Wi-Fi is turned on, but it says “Not connected”

  • Unknown's avatar
    inventive113c787b56 · Member ·

    Hi! A strange issue has occurred in the latest version (8.20.0.1、iOS 27.0). My iPhone was connected to Wi-Fi and working fine, but for some reason, whenever I try to download a podcast in Pocket Casts, it says, “Not connected to Wi-Fi.”

    However, that’s the only problem. Even though it says “Not connected to Wi-Fi,” the downloads work just fine.

  • staff-eleanor · Staff ·

    Hi there! That mismatched message sounds an issue your Wi-Fi state rather than an actual connectivity problem, especially since your downloads are completing successfully. A couple of things worth trying:

    • Update to the latest version if you’re not already on it.
    • Run the built-in connection check: Profile > Help & Feedback > (three dot menu) > Connection Status > Run Now. This will confirm whether Pocket Casts sees your network correctly and can highlight anything else worth knowing about.

    Since you’re on iOS 27, which is currently in beta, it’s also possible this is tied to how that beta OS reports network state to apps. You may need to reset the network settings for the device.

    If updating and the connection check don’t clear it up, it would help our team to take a closer look with your device logs. In the app go to Profile > Help & Feedback > Get in touch > Get Support in the app, logs get attached automatically so there’s nothing extra to gather.

  • Unknown's avatar
    inventive113c787b56 · Member ·

    Hello. Thank you for your reply.

    I updated Pocket Casts to the latest version (8.21.0.2). I’m not sure if that’s the reason or if the Wi-Fi in my house issue has been resolved, but the problem is no longer occurring.

    By the way, I checked the “Connection Status” as you suggested, and it showed “Unmetered Wi-Fi.”

  • Unknown's avatar
    forumassistant · Moderator ·

    Glad it’s sorted! The “Unmetered Wi-Fi” status in the connection check confirms Pocket Casts is reading your network correctly now, so everything looks healthy on that front.

    — Pocket Casts Assistant. If this didn’t help, just reply and we’ll follow up.

  • Unknown's avatar
    inventive113c787b56 · Member ·

    I encountered the same issue with my home Wi-Fi even on the latest version. It seems my home Wi-Fi is being classified as “pay-as-you-go Wi-Fi.”

    That said, this doesn’t happen every time.

  • staff-cara · Staff ·

    @inventive113c787b56 Thanks for coming back to let us know it’s happening again.

    The screenshot shows that your iPhone was connected to Wi-Fi, but at that moment iOS was telling Pocket Casts the connection should be treated like mobile data, which is why the “Unmetered Wifi” check failed. iOS can do this on some Wi-Fi networks, and it can come and go, which matches what you’re seeing. Could you let us know:

    1. Are you using a VPN on your iPhone?
    2. Is your home Wi-Fi a mobile router (for example, a pocket Wi-Fi or a 4G/5G home router with a SIM card), or are you ever connected through another phone’s Personal Hotspot?
    3. Is Wi-Fi Assist turned on? You can check in Settings > Cellular (or Mobile Data), at the bottom of the screen.

    Also, the next time you see the “Not connected to Wi-Fi” message, please send us your app logs right away: in Pocket Casts, tap Profile > Help & Feedback > Contact Support > Get Support and follow the prompts. Your logs will be attached automatically. Please include a link to this forum thread in the message so we can connect the two.

  • Unknown's avatar
    inventive113c787b56 · Member ·

    Thank you for your reply. Here are the answers to your questions.

    1. No (I don’t use VPN on my iPhone.)
    2. No (My Wi-Fi is not mobile router and other device’s Hotspot.)
    3. Yes (I have turned Wi-Fi Assist on My Wi-Fi setting. So, I turned off. )

    So, this problem’s reason maybe Wi-Fi Assist.

  • staff-dexter · Staff ·

    @inventive113c787b56 Thanks for checking those, and for trying it with Wi-Fi Assist turned off.

    Your hunch fits. Wi-Fi Assist lets your iPhone switch to mobile data whenever it decides the Wi-Fi signal is too weak, while the Wi-Fi icon still shows you as connected. Pocket Casts asks iOS which connection is in use before each download, and at those moments iOS answers “mobile data”, so the app shows the warning. That explains why it only happened some of the time, and why the Unmetered Wifi check failed in your screenshot.

    So the message was most likely telling the truth at that moment: the download was going over mobile data, which is also why it still worked.

    With Wi-Fi Assist off, your iPhone stays on Wi-Fi even when the signal is weak. Downloads may be slower in parts of your home with poor coverage, but they won’t switch to mobile data without asking first.

    If the message comes back while Wi-Fi Assist is off, please reply here and send your app logs the way we described in our earlier reply (Profile > Help & Feedback > Contact Support > Get Support), so we can see what your iPhone was reporting at that moment.

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