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This unusual hotspot name can disable an iPhone’s Wi-Fi functionality
July 02, 2025
If you own aniPhoneand don’t want to crash your device’s Wi-Fi functionality, you might want to double-check a network’s name before joining it. A security researcher has seemingly discovered aniOSbug that can disable an iPhone’s Wi-Fi capabilities.
Carl Schou, the researcher in question, found that an iPhone’s Wi-Fi connectivity is left “permanently disabled” by connecting to a network titled “%p%s%s%s%s%n.” According toBleepingComputer, Schou tested this theory on aniPhone XSrunning iOS 14.4.2. Notably, the publication,other researchers, and users in his Twitter thread have corroborated his findings. Notably, Android doesn’t seem affected by this issue.
Schou notes that rebooting the device doesn’t fix the issue. Changing the Wi-Fi network’s name doesn’t remedy the problem, either. Connecting to another network isn’t possible either, as this bug seemingly breaks the Wi-Fi settings page.
So what causes the issue? It’s believed a format string bug is the root cause. iOS seemingly interprets the letters following the “%” as commands or variables and not an actual Wi-Fi SSID.
How to fix the iPhone Wi-Fi bug
As easy as it is to get into this mess, there’s an equally easy way out. Heading toSettings>General>Reset>Reset Network Settingson your iPhone will clear the Wi-Fi name from the device’s logs. You will need to re-enter any safe Wi-Fi networks and other network information, though.
Although it’s a temporary annoyance, the bug doesn’t seem to be a security flaw and probably isn’t exploitable by malicious actors. That said, it would be a cruel trick to play on iOS users who are none the wiser.
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