The majority of iPhone users in the market ask the question, should I renew lease on iPhone?
Many are clueless as to whether they should renew the lease on their iPhone or not and among the most common dilemmas are safety, security, and confidentiality.
That is why, in this guide, we’ll be discussing whether renewing the lease on your iPhone should be done, and would it be safe to do so.
The renewal of your iPhone’s lease happens automatically the moment you disconnect from the network. In case you get the prompt to renew, renewing it manually is safe.
Should I Renew Lease on iPhone?
The process of renewing your iPhone’s DHCP lease happens almost automatically without us noticing it.
In fact, it happens so quickly and so instantaneously that it seems like it doesn’t happen at all.
However, if the router kicks you out or your phone fails to connect, and you get the prompt to renew your lease, there’s no harm in doing it manually.
But what does it really mean anyway? And how can renewing the lease of your iPhone help you?
What Does Renew Lease on iPhone Mean?
In a nutshell, your device gets leased a DHCP or a connection by the router for a limited time.
When this lease expires, both the router and the iPhone wouldn’t be able to meet and communicate with each other, hence restricting you from connecting to the router (to the internet).
The main point of doing this is to allow your phone to reconnect to your router – to “renew the lease” so that it can connect with your router again.
But in learning about the renewal of your iPhone’s lease, it’s imperative that you understand the concept of DHCP and DHCP lease.
DHCP
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol or DHCP is a network protocol used to analyze and assign IP addresses to devices.
This is what makes and establishes the connection between your device and your router.
DHCP Lease
In order for your device to connect and communicate with your router, the router assigns a DHCP to the device so that it knows where the data and information are coming from.
More often than not, leased addresses are given and assigned for about 24 hours, sometimes even more.
And when the expiry of the lease is about to come, it is automatically renewed.
And that’s all you need to know about renewing the lease of your iPhone. Pretty simple, right?
Not, let us give you a breakdown of what happens when you renew your iPhone’s lease.
What Happens When You Renew iPhone Lease?
When your iPhone’s DHCP lease is renewed, then your router will assign a new lease to your iPhone so that it can be licensed and allowed to connect to it.
The old lease will be thrown away and it will be replaced with a new one, giving it a pass for connection; this gives it a new IP address.
How Do I Renew Lease on iPhone?
The process of renewing your iPhone’s lease is pretty simple and straightforward. It wouldn’t require an expert for this procedure to be accomplished properly.
In fact, we can summarize the complete process in just a few easy steps:
- On your iPhone, go to Settings > Wi-Fi.
- Then, click the Info or the “i” button of the network name you’re connected to.
- Scroll down until you see Renew Lease, which is in blue.
- Click on it and confirm the action by typing in your 4-digit PIN (if you have one).
Once done, your DHCP lease will be renewed and your device will tell your router to assign a new IP address to it – a new lease so that it can connect.
When Should You Renew Your DHCP Lease?
The renewal of your iPhone’s lease is rarely required because of the fact that this usually happens automatically.
But, if a connectivity problem occurs and it requires you to do the manual renewal of your iPhone’s DHCP lease, then do it.
Some of the most common instances where you need to do it manually include:
- You’re connecting to the incorrect server (IP address mix-ups)
- The server you’re connecting to is currently experiencing problems
- The router’s experiencing problems with its connection to the server
- You’re not on a stable network when the assignment of the IP address has been done
When any of these situations arise and your device did not automatically renew its lease, then you should renew your DHCP lease
Is it Safe to Renew Lease on iPhone?
Yes, renewing your iPhone’s lease is perfectly safe and it will do no harm to either your device or your network.
Doing this command is simply like allowing your device to be reassigned an IP address so that it can connect and communicate with the router in the network.
I Can’t Renew Lease on iPhone, What Should I Do?
In the event that the renewal of your iPhone’s lease isn’t successful, other alternatives you could try to get your device back to the network include:
Toggling Airplane Mode on Your Device
To do this, you simply need to go to Settings > Airplane Mode. Turn on airplane mode by clicking the radio button – it should be in green.
This is the simplest and most basic thing to do that can stand as an alternative to renewing your DHCP lease.
When you toggle airplane mode off and reconnect to your WiFi, your DHCP lease should automatically be renewed.
Forgetting and Reconnecting WiFi
You can forget and reconnect to the WiFi network so that you can start anew and be reassigned a new IP address immediately.
To do this:
- Go to Settings > WiFi.
- Click on the “I” button to access Info.
- Scroll down until you see Forget Network.
- Once done, connect to the network again.
NOTE: You’ll have to type in the WPA/WPA2 key or password again if it’s equipped with one to be able to connect to it.
Resetting the Network Settings
Another alternative is to perform a reset network settings on your device. This kind of overhauls your entire network, refreshing it indefinitely.
You can do this by following these steps:
- On your iPhone, go to Settings > General.
- From there, locate Reset > Reset Network Settings.
- You’ll be asked to input your device’s PIN to confirm.
- Click Confirm to push with the process.
- Your device will restart and boot up automatically.
- When it goes back up again, your network should be functioning and operating properly.
NOTE: These processes are alternatives to the lease renewal process of your iPhone.
You can perform any of these respectively if you deem that renewing your iPhone’s lease isn’t effective.
Read Next: How to Get Back a Deactivated Phone Number Easily?
Conclusion
If you’re confused about whether you should renew your iPhone’s lease or not, you should. Doing so is simply like allowing your router to assign a new IP address to your device.
Knowing the process of how to renew a lease on an iPhone is important, especially during certain situations.
So, the next time you stop and search, should I renew lease on iPhone, you can do it.
It’s completely safe, and it’s something that you can do to refresh and re-establish the connection between your iPhone and your router.
Finn Wheatley holds a Master’s Degree in Computer Science from UCL, London. He helped small data science consultancy firms, helping large corporations to grow their data capabilities, deploy advanced machine learning-based analytics and troubleshoot tech-related issues. Check out more about him here.