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High Desert

macrumors regular
Original poster
Nov 26, 2015
180
68
Powell Butte, Or.
Is this a common issue with iPhones? My wife and I will be in a store and I am trying to price compare items on the internet. I will have access to the store public access (such as REI), but cannot get to a website. My wife, who has a Samsung S7 never has an issue. Is there a way around this problem or is just a fact of the iPhone? I have an iPhone 7 with 128 gb ram. For the price of this phone, I would expect it to work equal to a Sammy.
 
Is this a common issue with iPhones? My wife and I will be in a store and I am trying to price compare items on the internet. I will have access to the store public access (such as REI), but cannot get to a website. My wife, who has a Samsung S7 never has an issue. Is there a way around this problem or is just a fact of the iPhone? I have an iPhone 7 with 128 gb ram. For the price of this phone, I would expect it to work equal to a Sammy.
Some stores block wifi access to look up info from competitors
 
Got that part Superjamz, but my point is that we are standing side by side and her Samsung accesses the internet and mine won't. This has happened in quite a few different stores.
When you go to access the store WiFi how are you connecting?

Some stores/restaurants require you to confirm access and won't give you internet if you don't.

Several times I've connected to this form of WiFi without the iPhone presenting a confirmation page to me. The solution for me usually is to connect to the WiFi through the Settings app. Usually the confirmation page will pop up then.
 
When you go to access the store WiFi how are you connecting?

Some stores/restaurants require you to confirm access and won't give you internet if you don't.

Several times I've connected to this form of WiFi without the iPhone presenting a confirmation page to me. The solution for me usually is to connect to the WiFi through the Settings app. Usually the confirmation page will pop up then.
It's the rare business that doesn't have some kind of a login page with T&C to be accepted.

I usually go to Safari and refresh whatever page I last used. That will usually bring up the login page. And once logged in, I've never had a business refuse me access to a competitor's web site.

OP: this is not an issue systemic to the iPhone. I've logged in to many business' in-store Wi-Fi over the years, on several different iPhone models.
 
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Is this a common issue with iPhones? My wife and I will be in a store and I am trying to price compare items on the internet. I will have access to the store public access (such as REI), but cannot get to a website. My wife, who has a Samsung S7 never has an issue. Is there a way around this problem or is just a fact of the iPhone? I have an iPhone 7 with 128 gb ram. For the price of this phone, I would expect it to work equal to a Sammy.
My question is why you did not use the cellular to browse the internet. Is your carrier signal too weal or unavailable? Why did you need to use store wifi instead of using your cellular signal on your iphone? Using cellular signal should not be an issue to access or browse websites, unless the cellular signal carrier could not be available at the store your visiting. If your carrier cellular signal is not available and you do need wifi and the store wifi could not be used, there are couple things might happen:
1. Like other said, some stores block wifi access,
2. Wifi is not configured properly in your iPhone.
 
My question is why you did not use the cellular to browse the internet. Is your carrier signal too weal or unavailable? Why did you need to use store wifi instead of using your cellular signal on your iphone? Using cellular signal should not be an issue to access or browse websites, unless the cellular signal carrier could not be available at the store your visiting. If your carrier cellular signal is not available and you do need wifi and the store wifi could not be used, there are couple things might happen:
1. Like other said, some stores block wifi access,
2. Wifi is not configured properly in your iPhone.
#1 continues not to apply in this situation.

If it was applicable then OP's wife's Samsung S7 would ALSO be unable to access the websites OP is trying to access.

Since she can, it still does not apply.

Using store WiFi instead of cellular may be because of data caps.
 
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