A number of iPhone users are reporting a loss of Wi-Fi functionality after upgrading to software 3.1.3. Based on an Apple Support discussion thread, the problems date back to the update’s release in February, and appear to affect mostly first-generation iPhone and iPhone 3G units, although a small number of iPhone 3GS owners also claimed to have experienced the issue. Some users state that their iPhones now have the Wi-Fi option grayed out, as if no hardware exists to support it, while others say the option is there, but report failure to find/connect to any networks. As a solution, a number of the users report having had their iPhones replaced, which seems to have corrected the problem in some cases, but in others the new hardware also exhibited the issue; Apple itself has posted a support document outlining an issue where there is no Wi-Fi or Bluetooth address listed on the iPhone or iPod touch, but that issue appears to be unrelated to the problems mentioned in the discussion thread.
Charles Starrett was a senior editor at iLounge. He's been covering the iPod, iPhone, and iPad since their inception. He has written numerous articles and reviews, and his work has been featured in multiple publications.