The Fastest Way Connect to a Wi-Fi Network on an iPhone or iPad

* This post is part of iPhone Life's Tip of the Day newsletter. . *

Do you know how to connect to Wi-Fi, or change the network you're using, directly from your iPhone or iPad's Control Center? This method is much quicker than sorting through the Settings app to find available networks. Let's get started learning how to connect to a specific Wi-Fi network, or change the network you're connected to, via the Control Center.

Related: How to Switch between Bluetooth Devices in the Control Center

The Fastest Way to Connect to Wi-Fi on Your iPhone

  1. Open the Control Center.
    On an iPhone X or later, or an iPad running iOS 12 or later, swipe down from the upper-right corner of the screen.
    For iPhones earlier than the X, swipe up from the bottom of the screen.

    open the control center on iphone x and lateropen the control center on iphone 8 and earlier
     
  2. Touch and hold the Network Settings card at the upper-left of the Control Center.
  3. A menu will pop up; touch and hold the Wi-Fi icon

    control center menutouch and hold wifi icon
     
  4. You'll see a list of Wi-Fi networks within range.
  5. Tap a network from the menu to connect.
  6. If the network requires a username and password, you'll be automatically taken to Settings, and a window will appear where you can enter that information, then tap Join

    change wifi network in control centerusername and password for wifi network

Your device will remember the username and password once you've joined a network, so all you'll need to do next time is tap the name in the Wi-Fi menu to join. Any time you'd like to change the network you're using, follow the same steps, and tap a different option on the Wi-Fi network list.

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Author Details

Leanne Hays's picture

Author Details

Leanne Hays

Leanne Hays has over a dozen years of experience writing for online publications. As a Feature Writer for iPhone Life, she has authored hundreds of how-to, Apple news, and gear review articles, as well as a comprehensive Photos App guide. Leanne holds degrees in education and science and loves troubleshooting and repair. This combination makes her a perfect fit as manager of our Ask an Expert service, which helps iPhone Life Insiders with Apple hardware and software issues.
In off-work hours, Leanne is a mother of two, homesteader, audiobook fanatic, musician, and learning enthusiast.