Change settings to prevent automatic Wi-Fi connections to public hotspots

How to stop your iphone or ipad from automatically connecting to a wi-fi network

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What to Know

  • Windows 10: In Network & Internet settings, uncheck Connect Automatically When This Network is in Range.
  • iOS: Go to Settings > Wi-Fi. Tap the (i) next to the network name and then toggle off Auto-Join.
  • Android: Go to Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi > Wi-Fi preferences. Toggle off Connect to public networks.

This article explains how to manage your Wi-Fi settings if you want to turn off Wi-Fi auto-connect. Turning off Wi-Fi auto-connect is a good idea because connecting to an open Wi-Fi network, such as a free wireless hotspot, exposes your computer or mobile device to security risks.

How to Disable Automatic Wi-Fi Connections

Computers and mobile devices work differently, but the process of disabling automatic Wi-Fi connections is simple to do on all of them.

On Windows 10

To disable automatic Wi-Fi Connections in Windows 10:

Go to the Network and Internet settings.

Select Wi-Fi Status > Change Adapter Options.

Double-click the Wi-Fi connection.

In the General tab, select Wireless Properties.

In the Connection tab, uncheck Connect Automatically When This Network is in Range.

How to stop your iphone or ipad from automatically connecting to a wi-fi network

The process is similar for Windows 8 and older versions of Windows.

On iOS

iPhone and iPad devices associate an option called Auto-Join with each Wi-Fi profile. When enabled, your device connects to that network automatically when it’s within range.

To stop that from happening for any specific Wi-Fi profile:

Open to the Settings app and select Wi-Fi.

Tap the small (i) next to the network name.

Turn off the switch next to Auto-Join.

How to stop your iphone or ipad from automatically connecting to a wi-fi network

If you want your phone or tablet to quit asking you to connect each time you're within range of a network you haven't used before, such as an open network in a hotel or restaurant, go to the Wi-Fi settings page and disable Ask to Join Networks.

If you keep it on, you're prompted to connect to each network your device finds, so turning off the feature means you have to open this screen to manually select the networks you want to join.

This works in iOS 14 through iOS 11 versions of iPhone. On iPads with iPadOS, the path is Settings > Wi-Fi > Auto-Join Hotspot > Never.

On Android

To stop your Android device from auto-connecting to open networks:

Open the Android settings and go to Network & Internet.

Select Wi-Fi > Wi-Fi preferences.

Turn off the Connect to public networks toggle switch.

How to stop your iphone or ipad from automatically connecting to a wi-fi network

This is confirmed to work in Android 10 Q for Pixel, but might work in older versions of Android, too. If you don’t see these specific screens, look through Settings for Mobile Networks or Connections.

Select the Settings icon (the gear) next to the network to which you're currently connected to forget the connection details so that you don't auto-join the next time you're in range.

Instead of turning off Wi-Fi auto-connect, consider completely disabling Wi-Fi to avoid using it altogether, regardless of the network type or whether it’s a saved, new, open, or secured network.

Forgetting Wi-Fi Networks

Something else to remember beyond open networks is that your device may be set up to remember connections you used in the past, whether open or not. Saving network information is a great feature so that you don't have to re-enter or reselect each network you want to reuse.

However, if you want total and complete control over which networks you connect to, forget the network. Most devices have an option to delete the profile associated with the connection.

Your iPhone can automatically connect to known WiFi networks that you had previously joined. In case required, you can disable this behaviour and stop iPhone From Automatically connecting to WiFi Networks.

How to stop your iphone or ipad from automatically connecting to a wi-fi network

Stop iPhone From Automatically Connecting to WiFi Networks

The feature on iPhone that allows it to automatically join known WiFi Networks is basically designed to make it easy for iPhone users to automatically connect to WiFi Networks.

This feature can be particularly useful in case the public WiFi network at a Library, clinic or a coffee shop requires a sign-in. In such cases, you will only be required to login to the network once.

Your iPhone remembers all the WiFi Networks that it had joined previously and it will connect automatically to these known WiFi networks, anytime you happen be within the range of known WiFi Networks.

However, in certain cases you may want to Stop iPhone From automatically connecting to WiFi Networks, in order to rule out the possibility of iPhone connecting to unsafe networks.

  • Related:How to Enable WiFi Calling On iPhone

Stop iPhone From Automatically Connecting to Specific WiFi Network

You can prevent your iPhone from automatically connecting to specific WiFi Networks by following the steps below.

1. Open Settings on your iPhone or iPad

2. On the Settings screen, tap on the WiFi option.

How to stop your iphone or ipad from automatically connecting to a wi-fi network

3. On the WiFi Screen, tap on the blue “i” icon located next to the network that you want to stop your device from connecting automatically (See image below).

How to stop your iphone or ipad from automatically connecting to a wi-fi network

4. On the next screen, toggle OFF the option for Auto-Join .

How to stop your iphone or ipad from automatically connecting to a wi-fi network

After this Setting, your iPhone will not automatically join this particular WiFi network. However, you can always manually connect to this particular network at any time, in case you want to.

How to stop your iphone or ipad from automatically connecting to a wi-fi network

Has your iPhone or iPad suddenly stopped automatically connecting to known wireless networks such as your home Wi-Fi? This is a common question for iPhone 11 users but sometimes comes up for other Apple devices as well. It doesn’t necessarily mean the internet is not working on your iPhone. It’s more likely that a setting on your device is the culprit, but it’s easy to fix. Let’s learn how to change or reset your Wi-Fi settings so that your device will connect automatically to Wi-Fi again.

Auto-Join Networks on iPhone & iPad

Auto-Join saves you a lot of hassle by keeping you from having to manually select your preferred Wi-Fi network every time it’s within range. Sometimes, however, this setting can get switched off and you’ll lose automatic connection to that Wi-Fi network. This problem is annoying, but easily fixable. Here’s how to enable automatic network connections on your iPhone or iPad.

  1. To start, open up Settings and tap on Wi-Fi. The network you prefer should automatically show up near the top of the screen, but won’t show that you’re connected yet.

How to stop your iphone or ipad from automatically connecting to a wi-fi network

How to stop your iphone or ipad from automatically connecting to a wi-fi network

How to stop your iphone or ipad from automatically connecting to a wi-fi network

How to stop your iphone or ipad from automatically connecting to a wi-fi network

You may need to check on this setting for each of your preferred networks at locations you visit, like work or home.

This is the most common solution to network issues with iPhones and iPads automatically joining networks, but if you’re still experiencing issues you may want to check out this more in-depth guide to troubleshoot further.

Top image credit: Lifestyle and Wedding ph / Shutterstock.com

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Author Details

How to stop your iphone or ipad from automatically connecting to a wi-fi network

Author Details

Erin MacPherson

Erin is a Web Editor for iPhone Life and has been a writer, editor, and researcher for many years. She has a degree in communication with an emphasis on psychology and communication, and has spent many of her professional years as a coach in various business and specialty fields. Erin officially joined the ranks of iPhone and Apple users everywhere around nine years ago, and has since enjoyed the unique and customized feel of Apple technology and its many gadgets. When she’s not working, Erin and her son enjoy outdoor adventures, camping, and spending time with their eclectic collection of pets.

When you connect your iPhone to a wireless network, the iPhone will remember this Wi-fi network and its password, so the next time your iPhone can automatically connect to it. This is a great feature on iPhone as it saves you a lot of time selecting a known wifi network from a long available network list and typing in the Wi-fi password which is usually long and hard to remember.

However this could be a trouble at the same time. For example, if you visited a coffee shop and used its wifi connection once, the next time you visit the coffee shop again, your iPhone will try to connect to its Wi-fi network automatically and you may not even realize you have connected to the Internet through a public Wi-fi network.

For those public wifi network you could use occasionally or just once, it is not necessary to let your iPhone remember it. Luckily there’s some Wi-fi setting to make iPhone not automatically connect to Wi-fi. You can easily disable automatic wireless connection on iPhone.

Method 1. Stop iPhone automatically connecting to unknown open wi-fi networks

If you are in a place with open Wi-Fi networks, and you do not want your iPhone automatically connect to these unknown unsecured Wi-Fi network automatically. Open Settings on iPhone, tap WiFi, then scroll down to the bottom of the page and flick the toggle for Ask to Join Networks to ON. After that known networks can be joined automatically. If no known WiFi networks are available, you will always be asked before joining a new or unknown Wi-Fi network, it does not matter it is a secured network or open Wi-Fi network without password. If you do want to join an open or unsecured network you will have to connect to it manually from now on. Note that your iPhone will still automatically connect to recognized networks, or networks to which you’ve connected in the past.

Method 2. Stop automatic connection to known WiFi networks – iOS 11 or later

In general, when you turn on Wi-Fi on iPhone, your device will automatically connect to known networks which you’ve connected to in the past so you do not need to manually select a known Wi-Fi network and join. This automatic join feature is enabled by default. To stop your iPhone from connecting to a known WiFi network, you can now disable the Auto-Join feature on iPhone. This is a new feature in iOS 11. If you are on an earlier iOS version, you can jump to the Method 3 below.

  • Open Settings on iPhone;
  • Select Wi-Fi, turn it ON;
  • You should see a small blue Information icon (“i” inside a circle) next to each Wi-Fi network. Find the WiFi network you do not want your iPhone to automatically connect to and tap the Info icon, you will see a screen like this.

How to stop your iphone or ipad from automatically connecting to a wi-fi network

Method 3. Prevent iPhone Connecting to a Wi-fi network automatically – forget network

To do this, go to Settings on iPhone, tap on Wi-Fi, then a list of available Wi-Fi networks will be displayed for your choice. Find the wifi network you like to stop your iPhone from connecting to it automatically. Tap on the blue arrow icon besides its name, you will see a pane of detailed Wi-Fi network settings of the selected network, such as wifi IP address, router address, DNS and so on. The option “Forget this Network” which is just beneath the selected wifi network name is the setting to prevent iPhone connecting to a network automatically.

How to stop your iphone or ipad from automatically connecting to a wi-fi network

Tap on Forget this Network on iPhone, your iPhone will not attempt to connect to the network automatically in the future. At the same time, your iPhone will forget its password as well. So if you want to connect to it again, you need to manually select the wifi network and input its password.

Turning off auto-join network vs forgetting WiFi network

If you choose to forget a known Wi-Fi network, to connect to this wi-fi network in the future, you will have to manually select this network and enter its password. Disabling auto-join however will save the password, so to connect to this wi-fi network in the future, you will have to manually select this network to join without the need for entering its password.

Disable WiFi network automatic connection without connecting to it first?

In order to access the Wifi network and edit its settings on iPhone, you will have to turn on Wi-Fi first on iPhone. When you turn on Wi-Fi on iPhone, your iphone will search for any available Wi-Fi networks around and connect to a known network in the list. This step may have you connected to the network you want to stop the auto connection for. You can’t forget networks or disable network auto connection when the networks aren’t currently in range as your iPhone would not be able to scan its SSID. Is it possible to disable WiFi network automatic join or connection without connecting to it first?

A workaround is to stay far away from the Wi-fi network you want to turn off auto-join or forget so its singal becomes very week, at the same time the Wi-fi signal from another known network nearby is very strong, thus when you turn on WiFi, your iPhone should automatically choose and connect to a known Wi-Fi network with much strong signal. You may use another phone and use it as a hotspot so your iPhone can connect to its hotspot other than the Wi-Fi network you want to avoid. For example, you can follow these steps to set up mobile hotspot on Samsung mobile phone. Alternatively you can try to set up a wi-fi hotspot using the same network name(SSID) with the wi-fi network you do not want to connect to automatically. After that your iPhone may be fooled to connect to the newly created wi-fi hotspot on the mobile phone.

Update Des 2017: this article was originally published in 2013 and has since been updated. In this update, the new changes in iOS 11, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 plus, iPhone X have been reflected. New methods to stop iPhone Wi-Fi automatic connection via turning off auto-join and activating Ask to join are added.

One handy feature of iOS is that once you manually connect to a particular Wi-Fi network, it will remember and automatically reconnect to that same network again the next time your iPhone or iPad is in range. This is handy because it means you don’t need to manually connect to common Wi-Fi networks every time you enter the office or come home, but it can also be annoying on occasion if you no longer wish to connect to a specific Wi-Fi network. Here’s how you can stop your iPhone or iPad from automatically connecting to an old Wi-Fi network or, as Apple calls it, “forgetting” a network connection.
First, let’s briefly discuss why you would want to stop your iPhone or iPad from connecting to a network you previously joined. One possible reason is that your office or favorite coffee shop has created a new Wi-Fi network with a faster connection, but your iPhone keeps automatically connecting to the old network next door when you enter the building, even though you’ve already manually connected to the new network. By telling your iPhone to “forget” the old, slower network, you’ll connect to the new network automatically instead.
Another reason is that some Wi-Fi networks, such as those found in airports and hotels, are metered connections that have either limited bandwidth or a fee to join. Let’s say that you check into your hotel for a two-day stay but only purchase 24 hours of Internet access. You connect your iPhone or iPad to the hotel’s Wi-Fi network and browse without a problem the first day.

How to stop your iphone or ipad from automatically connecting to a wi-fi network

Image via Shutterstock

How to stop your iphone or ipad from automatically connecting to a wi-fi network

Note: The above discussion refers to captive networks, which are networks that require a fee or specific login information (i.e., login details for residents/customers only). Many captive networks allow the user to connect to the network and access a specific subset of websites (such as a hotel’s information and booking page), but block access to the broader Internet unless payment is made or login credentials are provided. Other types of captive networks require a specific username and password before you can even connect at all. Networks like this will have a unique option in their preferences to enable or disable “auto-join” and “auto-login.” In this case, you can turn these options off to prevent your iPhone from automatically connecting without needing to “forget” the network.

Forget This Network

Now that you understand why you may want to forget a particular Wi-Fi network, let’s get to the how. First, grab your iPhone or iPad and head to Settings > Wi-Fi.
How to stop your iphone or ipad from automatically connecting to a wi-fi network
This will display both the Wi-Fi network you’re currently connected to, if applicable, and a list of all other detected networks. Find the network that is giving you trouble (keeping in mind that it may be the network to which you’re currently connected) and tap the small blue circled “i” icon to the right of the network’s name.
How to stop your iphone or ipad from automatically connecting to a wi-fi network
If you selected a network to which you are currently connected, you’ll see detailed information about your device’s connection to that network, such as its assigned IP address and DNS information. If you selected a network you weren’t connected to, these fields will likely be blank. Regardless, find the option at the top of the screen called Forget This Network.
How to stop your iphone or ipad from automatically connecting to a wi-fi network
Tap it and iOS will ask you to verify the action. Keep in mind that this will remove the network and any password information from your device’s memory, so you’ll need to re-enter the password if you wish to connect to the Wi-Fi network again in the future. Also note that as of iOS 7 and OS X Mavericks, your iCloud Keychain will sync remembered Wi-Fi networks by default. Therefore, if you have iCloud Keychain syncing enabled, telling your iPhone to forget a particular Wi-Fi network will result in that network’s removal from all of your compatible Apple devices and Macs.
If you’re sure that you wish to proceed, tap Forget in the verification window to complete the process. If you were connected to the forgotten network, your iPhone or iPad will immediately disconnect and then connect to the next available remembered network, if applicable. The Wi-Fi network will still be visible in your list of detected networks, but your device won’t automatically join it again unless you manually instruct it to do so.

Ask to Join Networks

The previous instructions dealt with stopping your iPhone or iPad from reconnecting to a particular Wi-Fi network which you joined in the past. A related option in iOS is Ask to Join Networks, a feature which, in the absence of any remembered networks, will detect open Wi-Fi networks and ask you if you wish to join.
Many users will wish to turn this option off, as it can pose a potential security risk by making it easier to unintentionally join an unsecured or compromised network. You can find the toggle for the Ask to Join Networks feature at the bottom of Settings > Wi-Fi.

How to stop your iphone or ipad from automatically connecting to a wi-fi network

iCloud is a useful tool, especially if you’re not around a computer all the time. One of the things Apple has available in its iCloud service is the ability to have your iOS devices automatically back up their data into iCloud so that restoring from a backup is made super easy.

On the other hand, not everyone wants their data backed up in the cloud, and that’s why we’ll be showing you how to keep your iPhone or iPad from automatically backing up with iCloud in this tutorial.

Why to disable automatic iCloud backup

There are a number of reasons why you may want to disable automatic iCloud backup, such as:

  • Having a security fear of iCloud being hacked
  • Having a slow Wi-Fi connection at home
  • Having a capped data Wi-Fi plan from your ISP
  • Not having enough room in your iCloud storage

The main reason to disable iCloud backup comes in the form of security. Your backup says a lot about you, including the settings you put on your iOS devices, as well as the files that you allow to be uploaded so that when you restore your device, they return to your device when you use the backup to return all your files and data.

Among some of the information that gets stored in these backups are login information, photos and videos, and even personally-identifiable information that you’ve put in your device in the past. Since iCloud is basically a remote server, it runs the risk of getting hacked and your information could fall into the wrong hands.

Of course, security isn’t the only reason you might want to keep your device from backing up to iCloud, but whatever the case, everyone who falls into this category has something in common: they need to disable the feature.

Chalking it up, iCloud backups are convenient for most people, but not all. So in this tutorial, we’ll show you how to keep your iPhone or iPad from backing up automatically to iCloud.

How to do it

To keep your iPhone or iPad from backing up to iCloud automatically when you connect to a Wi-Fi network, you’ll follow these steps:

1) Open the Settings app and go to Apple ID > iCloud.

How to stop your iphone or ipad from automatically connecting to a wi-fi network

2) Next, tap on the Backup settings cell.

3) Finally, turn the iCloud Backup switch to the off position.

And that’s all there is to it!

What happens now?

Now that you’ve disabled automatic back-ups to iCloud, the only time your device will be able to back up is when you plug it into your computer and open iTunes. For a lot of people, this might mean never, because I know plenty of friends who don’t even plug their devices into their computers anymore.

Of course, if you don’t want to back up your data to your computer either, then you may be interested in another of our tutorials for how to disable automatic backup to iTunes when you plug your iOS device into your computer.

Keep in mind that keeping backups is a good idea because when things go wrong, you can always restore your iOS device back to how it was before the problem arose. On the other hand, sometimes it’s nice not to clutter your computer, or iCloud, with data that you may never use and have the security of knowing that all your important personal data isn’t being uploaded to Apple’s servers.

Wrapping up

Now that you’ve disabled iCloud backup, you should not have to worry about where your information is being stored and whether or not you’re causing drama for your Wi-Fi network at home. Although most people benefit from the iCloud Backup feature, not everyone uses their devices in the same way and that’s why it’s great to have the option to disable it.

A new setting in iOS 13, iPadOS and macOS Catalina lets you control how and when your client Apple device should join a Personal Hotspot running on a nearby iPhone or cellular iPad in case no Wi-Fi networks are currently available. To learn how to manage this feature and prevent unwanted cellular data charges, you’re wholeheartedly recommended to follow our tutorial.

What is Personal Hotspot?

Your iPhone has long supported creating a software hotspot.

Called Personal Hotspot, this handy feature lets you share your carrier’s cellular data connection from your iPhone or cellular-enabled iPad with other devices. A client device sees a nearby Personal Hotspot as a Wi-Fi network, and you can optionally set a password.

What if no Wi-Fi networks are available?

Apple has introduced some changes to how your devices behave when there’s no known Wi-Fi networks nearby, like a toggle for allowing a client device to automatically join the Personal Hotspot that has been set up on a nearby iPhone or cellular iPad.

They’re calling this Auto-Join Hotspot and it’s set to on by default. Having made its debut in iOS 13, iPadOS and macOS Catalina 10.15, this useful new toggle is available on your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch mobile devices as well as on Mac computers.

This failover method allows a client device to maintain network connectivity in case of a poor Wi-Fi connection or signal by connecting to an iPhone or cellular iPad with Personal Hotspot and logged into the same iCloud account. When the setting is on, it can even enable Personal Hotspot on the other device in case it’s disabled.

Why you should disable Auto-Join Hotspot

It’s all about controlling your cellular data consumption. Before iOS 13, you had to manually join a hotspot if Wi-Fi was acting up.

In iOS 13 and iPadOS, your iPhone’s or iPad’s Personal Hotspot is persistent so that a client device can remain connected to the software hotspot even when you put it to sleep.

In conjunction with the new Auto-Join Hotspot setting, this removes friction in terms of using Personal Hotspot. But if you’re on a metered cellular data plan, you may want to stop your Apple devices from automatically joining a Personal Hotspot without permission.

How to stop your iphone or ipad from automatically connecting to a wi-fi network

I can’t tell you the number of times I forgot my iPad connected to my iPhone’s Personal Hotspot before realizing it’d already downloaded app and content updates.

Yet another example: maybe your home Wi-Fi was acting up, which may have prompted your Mac to automatically join an iPhone’s Personal Hotspot. A host device sees a hotspot as a regular Wi-Fi connection, meaning a Mac connected to a Personal Hotspot may silently update your Photos library, decide that it’s now safe to download that pending macOS update etc.

As convenient as this can be, at least in in certain scenarios, you might want to disable this feature in order to prevent unwanted cellular data charges, and we show you how.

How to manage Auto-Join Hotspot

To change whether or not your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or Mac should use a nearby Personal Hotspot every time no saved Wi-Fi networks are available, follow the steps below.

1) Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad with the iOS 13.0 software or later or an iPad with the iPadOS update. On your Mac, click the System Preferences icon in the Dock or choose the System Preferences option from the Apple menu in the Finder.

2) In iOS 13 and iPad OS, choose Wi-Fi from the main list of the Settings app. In macOS Catalina, click the Network icon in the System Preferences window.

3) On iPhone or iPad, tap the option Auto-Join Hotspot, then choose an option:

How to stop your iphone or ipad from automatically connecting to a wi-fi network

The available options are:

  • Off: Stop this device from automatically discovering and joining nearby Personal Hotspots if no Wi-Fi network is available.
  • Ask to Join: Allow this device to automatically discover nearby Personal Hotspots when Wi-Fi is unavailable. You’ll be asked before a hotspot is joined.
  • Automatic: Use this option to have this device automatically discover and connect to a nearby Personal Hotspo when no Wi-Fi networks are available.

On your Mac, select a Wi-Fi network in the left hand column and enable/disable the feature by toggling the checkbox next the option labeled with the text “Ask to join Personal Hotspots”.

How to stop your iphone or ipad from automatically connecting to a wi-fi network

Disable the Auto-Join Hotspot option if you’d like to stop automatic connections to nearby Personal Hotspots and avoid excess cellular data usage when a known Wi-Fi network isn’t found.

Wi-Fi networks in Control Center

And with an enhanced Control Center in iOS 13, iPadOS and watchOS 6, you can join a Wi-Fi network or connect to a Bluetooth accessory without having to tap your way through Settings.

Need help? Ask iDB!

If you like this tutorial, pass it along to your friends and leave a comment below.

How can I turn off automatic personal hotspot activation when connecting an iPhone to a computer (Windows in this case)? I had it plugged in when downloading an iOS update and it downloaded the update over cellular data instead of home Wi-Fi.

I understand I can turn it off manually each time by going into settings, but how can I have it not turn on automatically so that I can only turn it on manually as desired to prevent accidental usage?

How to stop your iphone or ipad from automatically connecting to a wi-fi network

5 Answers 5

The problem isn’t on your iPhone, it’s on your Windows computer using the USB tether rather than Wi-Fi. You need to set the network interface priority on your Wi-Fi to be higher than the USB device, or the USB device to be lower, so that it will only use the tether if it isn’t connected to Wi-Fi.

Make sure to connect the iPhone first. Directions for Windows 7 are here (these will likely work on newer versions as well):

Alternately, you could disable the connection on your Windows computer but you’ll still have to manually turn it on each time so I think the above fix will provide the result you want.

How to stop your iphone or ipad from automatically connecting to a wi-fi network

For a Mac it’s quite simple:

While your iPhone is connected to your computer go into Network Preferences and remove the iPhone from the list of network interfaces.

I’m not sure how to change the order of connections however. That would seem more useful. But this is a quick fix until you use your phone again as hotspot through USB.

The iOS device will use use data over Personal Hotspot if it is turned on and the device is connect to a computer via USB cable. Here is the documentation from Apple:

When your connect your iPhone or iPad to your computer with a USB cable, Personal Hotspot automatically shares an Internet connection with your computer. For example, when you connect your iPhone to your computer to charge, your computer will use Internet from Personal Hotspot on your iPhone. To avoid unnecessary data charges, turn off Personal Hotspot when it isn’t in use.

The only way to prevent unwanted data usage when using USB is to turn off Personal Hotspot via Settings > Personal Hotspot.

How to stop your iphone or ipad from automatically connecting to a wi-fi network

Here are instructions how to use the command line to change the priority of the network interface to get Windows to route the traffic through WIFI adapter instead of iPhone. This is tested on Windows 10.

  1. Open up PowerShell with admin rights
  2. Use the route print to find the correct interface

How to stop your iphone or ipad from automatically connecting to a wi-fi network

  1. Check the index (the first column) for the “Apple mobile device ethernet”. In my case this is 25. Use then Get-NetIPInterface command to see associated metrics values for each interface

How to stop your iphone or ipad from automatically connecting to a wi-fi network

Check the InterfaceMetric value. The interfaces will be ordered using this value, so you want to change the Apple device to to use a value higher than for example your WIFI connection. In my case both Apple and WIFI share the value 35, so to guarantee the order I want to put the Apple device value to 45.

Use Set-NetIPInterface command to specify the value:

Set-NetIPInterface -InterfaceIndex 25 -InterfaceMetric 45

Running again the route print command shows that in my case the Apple Mobile device ethernet and my WLAN adapter has now changed the positions, meaning Windows will route the traffic through the WIFI instead of via iPhone

Whenever I’m out and about, I noticed my iphone will connect to unsecured wi-fi networks automatically without asking my to join the network. I have the option ON to ask to join any network before I connect, but it doesn’t do it. I tried searching for an answer, but all i am finding is that many people are having the opposite problem connecting to an unsecured network. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

If its names the same as another network you have joined (like the generic "linksys") this will happen. You need to click the arrow next to the network name when connected
and choose "forget this network".

Does that help or is this a case where it is joining networks with names you have never joined before? Even then you should try the tip above and see if it helps.

Reset network settings So it forgets the network and turn off the notify me of new networks

Sent from my iPhone 5 from a galaxy far far away (in the USA ) using Tapatalk !

If its names the same as another network you have joined (like the generic "linksys") this will happen. You need to click the arrow next to the network name when connected
and choose "forget this network".

Does that help or is this a case where it is joining networks with names you have never joined before? Even then you should try the tip above and see if it helps.

Reset network settings So it forgets the network and turn off the notify me of new networks

Sent from my iPhone 5 from a galaxy far far away (in the USA ) using Tapatalk !