try downloading the latest update on your iPhone or iPad.
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4. Turn off Mobile Data
On your iPhone and iPads that support mobile data aka cellular data, you should try turning off the mobile data. Go to iPhone Settings > Mobile Service. Turn off the toggle next to Mobile data. Then, try installing the update.
5. Turn off the Private Wi-Fi Address
Next, you must try disabling the Private Wi-Fi address setting in your Wi-Fi to get rid of the “This update requires a Wi-Fi connection to download” error on your iPhone or iPad.
For that, follow these steps:
1. On your iPhone, open Settings and go to Wi-Fi.
2. Tap on the (i) icon next to the Wi-Fi that you are connected to.
3. Turn off the toggle next to Private Wi-Fi address on the next screen.
6. Turn off Low Data Mode for Wi-Fi
Another setting that might be interfering with the iOS or iPadOS update is the low data mode of the Wi-Fi network. You should disable it and see if it fixes the problem.
1. On your iPhone, go to Settings.
2. Go to Wi-Fi and press the (i) icon next to your Wi-Fi connection.
3. Turn off the toggle next to Low Data Mode.
7. Turn off VPN
Are you using any VPN on your iPhone or iPad? Well, that could be the culprit as well. Try turning off the VPN service on your device and then check if you are able to install the latest version of iOS or iPadOS on your device.
8. Forget Wi-Fi Network
Another simple hack that will let you install the latest version of iOS or iPadOS is to forget your Wi-Fi network. Doing so will reset the Wi-Fi connection on your iPhone or iPad, thus restoring any setting that might be the reason behind the “This update requires a Wi-Fi connection to download” error.
1. Go to Settings > Wi-Fi on your iPhone.
2. Tap the (i) icon next to your Wi-Fi.
3. Hit the Forget This Network.
4. Next, select the same Wi-Fi from Settings > Wi-Fi and enter the Wi-Fi password to connect to it.
9. Reset Network Settings
Finally, if nothing seems to help, you must take the harsh step of resetting network settings on your iPhone or iPad. Doing so will reset all the network settings like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc., to their default values. Make sure you know the password of your Wi-Fi before you hit the reset button. However, don’t worry about your personal data as nothing will happen to it.
Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Network settings. After resetting network settings, set up your Wi-Fi and try downloading the update. Hopefully, you will not see the “This update requires a Wi-Fi connection to download” error now.
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Time to Install Update
Hope you were able to get rid of the “This update requires a Wi-Fi connection to download” error and install the latest update on your iPhone or iPad. If you are facing some other issue while installing the latest version of iOS, learn what to do if you cannot install iOS.
