iPhone 17 Wi-Fi error: Users complain of unstable connection, affecting CarPlay

The newly launched iPhone 17 series brings many changes, notably the appearance of the N1 chip - Apple's 'homegrown' chip in charge of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Thread (IoT connection). The mobile modem part is still provided by an external partner. However, the first users quickly reported annoying errors related to Wi-Fi connection.

All four new models, including the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air , are reportedly affected. Specifically, when unlocking the device, the Wi-Fi connection will drop for a moment and then automatically reconnect. This may not sound too serious, but in reality, it causes a lot of trouble, especially for those using Apple CarPlay . Since CarPlay depends on a stable Wi-Fi connection to the car, this bug causes the system to shut down, affecting navigation, music listening, and hands-free calling — extremely dangerous if the driver tries to handle it while driving.

Some users believe that this phenomenon may be related to the Apple Watch , because the network dropout often occurs when the watch is paired and unlocked at the same time. However, there is no solid evidence to confirm it. It is likely that the 'culprit' lies in the new N1 chip. Previously, iPhone versions still relied on Broadcom modems for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections, while the iPhone 16e tested going further by using Apple's own modem to handle all connections, including cellular. With the iPhone 17, Apple is not 'doing it all', but these problems show that the N1 chip is still having problems in the early stages.

It should also be mentioned that it is not uncommon for newly launched Apple products to have some minor bugs. Usually, the company will quickly release a software patch to fix it. Hopefully, this is just a temporary software error, not a hardware problem. Users should pay attention to upcoming updates to thoroughly handle this problem.

Isabella Humphrey

Update 24 September 2025