It seems that some WiFi names with percentage signs are incorrectly interpreted as commands by iPhones. There are actually two types of SSIDs detected whose name configuration can turn off the WLAN function in iPhones. It’s now been announced that the bug will be fixed with iOS 14.7 – the beta, already available for free, already offers a remedy.
Fix WiFi Name Error in iOS 14.7
With some WiFi names, WiFi is turned off on iPhones and iPads as soon as the device connects to the corresponding WiFi network. Only a week ago we reported another WiFi SSID causing this problem and it can also completely deactivate the WiFi function of the iPhone, so that in the worst case, the iPhone has to be set up again. One reason for the problem seems to be the percentage in WLAN names, which iPhones misinterpret as letter-related commands. As Heise has now also reported, Apple will fix this issue with the next iOS update to version 14.7. If you are worried about falling victim to a toxic SSID, you can install a trial version of iOS 14.7, as the problem has already been eliminated.
Users traveling without the trial version should take a close look at the SSID before logging into the WLAN. If there is a percentage in the name, you should avoid the network when in doubt. Since very few unusual names like %p%s%s%s%s%s%n and %secretclub%power have been discovered that lead to WLAN failure, one must basically assume bad intentions if one loses their WLAN SSID that’s dangerous on iPhones – but random strings of characters can’t be ruled out either. Therefore, it is not yet known whether there are other names for WLAN that are misunderstood as commands by iPhone and iPad and can have completely different consequences.
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