Apple's iOS 14.7 beta fixes a bug that could disable WiFi completely

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iPhone 5 closeup (Image credit: iMore)

What you need to know

  • Apple's latest iOS 14.7 beta fixes a problem that caused WiFi to completely fail on iPhones.
  • There's no telling when Apple will release iOS 14.7 to the public.

The latest beta release of iOS 14.7 has one important bug fix in it — it no longer risks an iPhone's WiFi being disabled by a rogue network with an unusual name. We heard recently that a particular network name could disable WIFi on iPhones semi-permanently. But not anymore!

The confirmation comes via YouTuber Zollotech with their latest video sharing some of the changes in the latest iOS 14.7 beta. There are a few in there, but the one we're most interested in is the bug fix. You can watch the full video below.

iOS 14.7 Beta 5 released for developers and soon to public beta testers. Also, iPadOS 14.7 Beta 5, watchOS 7.6 Beta 5, tvOS 14.7 Beta 5 and macOS Big Sur 11.5 Beta 5 are out as well. iOS 14.7 Beta 5 is not the iOS 14.7 RC or release candidate or GM. This update brings changes to software updates, beta profiles, and has updates to the WiFi, AirTags and will bring changes to Accessibility and more. In this video I go over all the features, updates and changes in iOS 14.7 using iPhone 7, iPad Air 2, iPhone XR, and iPhone 12 Pro Max

The issue was reported to occur when people connect to a WiFi network with a peculiar name. One example is "%p%s%s%s%s%n."

Now that we know the latest iOS 14.7 beta fixes this bug it's surely only a matter of time before it's released to the public. Keep your eyes on iMore for the heads-up when it's ready for you to download on your own devices, too.

Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.